3 mistakes to avoid when planning your SMS campaigns
Sending an SMS message to a customer is not the same as sending an email. SMS messaging bypasses the rules and filters of email and lands directly in the palm, or pocket, of the user. It is immediate, imperative, and demands attention. This is why studies show that SMS open rates are in excess of 99%, but it is also why SMS Services needs to be treated differently to other forms of communication.
Here at textanywhere.net, we’ve helped businesses of all sizes master SMS communications and we’ve distilled our knowledge of what makes a great SMS campaign into these three vitally important rules:
1: Know when to stop - Don’t spam people
Most of us have long lists of unread emails, but very few of us have long lists of unread text messages. The rules of SMS are different and this means that users have a much lower tolerance for “spam” messages delivered by SMS.
Remember that when you send a Text Message Marketing to a customer, you are very probably going to take their attention away from whatever they are doing, wherever and whenever they are doing it. Do this too often, and the customer will get frustrated and unsubscribe from your messages.
Avoid repeat messages as well. Assume that your previous message, or messages, have all been read and only send reminders or repeats if you absolutely have to. In the SMS world, it is better to send nothing than to send a worthless message that wastes the customer’s time.
2: Match the medium to the message
Text messages are 142 characters. There’s no room for wordiness here, especially if you need to include a URL or instructions on how to respond or what to do next.
Par down your message to its absolute core - remember you are sending the customer a “hot” missive, so ensure that you keep the content brief and to the point. Tell the customer what they need to know and what to do next. Nothing more, nothing less.
If you are sending a URL, make use of a reliable URL shortening service like bit.ly will shorten even the most gargantuan URL down to just a few characters, saving you vital space.
Discount codes and other offers with a short lifespan work especially well in text messages. The immediacy of the message is matched by the immediacy of the delivery mechanism and the user is more likely to feel compelled to act on the information that they are receiving... before time runs out.
3: Use text as part of a holistic strategy, not on its own
A messaging system that is immediate, has a 99%+ open rate, and means all marketing messages have to be 142 characters or less? Sounds great, but remember that this is just one tool - not just one tool for every job.
Some messages can’t be pared down to 142 characters and sometimes images and video do a better job than the best 142 characters of copy can ever hope to achieve.
Use SMS where it is the best medium for the message that you want to convey, not as your default. If you’ve obeyed the first and second rules, you shouldn’t really need to think about this too much, but rule 3 is here an important check and balance in your overall strategy.
When looking at any outbound message ask you whether or not SMS is a suitable medium for it. If not, then ask yourself how SMS could support that same message. Your latest catalogue may need to go by email, but that’s no reason that you can’t send an SMS to all your catalogue subscribers to let them know that the latest catalogue is in their inbox, and spur them into action with a short-term discount code!
Sending an SMS message to a customer is not the same as sending an email. SMS messaging bypasses the rules and filters of email and lands directly in the palm, or pocket, of the user. It is immediate, imperative, and demands attention. This is why studies show that SMS open rates are in excess of 99%, but it is also why SMS Services needs to be treated differently to other forms of communication.
Here at textanywhere.net, we’ve helped businesses of all sizes master SMS communications and we’ve distilled our knowledge of what makes a great SMS campaign into these three vitally important rules:
1: Know when to stop - Don’t spam people
Most of us have long lists of unread emails, but very few of us have long lists of unread text messages. The rules of SMS are different and this means that users have a much lower tolerance for “spam” messages delivered by SMS.
Remember that when you send a Text Message Marketing to a customer, you are very probably going to take their attention away from whatever they are doing, wherever and whenever they are doing it. Do this too often, and the customer will get frustrated and unsubscribe from your messages.
Avoid repeat messages as well. Assume that your previous message, or messages, have all been read and only send reminders or repeats if you absolutely have to. In the SMS world, it is better to send nothing than to send a worthless message that wastes the customer’s time.
2: Match the medium to the message
Text messages are 142 characters. There’s no room for wordiness here, especially if you need to include a URL or instructions on how to respond or what to do next.
Par down your message to its absolute core - remember you are sending the customer a “hot” missive, so ensure that you keep the content brief and to the point. Tell the customer what they need to know and what to do next. Nothing more, nothing less.
If you are sending a URL, make use of a reliable URL shortening service like bit.ly will shorten even the most gargantuan URL down to just a few characters, saving you vital space.
Discount codes and other offers with a short lifespan work especially well in text messages. The immediacy of the message is matched by the immediacy of the delivery mechanism and the user is more likely to feel compelled to act on the information that they are receiving... before time runs out.
3: Use text as part of a holistic strategy, not on its own
A messaging system that is immediate, has a 99%+ open rate, and means all marketing messages have to be 142 characters or less? Sounds great, but remember that this is just one tool - not just one tool for every job.
Some messages can’t be pared down to 142 characters and sometimes images and video do a better job than the best 142 characters of copy can ever hope to achieve.
Use SMS where it is the best medium for the message that you want to convey, not as your default. If you’ve obeyed the first and second rules, you shouldn’t really need to think about this too much, but rule 3 is here an important check and balance in your overall strategy.
When looking at any outbound message ask you whether or not SMS is a suitable medium for it. If not, then ask yourself how SMS could support that same message. Your latest catalogue may need to go by email, but that’s no reason that you can’t send an SMS to all your catalogue subscribers to let them know that the latest catalogue is in their inbox, and spur them into action with a short-term discount code!