SMS marketing appears rather straightforward in theory – the company composes a brief text, sends it out to the list, and then waits for the customers’ reaction.
However, those who run effective marketing campaigns know that efficient SMS is far more complicated than merely sending numerous texts! It is a question of composing a proper message, sending it to a proper recipient, at an appropriate time and providing it with enough value to make the interruption seem justified.
It is important due to the fact that SMS is highly personal. It gets delivered into the same inbox where family news, notifications about deliveries, appointments and bank transactions arrive.
One may ignore an ineffective email; however, a bad SMS will become annoying quickly. That is why it is important to conduct the campaigns responsibly and not under pressure.
Most successful SMS campaigns have certain habits in common. Namely, they are relevant, timely, respectful, informative and prompt. Moreover, they provide valuable information and look like useful updates, not random messages.
When conducted successfully, SMS marketing helps to sell products, retain customers, get them to attend events, remind them about services and build a positive image.
They Start With A Purpose For Sending
It is very important that your SMS campaigns do not start with “We should send something today”. Instead, you should have a certain goal. It might be anything from the necessity to remind a client about their appointment to telling them about some time-sensitive news or special offers.
Having such a goal will make your campaign consistent. SMS provides limited space for writing a lot of information, and therefore, the sender must know what is expected from the recipient. Campaigns with only one purpose work better than those that aim at explaining everything at once.
For example, if you study digital marketing, customer communications, and campaign strategies, then you may use the EssayPro writing website that helps to write SMS marketing examples. Good writing is essential in this case.
As an expert in student-oriented digital communications topics, Adam Jason claims that marketing messages take into account the reader’s time before requesting action. This principle suits SMS perfectly because the recipient’s permission must be obtained for a message to appear in their inbox.
They Respect Permission And Trust
SMS marketing works effectively only if customers get acquainted with the message content beforehand and know what and how many messages they might receive. If clients find themselves surprised by marketing texts, it means that trust towards them is decreasing fast.
Permission provides safety for the brand. Businesses must be attentive when it comes to consent, opt-outs, and local laws. For example, according to the Federal Communications Commission, there are certain consumer rights concerning unwanted robocalls and text messages, and companies mustn’t consider mobile numbers as open permission to send marketing content. The agency provides guidelines on how to stop unwanted robocalls and text messages.
A good SMS campaign allows for easy unsubscribing. Opt-out instructions prove that the company is not trying to trick its clients into subscribing forever. This strange technique can boost trust in those users who decided not to unsubscribe.
They Speak Like People, Not Machines
SMS is brief, but it has to be friendly. The best campaigns sound like letters composed by someone who knows the client’s needs well.
It doesn’t necessarily mean that every message should be filled with jokes and slang. On the contrary, excessive usage of an informal tone may make a bad impression. The right tone depends on the brand itself. A reminder about an appointment in the office sounds differently from an advertisement for a fashion sale.
That is why simplicity and readability are critical. In a well-written SMS message, there is no use of corporate phrasing like “Dear valued customer, we are pleased to inform you.”
For instance, “Your order will be available for pick up between 9 AM and 6 PM” sounds more appropriate than “We would like to bring to your attention that the ordering process has reached the fulfillment stage.”
They Provide Real Value
Customers will remain subscribed as long as the messages provide them with real value. This value can vary in different ways. It can be a discount offer; however, it is not always like this. Other options include early access, reminders, delivery tracking, events, rewards, helpful information or alerts about low inventory.
The simple question is whether the customer will feel glad to receive the message.
In case the answer is negative, then the message should not be sent. SMS is not the right place for any additional content. The brand will train its customers to simply ignore such messages or unsubscribe from them.
The best ones are selective. They use fewer texts, but each of them has a reason for doing that. Customers become more responsive towards any incoming message because of that.
They Are Tested And Optimized
Good SMS marketing campaigns are not built on intuition. They are tested. Marketers analyze deliverability rates, clicking rates, reply rates, conversion rates, unsubscribe rates, and time of delivery.
A little change may have a big effect. The shorter first sentence might work well with clicks. A more precise offer could help to decrease confusion. Proper sending time could help you to get a higher response rate. Testing helps brands to find out what their audience really needs.
The wisest teams do not only analyze a high click rate. They also look at unsubscribe rates and complaints. Any campaign that brings sales but results in a high unsubscribe rate is not as good as it might seem at first sight.
