Everybody is always on their phone these days, so if you’re a marketer, you can’t afford to miss out on this opportunity to get in touch with your customers. A quick text message is a great way to keep your current subscribers interested and reel in potential customers. However, running a profitable SMS marketing campaign is a little more complicated than it would be to shoot a text to a friend. If you require a little direction, here are a few tips to keep in mind for the best SMS marketing campaign possible.
Keep Your Message Short
It’s tempting to apply the same technique to an SMS campaign that you would use for an email marketing campaign, but they’re just not the same. Different mediums require different strategies, and with SMS marketing, you need to keep your message succinct. An SMS message should be more conversational and urgent than an email. You’ll only have 160 characters to get your point across, so grab the reader’s attention quickly.
Why Aren’t Emails and Texts the Same?
While email marketing campaigns can be successful, they are considered a low-priority method of communication. Email-only has a 20% open rate because people have become accustomed to getting emails from people and brands that they don’t know, so they automatically skip over irrelevant email messages. In contrast, text messages have a 98% open rate, and most people open those text messages within 3 minutes. Text messages are a quick, high-priority method of communication, so your SMS marketing campaign should be a short, easy read.
Use a Clear Call to Action
Just as the body of the text message should be to the point, so should the call to action. Since people open text messages so quickly, they are best used for things that time-sensitive. For instance, you might use an SMS marketing campaign for a flash sale, holiday deals, or new items. When choosing a call to action, use verbiage to create urgency and give the customer an action to perform right away.
A few good ideas are:
- “Click Here to Discover More.” This is great because you’re immediately showing customers your new product or service. Make sure that the link leads them to see something that they’ve never seen before. Don’t make the mistake of guiding them to the homepage because they’ll quickly lose interest.
- “Enter this Discount Code at Checkout.” With this call to action, you’ve already given subscribers an incentive to shop with you. Remember to put all the terms and conditions in the message so that people don’t feel swindled.
- “This Offer Ends at _____.” The genius of this call to action is that subscribers feel a sense of urgency, but you’re not commanding them to do anything.
Send Texts at the Right Time
Timing is key to a successful SMS campaign. It’s no use putting all that effort into a campaign if nobody opens. The best time for you to send your SMS campaign out is highly dependent on what type of person your campaign is targeting and the product or service you’re selling. Here are a few of the best time frames to keep in mind:
- From 9a.m. to 12p.m. It’s common for people to check their text messages first thing in the morning before heading to work.
- From 5p.m. to 9p.m. At this time, most people just got off of work, and they’ll probably be on their phones for a while.
- From 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Most people are relaxing, so it’s an excellent time to get a response.
Factoreal
Even though an SMS marketing campaign is very different from other marketing campaigns, it is undoubtedly one of the best methods of keeping your subscribers engaged, nurturing new leads, and maintaining your brand awareness.
If you’re interested in running efficient SMS marketing campaigns and expanding your business, don’t hesitate to reach out to Factoreal. Our all-in-one customer engagement platform is affordable, easy-to-use, and can help you leverage the power of automation.
If you are interested in working with us or learning more about Factoreal, contact us anytime at letschat@factoreal.com.
