sms marketing 101

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With 6.1 billion mobile phone users worldwide, who can receive an SMS

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SMS marketing campaigns offer a fantastic way of engaging existing clients, attracting new consumers, and retaining or upselling current customers.

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SMS messages have an impressive 98 % open rate compared to a 20 % open rate with email

98% 20%

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90% of SMS messages are read within 3 minutes of delivery

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The nine essentials to running a successful SMS marketing campaign are

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Permission - Clarity - Frequency - Continuity - Compliance - Timelessnes

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- Brevity -

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Permission - It’s essential to have permission from your clients in order to send them an SMS. Subscribers must opt-in by either texting a short code or responding with a keypress option.

Example: Press 1 to opt-in.

Or you can include an option to opt-out prior to the launch of your SMS marketing campaign.

Example: Text ‘STOP’ to cancel.

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Clarity - Communicate clearly to customers about what they can expect from their subscription to your campaign.

Your customer needs to understand what they are signing up to, know how many texts they will receive and what they can expect once they opt-in.

Example: Receive up to 4 texts per month to get our sale offers.

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Frequency - Carefully structure your SMS marketing plan with attention to message frequency.

Too many messages can be overwhelming and prove detrimental to customer satisfaction.

Research has shown that the optimum number of commercial messages per month is somewhere between 4 and 8.

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Continuity - Messaging is about customer engagement. Customers opt-in and then forget when and why, so immediate messaging post subscription is key to keeping your client’s engaged and building a loyal customer base.

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Compliance - It’s essential to include a disclaimer in a promotional communication with your clients which addresses your customers concerns over text charges, privacy issues and spam.

Example: Msg and data rates may apply

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Timeliness - Targeting your audience at the right time is fundamental to an SMS marketing program and this includes the time of day as well as seasonal communications.

There are no hard-and-set rules, however, it’s worth thinking about when your clients would want to accept a phone call.

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Vocabulary - Communicate with your customers in clear and commonly used terms.

Text messaging shorthand should be kept to a minimum. Although abbreviated terms saves space, if overused, it can appear overly familiar and even unprofessional.

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Value - Messages to your customers should be fresh, relevant and informative.

Ensure your customer is happy that they have subscribed and are aware of the benefits of opting into your messaging campaign. A strong call to action includes both value and relevance for your client and is central to a positive customer experience.

Example: Opt-in to receive 15 % off your next purchase.

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Brevity - The standard SMS is no more than 160 characters. Your messages need to be short, succinct and direct to engage your customers.