Custom Plugs started as a Leeds based company. They now have three depots across the globe (UK, EU and US), each one paving the way for the future of plugs, specialising in the design and manufacture of Acrylic, Wooden, Stone & Silicone body jewellery.
Matthew, one of UK Custom Plug’s two founders, spoke to us about the challenges they faced that encouraged him to look for an alternative communication solution.
The Objective
- To find a communication method that is affordable and fast
- To find an effective way to contact their younger target audience directly
- To find an alternative to social media
The Plan
UK Custom Plugs have a large following in the UK and all over Europe. They used to rely on social media as a way to stay in touch with their fan base online, especially because a majority of their target audience are of the younger generation.
Matthew told us; “we used to be able to reach our social media fans without having to pay anything. However, as the social media sites developed they started charging us for communicating with fans.”
Matthew decided he wanted to find a new communication channel that was both affordable and direct. After exploring many different avenues including newsletters and social media, SMS seemed like the obvious choice. He said that because their target market is mostly the younger generation, using SMS to contact them directly has given them an instant return. Their main use of FireText was to try and increase returned custom by sending promotions to customers who’ve previously bought and provided their mobile number.
The only concern they had about using SMS was how they would be able to track conversion rates. They decided to offer customers a unique code in their message, this way, they were able to work out which orders were a direct result of the SMS campaign. Another way around this would have been to use the URL Tracker which allows you to track the click-through rate of any link.
We asked if they had encountered any problems implementing their SMS strategy, they said that they didn’t come across any real problems and that the set up was very straightforward. The only thing they found confusing was having to enter the different country codes for their EU contacts to send internationally, however, FireText sorted this for them.
The Message
“Hi {{firstname}}. https://ukcustomplugs.co.uk is offering you an exclusive discount as thanks for your loyalty. Use the code ‘FAMILY’ for 30% OFF everything!”
The Results
Matthew explained that not only did the implementation of SMS increase their conversion rates, but it also gave them a new channel to reach out to their customers. The family code campaign was successfully delivered to 4678 customers and 212 customers redeemed the offer, resulting in a 4.53% conversion rate!
To ensure campaigns had the best response Matthew said, “We try and avoid sending too many messages to customers, and save our SMS marketing campaigns for the biggest promotions as it gives them a great kick start.”