According to textjury.com, text messages have a 209% higher response rate than phone, email or Facebook and 90% of text messages are read within three minutes! But how do you keep the right balance with effective mobile marketing vs. annoying your customers? Here are a few do’s and don’ts (with more stats from techjury.com) to follow before you hit send.
Do’s
1. Send coupons and promotions! Consumers redeem SMS-delivered coupons 10 times more than other types of coupons.
2. Keep it short and sweet. A concise message highlights the value proposition of an offer more effectively because of the limited space—and let’s face it, lengthy messages usually fall in the TLDR category.
3. Start a conversation. As many as 45% of people reply to branded text messages they receive.
4. Make a plan. A well-defined and persistent text campaign will set you up for SMS marketing success. Be sure to review analytics regularly and make changes as necessary to enjoy the greatest returns.
Don’ts
1. If customers or potentials have not opted in, don’t hit send. While a whopping 75% want to be texted deals, promotions and updates once they’ve checked yes, unauthorized consumers will most likely be turned off by your messages.
2. Never forget the power of loyalty programs. Loyalty SMS is the new loyalty card (except they can’t be lost or put through the wash). More than two thirds of consumers who enroll in an SMS loyalty program benefit from their participation—and your business will too!
3. Generic links have got to go! Using concise, branded links in your text message marketing campaigns can improve conversion rates.
4. If you think your clientele isn’t tech savvy enough for mobile marketing, think again. While not everyone has a smartphone with internet access, 5 billion people in the world can send and receive SMS messages—which means SMS marketing allows you to reach mobile users that other advanced marketing campaigns cannot.
So why use text message marketing? It’s affordable, has a wide reach, and reaps a higher open and response rate than many other conventional marketing channels—and only about 35% of marketers currently use SMS to reach their customers! If you’re looking to gain an edge over the competition, creating a text message marketing campaign should be at the top of your list!