Talking to customers in person requires a certain level of class. You don't want to be snapping gum, blowing bubbles, chewing food, unkempt, arriving late, or anything else that customers might see as a turn-off.

Want them to buy from you? Act like what you have to offer has value and be prepared to show that you take your company's relationship with them seriously.

When you're in the hospitality industry, being hospitable is a pretty big deal - and it's very important to your customers.

Of course, it's not just about talking to people in person. When you communicate in writing, you also have to follow the rules of proper etiquette.

That includes group text messages, and watching for faux pas that could get sent that way. To avoid making a big mistake and help ensure your company uses proper etiquette when group texting, here are 5 important things to consider:

Be Invited

The Golden Rule of group texts is this: always have your customers' permission. If they haven't opted in, you don't want to be sending them messages. When they do opt in, you can contact them.

They've agreed to that, and they understand that you might reach out to them. They have, effectively, invited you to have a conversation with them, so you can freely send them group text messages without getting into trouble for spamming people and getting blocked.

That kind of stuff can really kill your business, so be sure to be clear about the opt-in rules and sure that customers have agreed to the contact.

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Don’t Pester People

Being invited to contact people doesn't mean you can bug them all the time. Don't make your customers regret opting in to your group texting. The quickest way to get them annoyed and opting out is to send them a lot of messages.

Try for once per week. That's not too much for most people, and you can pay close attention to your unsubscribe, opt-out, click-through, and open rates tell the story from that point.

If you see good rates, you can keep your communication level the same or raise it slightly, just to help customers connect with you a little more without pestering them.

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Be Useful

Don't press that send button until you're sure your message has value to your customers. You don't want group texts to be completely random and pointless. In short, don't just text your customers for the sake of texting them.

You should inform them of something, entertain them, or get them to take action in some way. If your text isn't meeting at least one of those criteria, there's really no point to the message, and you shouldn't send it out.

Texts need to have relevancy, and be appropriately timed. If you don't offer those things, you're just wasting your customers' data plans and time.

Don’t Have Your Hand Out All the Time

Always asking for a sale with every text message? Customers are going to start opting out. They know you want to make sales, but they will also only buy when they're ready. To cultivate a relationship with them, there has to be give and take.

If you're always trying to do the taking, they aren't going to be willing to give for very long. Instead of taking that risk and alienating your customers, do more than just asking them to buy something for you.

Warm greetings on important dates, texts with information customers can really use, and other ways of reaching out can help foster a better relationship with customers, so they don't feel like you're always asking them to dig into their wallets.

Watch the Time

A phone going off in the middle of the night can be really annoying. It can also make you wonder who was in a wreck, in jail, or otherwise in a big mess to be calling you at that time of night. It's scary and disorienting, and something you'd like to avoid.

Your customers want to avoid it, too. They can forgive that drunk friend who sent them a text by accident, but they might not be able to forgive your company for sending them an advertisement for your latest product or service at three in the morning.

That will get you a level of opt-outs you probably haven't seen before.

Group texts should only be sent out when it's a respectable time for everyone in the group. Time zones are important, and people who are well-rested and not disturbed by their phone going off all night are going to make better customers.

Treat them the way you would want to be treated, and it's hard to go wrong. Any time you send a group text message, use your best manners and pay careful attention to what you're sending. You'll be glad you did.

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