There are a million ways of executing SMS marketing strategies, not all of which are effective nor recommended. If you’re like us, you like to do things right from the get-go. We’ve compiled a few Do’s and Don’ts that we think will help you get started or refine your current strategy. Enjoy!

Do’s:

• Do make every text count!

SMS messages boast a very, very high open rate, about 95% within the first few minutes. And it takes only a couple seconds and one word - “STOP” - to induce every SMS marketer’s nightmare. It’s easy for contacts to opt out of your content. Why lead them down that path with text messages that are boring, overwhelming, or uninformative? Treat every message with care and offer something that really does appeal to your subscribers. A good question to ask before pressing Send: Would you want to receive your messages?

• Do engage contacts

Once people opt in for your SMS messages via mobile keyword or online form, take the initiative to find out more about them. Use your messaging service’s data collection features to do just that. SMS marketing is advantageous in that you can directly ask for other forms of contact (like email), poll them about their preferences, and more. Engaging contacts is good for both parties. For them, they feel like that they are being taken care of and they’ll receive future messages that are tailored to them. For you, you get to build a relationship and gain insight on your subscribers.

• Do include call-to-actions

We’ve been driving home the fact that SMS messages are instantly delivered and opened on the spot. It’s time to take it to the next level and invite contacts to act with a coupon, a link to another page, or any call-to-action that is relevant and unique to your business. And as you get to know your contacts better, you’ll be able to customize SMS messages to better meet their preferences and interests, which will improve response rate. After all, John would be delighted to receive coupons but even more pleased to receive dinner menu discounts if he had expressed an interest in dinner specials early on.

Don’ts:

• Don’t be inconsiderate

SMS messages are instant. If you were to send a message right now, it would be delivered by the time you finish this sentence, and probably opened by the time you finish this article. Considering the nature of SMS messaging, strategy is key. It means you have to pick and choose when to send your messages, unlike email (which still needs to be strategically sent, but not as strictly). With that said, sending a message with a coupon or announcement at 7AM probably won’t be warmly received by contacts, which probably won’t get you the response you want. Also, keep in mind the TPCA regulation prohibits solicitation or marketing messages from being sent out between 9PM and 8AM of recipient’s time zone.

• Don’t send everything to everyone

It’s all about personal connection. And that’s hard to make when you’re sending out a blast to thousands of subscribers at once. People can perceive when the messages are mass blasted to a large group of contacts or addressed to them more specifically.. So it would behoove you to take a little extra time to segment your contacts into narrowed-down lists. Why? Specific groups have specific wants which can be addressed with specific content. And the more you address those wants, interests, and behaviors, the higher the response rate. Let’s face it, a single woman in her early twenties isn’t going to be excited about your department store’s sale for children’s clothes. Today, Marketing Automation solutions equip businesses to identify contacts based on behavior (such as open rates, clicking on links, etc.), shared preferences, and more.

• Don’t send messages to non-subscribers

According to CTIA regulation, subscribers must consent to your messages, especially if they are solicitation or marketing messages. Regulators have become more and more strict as businesses buy or rent phone number lists to spam with text messages. It is required by law to obtain express written consent if your messages are intended for promotional purposes. You can comply by using mobile keywords and online forms as sign-up tools. Whatever you do, stay within the limits; it can cost up to $1,500 per violation (per text message)!

There are many more tips, tricks, and best practices out there when it comes to SMS marketing. Sometimes it takes trial and error to really understand what works with your subscribers, but the hope is that your business bypasses some of the “error” portion by gleaning from others’ experiences.

If you’d like to learn more about SMS Marketing visit our SMS Marketing page

or call us: 888.326.6650 

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