We believe that opt-in mobile messaging is vital for all businesses.  Text marketing is something many businesses are only just starting to experiment with. With this in mind we have developed some top tips to execute the perfect SMS campaign to help boost your ROI and keep customers coming back.

 

1 – Include a clear call to action

Ensure that the reason for the text is made clear. You want the recipient to act on your text, so tell them what they need to do to benefit from the information they have been sent. Follow the same guidelines as you would in a a Google Ad. Let the client know what they’re getting and how to get it. Clear, action oriented language drives the best results.

Luigi's SMS Campaign

2 – Be prepared and know when your customers respond

Pick the time you decide to text your customers carefully. If you want to generate an action or response then make sure you leave your customers enough time during the day to do so. On some platforms like Textlocal you can use a scheduling tool to prepare your messages for sending in advance. Using a well-timed text marketing push alongside a properly optimised geotargeting strategy businesses like restaurants and hotels can see real increases in sales during target business hours.

 

3 – Be concise and keep it short

SMS_campaign

A single SMS message consists of 160 characters. For the most cost-effective campaign you need to choose your words carefully. Get to the point straight away, the benefit or reward to the recipient should be clear. ALSO, TRY NOT TO SHOUT AT YOUR RECIPIENTS. USING CAPITALS IS A TURN OFF. Stick to normal text for winning campaigns.

4 – Don’t overdo it – less is more

Make sure you manage your database properly and avoid texting the same mobile marketing messages to the same people consecutively. Keep your communication fresh and engaging. When you see the high open and response rates it can be tempting to send lots of material because you know it’s going to be seen. That’s a sure-fire way to get people to ignore your texts. We’ve all had texts from our network provider that we’ve just skipped past. That’s because they don’t offer any real value and are very obviously just mass marketing. Make sure every text is interesting and makes the receiver want to engage.

 

5 – Keep your database clean

It can be costly to continue sending messages to old numbers. Be sure to regularly check and delete the numbers that can’t be reached to save time and money. ‘Three strikes and you’re out’ is a good principle. Assess who responds to certain kinds of offers and consider segmenting your contact database to send out more targeted messages.

 

6 – Track your progress and refine

Make sure you measure how effective your mobile marketing campaign has been so you can improve it further next time. How many responses did you get? What was your return on investment? Try texting different offers, at various times of the day, days of the week, or target different groups of customers, to find which works best for you.

 

7 – Grow your audience

Use an SMS keyword (e.g. text FISH to 60777 to receive the latest news and offers from Jim’s Fish Shop) to grow an opt-in list of customers that choose to receive your SMS alerts. Print this everywhere and you will easily grow an opt-in list of followers. SMS marketing can be intrusive if sent to somebody who hasn’t given their permission. Protect the reputation of your organisation by ensuring all recipients have allowed you to communicate with them.

 

8 – Respect the opt-out mechanism

Include a simple opt-out option regularly in your texts. Always ensure you make it clear to your customers that they can stop receiving messages from you at any time. No-one wants to be bombarded by messages that aren’t useful to them. An easy and obvious opt-out mechanism protects your reputation and saves you money by not wasting texts.

 

9 – Know your audience

Make sure that the recipient is going to be interested in what you have to offer. There would be no logic in texting a football team a 2 for 1 offer on nail varnish. If you’re not familiar with Buyer Personas then take a look at this article on Inbound Marketing which will explain what they are and how they can help you really get to know your target market.

 

10 – Personalise your texts for a better experience

Use a mail merge feature and insert names, appointment times or other details into your messages for that extra special message. You can also brand your text by setting the Sender Name on the SMS message as your company name for maximum impact. Marketing research has shown that personalised messages consistently present better click-through and conversion rates. Use this to your advantage! Have a look at the Dos and Don’t of SMS Marketing to make sure you avoid common mistakes.

 


 

If you want more tips to grow your business with SMS, we’ve gathered 10 smart Mobile Messaging ideas that will help you acquire and retain more customers that ever.

Can You Outsmart Competition WSI

If you’re not yet using any form of Text Marketing but think it sounds interesting then we can offer a 3 month, no strings Free Trial of our corporate account. Only pay for the texts you send and explore the powerful platform offered in this as yet underused Marketing avenue.

Textlocal1

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