Credit: Kristen Vanstrom — Guest Writer
More than 90% of all text messages are opened and read within five minutes or less. And tons of small-business owners are ready to write their Short Message Service (SMS) success stories. Here are SMS Marketing dos and dont’s.
Don’t ramble
There’s a character limit for a reason. People don’t want to receive a 300-word text blast from you. Don’t feel too bad: They don’t want a manifesto from any business. They just want an awesome offer with simple redemption instructions. So get right to the point. Open with the offer, and finish with a call to action. Unnecessary fluff only will distract your subscriber and result in lower redemption rates.
Include an irresistible offer or exclusive piece of information
Don’t fire out a “Hey, what’s up?” text. Remember, you’re marketing your business, not trying to make friends. Keep it professional by limiting the amount of conversational language and focusing solely on the promotion. Your subscribers opted in expecting regular promotions, not a top-of-the-morning greeting.
Pay attention to time of day
Don’t send promotions at 10 p.m. Unless you own a nightclub or munchie paradise, launch your text campaigns during daylight hours. This gives people time to read and act on your offer. Always include a semi-urgent call to action, but give subscribers a reasonable window of time to redeem. People have schedules to keep. Your offers might not be their No. 1 priority, so give them ample time to act on the promotion or you’ll risk becoming irrelevant to their daily needs.
Keep your customers at the forefront
Make sure to keep customers’ wants and needs in mind as you develop offers. Don’t use text messaging as an outlet to discount your closeout inventory. Subscribers want to receive exclusive VIP deals, not backburner promotions. Give them the best of the best.
Make sure you customer sees you SMS
GMS Business Communications Suite is a secure, reliable multi-channel messaging platform built to make the most of every moment your customer spends with the smartphone, and of every cent, you spend on reaching out to them.
Want to know more about GMS Business Communications Suite? Click Here!