6 SMS Marketing Faux Pas To Avoid
SMS marketing can be an incredibly useful tool for successful mobile marketing campaigns. However, it is not without its pitfalls. In order to make the most of the SMS mobile marketing campaign, you need to make sure you are marketing correctly and efficiently. We have compiled a list of six of the worst SMS mobile marketing faux pas, so that you can avoid them and text your way to marketing success.
1. Timing Is Key!
When using SMS marketing, timing really is everything. In order to make the most out of your campaign, it is important to ensure that the messages are being sent at relevant times. Whatever you do, do not send messages outside of business hours (or more specifically, the hours your customers want to do buy from you). No one wants to get a text at 5am offering them the latest deal. It can have rather negative effects; it reflects badly on the company and may lead to consumers becoming less inclined to engage with any further SMS marketing attempts.
Another important point to note is to avoid overkill with the SMS marketing campaign. If consumers are constantly spammed with the same message again and again this can have negative repercussions for both the campaign and the company.
Timing can add to the success of your campaign. Make sure that the timing is relevant to the offer for maximum success. If you have an offer for cheap weekday cinema tickets, schedule the message to be sent a few hours before the end of the working day. People are more likely to see them and remember it nearer to the end of the day than during the morning, and they will be thinking about the end of the working day and their evening plans – making for the perfect time to capitalise and offer the deal. If the text is sent first thing in the morning, there is the danger that the consumer will forget and miss out on potential interaction.
Keep it within the working hours and you will immediately reach a wider demographic and be on your way to SMS marketing success!
2. Know Your Audience
SMS marketing has been revolutionary for marketing campaigns and is the gateway to direct and interactive engagement with consumers. However, in order to make this communication successful, the SMS needs to be composed in a language that the consumer can understand. A long message full of business jargon is neither engaging nor useful to the consumer. For SMS marketing success, make sure the tone of the message is right.
Attention to detail is everything. Any spelling or grammar mistakes are an absolute no no. It may sound obvious but it is worth mentioning nonetheless. Any SMS that is poorly constructed becomes hard to read and also looks rather unprofessional. Ensure before scheduling the SMS that it has been checked and verified thoroughly to ensure there are no mistakes.
3. Avoid Vagueness Like The Plague
As well as setting the correct tone, don’t forget to make the SMS specific to your particular marketing campaign. Successful SMS marketing should directly engage the consumer; you have an offer, so sell it to them! An overly long and vague message will not encourage consumer engagement.
To really sell your SMS marketing campaign, personalisation goes a long way. A message that is too vague and generic will not have the same effect as a personalised message. Consumers will be more likely to engage if the message is personally tailored to them. A personal touch is friendly and engaging.
Keep it short and sweet as well as direct and to the point: “we have this offer for you – here’s how you can get it”. Simple.
4. Include A Clear Call To Action
There is no point in having a SMS marketing campaign unless it encourages direct engagement with the consumer- that’s the whole point. The message needs to have a specific call to action: encourage the consumer to interact in order to receive the latest deal or to find out more about a current business offer. The direct interaction immediately improves customer relations. However, don’t make the mistake of only having one call to action. The initial one is important of course, but it does not end there.
If a customer responds to the interaction, ensure that you have in place a follow up action. If there is no follow-up to the initial call to action, then this could lead to a loss of consumers. Always ensure there is a follow-up: keep the dialogue going. Future contact is essential when looking for longevity and success in your SMS marketing campaign.
5. Include A Simple Opt-Out
It is important to give the consumer the option to opt out of the deal. If there is no opt out option, then the SMS marketing campaign quickly falls into the territory of becoming spam and spam must be avoided at all costs. If the consumer does not want to enter the SMS marketing dialogue, then they should have the option to leave.
6. Avoid Overly Complicated Logins Or Add-Ons To SMS Marketing
If your SMS marketing campaign requires the consumer to sign up or login via another platform, ensure that this process is not overly complicated. There is no point using SMS marketing if the consumer is then required to open any PDFs or documents. It’s always good to include any form of social media as a method of login or authentication i.e ‘sign in using Facebook’. It is quick and easy for the consumer, and also opens your campaign up to a wealth of data that can be used in future campaigns. Keep it as simple as possible, and you will be on your way to success.
SMS marketing doesn’t have to be rocket science. When used effectively, it can lead to great success and consumer interaction. For more handy hints and tips, be sure to check our blog post on our pick of the 10 best SMS mobile marketing blog posts.
Related Articles
13 Words That Inspire Action in Your SMS Messages
Because they are so short, word choice is important in SMS messages. You need to convey instructions and the benefits of following those instructions in few words. If you’ve ever struggled to find just the right one, check out our list of action inspiring words for SMS messaging.
Don’t Worry, SMS Messaging is Still Perfect for Marketing
Brits feel “bombarded” by too many messages from brands on mobile. Does that mean SMS marketing doesn’t work anymore? Actually no, it just means most brands are probably doing it wrong. Find out why UK consumers feel that way and how your brand should be using SMS marketing the right way.
How a Text Marketer can Learn Valuable Lessons from Long-Form Copywriters
In terms of storytelling, SMS text messaging is probably as far removed from long-form, direct-action copywriting as you could be. However, the SMS marketing writer can still learn a lot of lessons here with regard to overall approach, content and composition.
Do This One Thing and You’ll Improve Your SMS Marketing ROI
SMS marketing is not quite like most other marketing. You have such a limited space to get your point across, just 160 characters, more or less. It’s not unlike having to create a print advert for a small space, but somehow it can seem more intimidating. That’s why sometimes it seems like marketers forget one basic rule about writing offers: Always lead with the offer! Sounds simple, right?
10 Super Successful SMS Marketing Phrases
Do Your SMS Marketing Messages Sound Spammy?
If you aren’t seeing a positive response from your SMS marketing then your list may be thinking of it as spam and just ignoring it like they do much of their email. So take your latest marketing messages and examine them again with these four questions in mind.
How To Craft The Best Content For Your SMS Messaging
You need concise, memorable and high-impact content with a clear call to action in your SMS messaging. That, in a nutshell, is what's needed to achieve with any marketing or engagement communications in any form. But this is never truer than with an SMS campaign when your business text messaging has to rely on a small window of recipient attention.
9 SMS Marketing Power Words
With its 456 character limit, SMS Marketing challenges us to be succinct, ensuring we pack the most into our punch and deliver powerful and effective calls to action in a minimum of words. With some research and planning, it is still possible to craft great messages that get results and still stay well within the limits. In this article, we share 9 power words and phrases to help to you do just that.
Personalising Your SMS Marketing
Using people’s names in marketing is great. It does provide a certain level of personalisation that can get people more interested in what you’re sending them. Of course in text messaging, you don’t always have the room for a name, your message, and the required opt out information … usually there just isn’t enough room. So how can you make your marketing messages personal?
[Infographic] How to Write the Perfect SMS Message
Is there such a thing as a "perfect" SMS message? Yes, there is, but there isn't just one example of a perfect message. There are so many uses for SMS messages that each of them would have their own perfect example. How many different types are there? This infographic includes a short list of some types.