Introduction

While text only SMS Marketing is proven to be the best marketing channel out there with read rates of 98%, instant delivery and higher redeem rates than any other channel, there is a way to make your marketing even more effective. Why not use the SMS attachments feature which is available in all leading Bulk SMS service providers.

This feature allows you to send PDFs via SMS. By doing this you can change a simple 160 characters SMS into a full brochure by attaching a PDF.

Try the PDF attachments feature from Sendmode SMS Solutions by clicking on the image below to start a no-obligation free trial.

Why PDFs Are Useful in SMS Marketing

It is widely accepted that PDFs can be highly effective in Bulk SMS marketing. There are several reasons for this:

• Rich Content. PDFs allow you to share detailed information that goes far beyond the character limits of an SMS. They can include charts, images, video links and more, making them ideal for brochures, catalogs, newsletters, user manuals, training materials, menus, or guides..
• Ease of Sharing. Your recipients can easily download and share PDFs and brochure among their own friendship groups. This offers you the opportunity to amplifying the reach of your SMS marketing and potentially reach new customers.
• Professional Presentation. One of the reasons PDFs are so popular is that they maintain their professional presentation across all devices so you don’t have to worry about formatting issues. Your content will appear polished and professional, regardless of the recipient’s handset.
• Interactive Elements. PDFs can include clickable links, embedded forms, and multimedia elements. This makes them an excellent tool for driving traffic to your landing pages, encouraging free trial sign-ups, or providing an easy step towards a conversion or purchase.
• Trackable Engagement. It is very important to measure the success of your SMS. Using PDFS with trackable links you can measure how many people engage with your content. This provides valuable insights into your audience’s interests and behavior and allows you to personalise future campaigns to your customers for an even more effective Bulk SMS campaign. If you would like to know more about personalization we have written an article about it here. https://www.sendmode.co.uk/personalized-sms-marketing-why-its-essential-for-your-business
• Enhanced User Experience. PDFs can provide a concise and visual description of what message you want your customers to get. They provide a consolidated, visually appealing message that users can read and respond to.

By including a PDF link in your SMS, you can convey very detailed information without overwhelming the recipient with long winded text only SMS messages.  Furthermore you will keep the SMS concise and focused as the main body of the information will be in the PDF.

Try Sendmode’s PDF attachment feature to drive more engagement with your customers. Click below to get started.

Steps to Send PDFs via SMS

Sendmode have made it very straightforward to send PDFs with your SMS Marketing campaigns.  Just follow these simple steps.

• Login to your Sendmode account and visit the Send SMS screen.
• Choose the groups you wish to send this SMS Campaign to.
  • Remember about segmentation, you may want to send different PDFs to different segments of your customer base. If you are interested in best practises for segmenting your customer database, we have written an article specifically about segmentation here. https://www.sendmode.co.uk/what-is-sms-segmentation-best-practices-examples
• In the SMS Content box, enter the content of your SMS and then choose the attach button underneath and choose the PDF you wish to attach. Sendmode will upload this file and create a shortened URL which will be added to your SMS.
• The link is automatically added into your SMS message. Finish the Bulk SMSwith a clear call-to-action. For example; “Hi [Name], check out our new Winter products guide here: [PDFWEBLINK]. Click here for 20% off on any of the items in our Winter Collection. [SHOPWEBLINK]”

Sendmode’s easy-to-use attachment feature will drive more engagement with your SMS campaigns. Click on the image below to start a no-obligation free trial. We’ll even add some free credits to help you get started.

Best Practices for Sharing PDFs via SMS

Before we go, a quick note on best practices on how to  send PDFs via SMS and mobile PDF marketing.

• Keep the message concise. The objective is to get as many people to click the rich content PDF as possible so keep the introduction part of the SMS as short and concise as possible. For Example; “Hi [Name], New product link just launched. Full brochure available by clicking here. [PDFWEBLINK].”
• Use trackable links to measure engagement. Sendmode will provide reports on who has clicked your PDFlink so you can remarket to them if they have not taken the next step and completed a purchase.
• Ensure PDFs are mobile-friendly for easy viewing. Your customers will be looking at the PDF’s on their mobiles so it is absolutely imperative that the PDFs are mobile friendly and present well on any mobile phones.

Why not click on the image below and get started with adding PDFs to your Bulk SMS. Sendmode will have you up and running in minutes with our multi-award winning customers service.

Conclusion

A picture paints a thousand words. Sending a PDF link with your SMS will drive more engagement and allow to add more products and offers to your marketing SMS.  As seen above PDFs are super versatile and can provide very detailed information to your customers in a professionally presented manner, across all devices. Customers can simply click the weblink in the SMS and the PDF ( or image ) will be displayed on their handset. With trackable links you can measure the engagement level of your customers and then segment them in to various groups who have, for example, clicked the PDF, not clicked the PDF, clicked but did not purchase, clicked but did not open a free trial etc.  This gives you valuable information on your customers behaviour and a way to enhance and personalize future SMS marketing campaigns.

Why not try Sendmode’s easy-to-use PDF attachment feature and increase engagement with your SMS Marketing. Click the image below to start a no-obligation free trial.