In this article, we’ll give you a sneak peek into the 10 SMS marketing mistakes commonly made by SMS marketers and suggest practical ways to avoid them. Take a look!
SMS marketing is a vital aspect of every company’s marketing strategy, no matter the industry or where they are in the world. Text messaging enables you to directly reach your customers on the channel that they use every day.
This marketing modality gives you the flexibility to craft personalized messages, unlike other mediums, such as television, banners, or social media.
How often do you check your text messages? According to statistics, the average human being reads text messages within the first 3 minutes of being sent.
10 Common SMS Marketing Mistakes
Keep these factors in mind next time you craft your SMS campaign. Furthermore, we suggest taking notes or making a checklist to mark these off before you hit the send button – at least that’s what we do.
Mistake 1: Send unsolicited messages
You might be able to get away with sending emails to people without their consent, but SMS is a different story. Various laws and regulations under the TCPA of 1991 restrict you from sending text marketing campaigns without the person’s consent.
In addition, receiving unsolicited text messages can more often aggravate people than raise brand awareness.
Before you start sending out mass messages, double-check that you have the authorization to do so. Otherwise, this may be a very costly SMS marketing mistake.
Read more about the ordinances governed by the TCPA here.
Mistake 2: Overload recipients inbox
Many marketers make a frequent slip, sending too many messages, leading customers to unsubscribe from future campaigns. On the other hand, messages sent occasionally will continue to grasp the user’s attention each time you send them a message.
About 1-3 messages a month is an excellent happy medium for capturing the most engagement while not being a burden to your customers. A best practice might include scheduling messages for times and frequencies that correspond to your company’s purchasing cycle, as well as the preferences of your target audience.
Mistake 3: Same messages on SMS and emails
Some marketers make the mistake of attempting to save time and effort by sending the same message via email and SMS. If you’re going to send promotional campaigns on both channels, make sure to differentiate the content so that your customers aren’t consuming the same material twice. You may not grab their attention the first time, but you might be able to convert them the second time around by modifying the messaging.
Keep in mind; different channels better handle different kinds of messages. For instance, an email can be long and include illustrations, whereas a text message has a character limit and must secure the reader’s attention in fewer words.
We suggest starting your message with the value proposition, showing the reader what immediate benefit you’re going to bring to them. For example, the selling point might be a discount %, the promo code, and the promotion’s duration.
Mistake 4: Wrong phone numbers
Often, people change their numbers, leaving phone numbers inactive or owned by another individual. Or perhaps, you obtained phone numbers from a database with old or inaccurate information.
To prevent sending messages to invalid phone numbers, analyze your reports and pick out the phone numbers with a history of not being delivered. You can also send out a campaign to ensure that everyone you’re sending messages to is still the same people. If not, offer them the ability to opt-out by texting STOP.
Mistake 5: Long messages
Texting is a way for people to quickly communicate through short messages, which is why there is a 160-character cap for SMS messages. Your audience doesn’t want to engage in long, drawn-it messages and will likely see the length and exit out immediately.
The golden rule of SMS marketing is to keep it as short as possible. Therefore, your message should be brief enough to convey all of the necessary information in less than 160 characters. Preferably, you should keep your message to 2 sentences at the very most.
Mistake 6: Not personalizing text messages
Customers are more likely to become repeat buyers from a company that offers suggestions/offers based on previous purchases or is familiar with their buying habits.
Marketers can analyze the customer database based on the following factors:
- Demographics
- Buying patterns
- Stated preferences
You can then recommend items similar to previous purchases or things that fit their demographics or buying patterns. When you use these parameters to segment your customers, you’ll likely see a significant rise in conversion rates.
Mistake 7: Random messages
Texting is a very personal communication modality that individuals use to text the people closest to them. Your audience doesn’t want to receive random, unexpected messages from your business.
As a best practice, you might consider letting your customers know how often you intend you send them messages so that they know exactly what to expect and when. The quickest way to get people to opt-out of your campaigns is by being inconsistent with your messaging.
When a person subscribes, deliver a welcome message, outlining how often you’ll text them, what kinds of information you’ll send, and how they can unsubscribe.
Mistake 8: Sending general information
As discussed, text message marketing is different from other marketing channels, such as email or social media. For example, your recipients don’t want to see company announcements; they expect to see the latest deals and promotions where they can take action immediately.
Always consider what you can provide to your subscribers with each text message. Bringing value to your customers will encourage existing subscribers to stay with your text messaging campaigns and encourage new subscribers to join.
Mistake 9: Not including a CTA (Call To Action)
Your text messages should contain a CTA so that your customers know what they need to do to take advantage of the offer. Without a CTA, customers will most likely exit out of your text and not take action.
All you have to do is include a single call-to-action in your text message that your customers can complete anywhere on their mobile devices.
Mistake 10: Not using short links
Many SMS marketing teams make the mistake of inserting full-length URLs. The problem with this is that it eats up a chunk of your 160 characters, making your message too short.
On Cloud Contact, every link is automatically shortened so that you don’t have to take the time to use an external service such as Bitly.
Wrapping it up
SMS marketing allows you to communicate with prospects more directly than ever before. However, for this technology to be effective, it must be employed with prudence.
Take note on these common mistakes to ensure that you’re getting the most out of your customer interactions.
