The digital age has opened up many possibilities to keep in touch with loved ones. Out of all of these, SMS text messaging remains one of the most used forms of communication. It’s cheap, fast, and effective. Companies have also taken advantage of all these facets, especially due to SMS’ high open and response rates. After all, very few people (if any) don’t carry their phones with them when going about their day. Text has become an indispensable mode of communication. Brands have used text as part of their business communications or marketing strategy.
Of course, like with all content, thought and care still needs to be paid attention to. You can’t simply just send a text without crafting relevant content. While text is mostly a casual form of communication, at the end of the day, the message will represent your brand. Here are some tips for great SMS messages.
1. Timing
The days and times you choose to send a text message is critical. This may take some trial and error to find what is the best schedule. Also, knowledge of your consumer base is key. When are they likely to be on their phones? What times should be best avoided? There are general trends to be aware of, like avoiding text blasts during commute times/rush hour, but this also highly depends on your brand and market.
2. Audience
Segmenting your audience is also critical, even in SMS marketing. You wouldn’t talk to all your consumers in the same way. A new customer should get different content or promos compared to your longstanding consumers. Other demographics, like age and location, also come to play. SMS marketing tools can help you segment your audience so you are always providing the most relevant messages to the right people.
3. Brief and direct
Don’t abuse your audience’s trust by sending too many messages. Likewise, don’t bore your audience by sending long-winded texts. You may turn them off so much that they start opting-out of the service. Have fun and be creative with your messages but don’t lose sight of what’s truly important. Text messages are great for shorter content. If you need to send something longer, other means can be used instead.
-NH-