7 Do's and Don'ts of SMS Marketing

Are you trying to implement fresh new ways to thrive in digital marketing? Short Message Services (SMS) or Text Marketing might be the perfect choice for you. SMS promotion uses 160 characters to concisely bundle mass amounts of information that caters directly to the need of your consumer. And with the industry transitioning to mobile marketing you might consider SMS as a way to increase brand performance. You can assume this technique comes with its challenges but if you strategize adequately the benefits far outweigh the cost. Don’t know where to start? Here are some tips and tools you can use to effectively use SMS marketing to your advantage!

Be Concise and Direct. One of the most important things you can DO is be short and concise in your message. Start with introducing yourself and include a Call-To-Action (CTA) to immediately engage your audience. Consumers are on their phones now more than ever so DON’T muddle information with other distractors that derail the subject. This can ultimately affect your click conversions and make you lose subscribers. Remember, if you don’t have anything influential to say, it’s best to say nothing at all!

Etiquette Still Matters. Knowing your target audience is key in selecting your use of professional or casual language. DON’T try to rebrand yourself by using an unfamiliar voice and tone; this will only cause confusion. Instead, try to match the rhetoric of your company website or blog to ensure that you continue to DO and sound like you always have — keep it consistent!

Proper Use of Punctuation. There’s nothing more distracting than the wrong use of basic punctuation. If you’re hesitant about composing your first message, one thing you should DO is hire a professional writer, versed in SMS and digital marketing, so that your message is clear. Work with them closely to ensure that you DON’T use different writing styles and that language coincides with past representations. Again, consistency is key, make it count!

Be Careful Using Short Links: Applications like Bitly and Rebrandly are commonly used in SMS marketing to shorten company URLs. Despite its uniform look, it can be misleading to the consumer if not used sparingly. In DOing so, make sure that you're using ‘link shorteners’ that avoid URLs mimicking the appearance of spam. DON’T apply shortened links on every message, instead, use them to advertise a sale or site-wide change. A simple message and a recognizable URL is best practice.

Opting In and Opting Out. Avoid practices like having the user unknowingly opt into recurring automated alerts, rather than giving them the option to confirm their subscription. By DOing this, you enhance the overall customer relationship and satisfaction. Be aware though, that those relationships do change over time, so DON’T make it extremely difficult to unsubscribe; make the option to opt-out accessible and easy to locate. Also, provide a friendly survey to better tailor your content in the future. Feedback is always necessary!

Frequency and Timing. Sending your messages at the right time is pivotal but the amount of times you send your messages is just as important. The last thing you want is to bombard your customer so be sure that you DON’T overdo it. To succeed in SMS marketing, strategizing and DOing extensive planning is a must! If you find this to be difficult, use SMS API apps, like Twilo, to help you track, distribute, and personalize your message without the intimidating coding complications. It’s almost as easy as sending a GIF!

Don’t Sell...All the Time. Now that you’ve started your SMS message DON’T oversell yourself. You may be asking why: Recent research shows that the average human has an attention span less than that of a goldfish, so make it a priority to keep the user’s experience in mind! Whether you’re sending out an update, booking information, or survey, findings show that people DO like the use of SMS marketing as a tool to remind them instead of urging a sale. Now if you really want to create a campaign around an item, using Multimedia Messaging Services (MMS) might be a better choice. With additional text characters and graphic options in MMS, the ability to expand your creative input is less constrictive.