How to Send Great SMS Messages: Our Top Tips
SMS is a fantastic marketing tool – when done right it provides an impressive return on investment with high open and click through rates. These are some of our top-tips for sending great campaigns with high engagement and low opt-outs.
1) Plan Ahead
Scheduling your messages in advance means you can send them at the time that best suits your customers – rather than the most convenient time for you to send them. The Mobile Messenger scheduling tool allows to you set the day and time for your message to be sent, so you can set messages to go out in evenings, weekends or on bank holidays, without having to give up precious down time.
Additionally, you can use SMS to remind customers of appointments, reducing the number of no-shows and missed meetings.
2) Personalise your Messages
Small things such as including the customer’s name in the message or signing off from a named representative can really help increase engagement. It creates an increased level of connection and reminds your customers that they’re interacting with a human.
Additionally, you can include a contact phone number in the footer of your message. While this may not always be appropriate, it can make it much smoother for customers to get in touch should they wish to.
3) Make things Easy
When a customer first receives the message and clicks on your link, they are at the height of engagement. But if you then make it difficult for them to get in touch or buy your product, you can quickly lose their attention. Ensure web pages are well laid out and integrate with tools such as Shopify or Calendly to create seamless buyer journeys. Mobile Messenger can help you create an integrated approach for a seamless SMS to booking journey.
4) Clear Messaging
Be clear in your messaging by keeping your copy short and to the point – this is a text message you’re sending, so think about how the length of your message will look on the recipient’s phone (the Mobile Messenger preview mode can help you to get an idea).
We always suggest keeping an SMS under 2 units (again, when using Mobile Messenger there’s a handy unit counter that will let you know how many units your message is). If you have additional information to share, include a link to a URL to avoid your message getting too lengthy.
5) Don’t SPAM!
Try to keep your messages information-led and informative – this will ensure the highest levels of engagement and lower your number of opt outs.
Try to think about the relevance of your SMS to each of your recipients, and ensure that it is a message that they will find truly useful. Don’t send messages about properties in Glasgow to your database in Nottingham – they probably won’t be interested!
Avoid copying and pasting from SMS and instead type directly into the SMS platform. This ensures that you don’t include any additional or invalid characters which may increase message size and costs for you!
Get in touch to find out more about how Mobile Messenger can help you optimise your return on investment from SMS marketing, or download our full best practice guide here.