- Opt-ins and outs: The most important aspect of SMS marketing is compliance with privacy regulations. You must give customers the chance to opt-out of your mailing list with EVERY MESSAGE you send. It’s also worth noting that, as SMS open rates are higher than email, your unsubscription rates may also be higher. Don’t be disheartened, this is not only normal, but also a chance for you to analyse what works for your business. We always recommend analysing where unsubscription is more common, and use it to think about what you can improve.
2. Make it count: You have only 160 characters to use in an SMS. This is not as many as you’d think, especially when you consider that you have to include your opt-out message, links, and personalisation before you’ve even written the main body of the message. Our tips?
- Be succinct, and to the point.
- Use link shorteners like bit.ly .
- Know that certain symbols are worth two characters, not one, such as ^~ [ ] { } \ | €
3. Personalise: Personalised messages build trust and engagement. Use customers’ names, and tailor messages based on their behaviour. For example, send birthday messages/offers, or remind them of their abandoned carts. Think about what they’ve previously purchased and tailor future communications to these interests.
This is where Voodoo comes in; it helps you track and segment your recipient lists.
4. Sorry-who is this: Don’t forget to include your brand name in the message so that recipients know who’s getting in touch.
5. Incentivise and Call to Action: Offer something tangible in return for customers’ time and energy. Tell them all about the prizes and products you have on offer. Provide discounts, value-added services, cool deals. Make them feel special.
All of this contributes to customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Speaking of which…
6.Measure and optimise: You need to measure customer satisfaction and loyalty, which comes about as a result of SMS marketing. Key metrics you want to look for are:
- Subscription numbers
- Opt-ins
- Opt-outs
- Replies
- Deliverability and whether messages are bouncing
- Click-through-rates
- Revenue and ROI
Keeping an eye on these will help you to see where your campaigns are working, so that you can make more informed decisions in the future. For more information on how to optimise the impact of your SMS, please visit:
