Do Your SMS Marketing Messages Sound Spammy?

Spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, lovely spam; Wonderful spam…

This Viking spam song from a Monty Python sketch is said to have inspired the use of the word spam to refer to junk or unwanted messages on the Internet. Its first documented use is in 1993, but there is some evidence people were using it even in the early 1980s.

However and whenever it started is an interesting point of fact, but what matters is nobody likes it. As a marketer you probably don’t think you’re sending spam. After all, spam usually is most often associated with unsavoury pay day loans or other unscrupulous activities from companies that don’t have permission to contact the people they text.

That certainly isn’t you right? But what sort of response rates are you getting to your SMS marketing campaigns? Are people acting on the messages you send or is there an eerie silence that follows each campaign? Or worse are they taking action by opting out after getting your messages?

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:

• Do you identify yourself? If your list doesn’t recognise the number you send text messages from, they may just ignore it thinking it is genuine spam. Always include something to identify your messages as coming from your company in every message. This can be achieved by including your company or brand name in the “From” field of your message. Alternatively put your virtual mobile number in the “From” field so you can get replies and make your company of brand the first thing in your message body. Click here for more info on message labels.
• Is there a specific call to action? Did you send out a great offer, but forget to include that little detail about what people should do to get it? For example, “click the link” or “reply YES to enter”. Don’t assume people know what to do. Always tell them exactly what they need to do in order to get the wonderful thing you’re offering. This is critical to the success of your SMS marketing campaign so spend the time to get it right.
• Are there enough details? Just telling your list there’s a sale, special deal, or limited offer isn’t enough. Should they change their entire schedule to make time to visit your sale? Not unless you convince them they should. Send messages with as much important details as possible. Say “50% off everything. Ends Tuesday” instead of “Clearance sale until Tuesday”.
• Is it relevant to your list? If you’re able to segment your list, make sure you send offers to the right people. Not everyone wants a deal on men’s suits, or vacation deals to Aruba. The more targeted your messages are to your list, the better the response will be. And even if the people don’t respond, they at least know the message was intended for them because it was relevant.

If you can answer all of these questions in the affirmative then your message won’t appear as spam to your list. It doesn’t mean your SMS marketing is perfect, but it does meet the core requirements for a good offer. Keep working on your offers and you’ll see your response rate improve. In the end, there’s no such thing as “wonderful spam”.

For more great ideas on to grow your business using SMS marketing download our free Mobile Marketing Guide.