The Do’s and Don’ts of SMS Marketing

It’s a no brainer that SMS marketing is the best solution out there if you want to reach a large audience without breaking the bank. But how do you get it right the first time?

SMS marketing only works if strategized and implemented the right way.  In other words, you must adhere to the DO’s and DON’Ts of SMS marketing if you’re going to deliver SMS messages faster, efficiently, and cost-effectively.  At smartercontact.com, we help businesses of all sizes with SMS marketing on a daily basis and will guide you on everything you need to know about SMS marketing and reveal the common pitfalls. Read on!

The DO’s of SMS Marketing

Text messages have a high open-rate of up to 98% as opposed to traditional emails, making text marketing a potent tool for growing your brand.  Also, the response rate for text messages is much higher as well by extension.

Here is what you need to do to succeed with your SMS marketing strategies.

 

• Timing Matters the Most

 

Text messages are personal for many people because they land directly in their inbox, whether online or offline.  That said, your brand message shouldn’t intrude on privacy when the customer obviously doesn’t want to receive any promotional texts.

For instance, would you want to receive a promotional message in the middle of the night? How about very early in the morning?  Of course, no.  The same applies to your customers.  Just put yourself in their shoes and you’ll know when is the right time to send a brand message, when it will most likely be acknowledged and read by many.

 

• Your Customers Want to Feel Special

 

Customers receive promotional messages if they want to because they have to opt into your campaign first.  For those who choose to remain on your SMS list, they want a personalized message that makes them feel esteemed.  Even without mentioning, SMS list subscribers expect to receive valuable information every time you text them.

That said, customize every text message based on the recipient’s needs and preferences.  For instance, you can check the buyer’s purchase history to understand which products they expect discounts on.  Even better, call out your customers by their names at the beginning of the message.  This might even prompt a higher open rate.

 

• Have a Clear Call to Action (CTA)

 

All promotional messages have an intention, which is often prompting the recipient to take some action.  In marketing, this is known as a call to action.  Since texts are typically short, it will help if the CTA is the focal point of the entire message.  At the same time, the CTA should be clear and concise when telling the customer what to do next.

A text message CTA can be anything, from inviting customers to a quick poll to offering discounts on new products.  Either way, be specific on what the customer should do and you’ll experience a lower drop-off.

 

• Include an Opt-Out Option

 

How comfortable do you feel when you see a clearly marked EXIT door when you walk into a building?  The exit means you can dash out anytime you want.  SMS subscribers also want a binary choice of staying or exiting your list anytime they want.  Always make it obvious that customers can opt-out of your SMS list at their own volition.

However, the opt-out process should be one-step to enhance customer experience.  If all your promotional messages come with opt-out instructions by default, make sure they are in CAPS for more visibility.

 

• Include a Disclaimer if Needed

 

Mobile phone plans vary accordingly with service providers.  Some plans support free promotional messages, while others offer a flat-rate fee.  Others might even charge every message independently.  This is not naturally implied to your customers.  You have to remind them of the charges for greater transparency.  It will also help you avoid any backlash with your SMS campaigns.

You can make your customers aware of these charges by tacking on a disclaimer at the end of the text messages.  Typically, this includes a few words reminding the customer that standard SMS rates might apply for the received message.

The DON’Ts of SMS Marketing

You already understand what you should do when it comes to SMS marketing.  Now, here are the DON’Ts.

 

• Don’t Over-Try to Sell

 

Of course, every business implementing SMS marketing strategies wants to boost sales.  However, this shouldn’t be so obvious to the recipient.  The customer is already probably receiving tens of other promotional messages trying to sell them all sorts of products.

Try to stand out in this overly saturated space.  Take a human and personal approach when creating the messages instead of a marketing perspective.  Customers appreciate this more as opposed to blatant sales pitches.

 

• Don’t Forget to Put a Brand Name on Your Messages

 

Sending the first promotional message to a customer is like meeting them for the first time.  Unless you clearly identify yourself, customers will likely ignore your message, or even worse, list your short SMS code as spam.  Put a brand name on your promotional texts for the message to sound relevant and engaging.  Moreover, this enhances brand recognition.

 

• Don’t Hide Your Opt-Out Instructions

 

As noted, receiving promotional messages is a customer’s choice.  Don’t “enslave” them in the campaign list by complicating the opt-out process, or failing to display the opt-out instructions altogether.  This might lead to a backlash, especially when many people start complaining about your brand messages at the same time.  It’s also unethical.

 

• Don’t Send Too Many Texts

 

Your customers have a life besides buying.  Moreover, they use text messages to communicate with their friends and loved ones.  Bombarding them with too many texts is the same as intruding on their privacy, which can end up in a mass opt-out.

SMS Marketing is Powerful if You Have the right tool

Smarter Contact offers one of the most user-friendly SMS platforms for business marketing.  With an in-built CRM and seamless integration with third-party tools from industry leaders, Smarter Contact positions itself as a dependable and highly converting SMS platform.

The platform comes with a host of intuitive features to compliment strategic digital marketing campaigns.  These features include multi-number capabilities, a two-way messaging system, text scheduling for automation, templates and duplicates, as well as an import contacts button for easy SMS list building.

Other innovative features on Smarter Contact SMS platform include mobile data skip tracing which can increase consumer response rates by up to 157%.  The feature leverages geo-location mobile data technology to help businesses contact qualified leads only.  Moreover, the tool separates mobile and landline data for easy SMS customization.  Smarter Contact SMS platform is ideal for a range of industries, including real estate, staffing, automotive, marketing, event promotion, fitness, and lending.

Over to you

Today, over 60% of consumers open and read text messages within 5 minutes of receipt.  SMS marketing can make or break your brand image.  At the same time, text messages can target as many people as possible with relatively affordable overhead costs.  Leverage this guide today and make the most out of your SMS marketing strategies.