Key takeaways
- Keep SMS short and sweet. Mobile viewers prefer concise, streamlined messages. Trimming fluff improves opt-ins and interaction.
- Avoid slang and hype. Use a professional, straightforward tone, skip colloquialisms and words like “amazing” or “unbelievable.”
- Use simple CTAs. Make the next step clear and easy to follow rather than overproducing the call-to-action.
- Leverage seasonality. Time messages around holidays, local/regional events or recurring occasions to stay relevant and stand out.
- Lead with value. Offer something worthwhile to the audience (coupons or redeemable codes are common) and, over time, add event and news-driven communications to expand value.
Introduction
We spend a lot of time dipping into more advanced industry topics on this blog, but sometimes it’s worth focusing more on helping newer members of the mobile marketing community get acquainted with the basics of the process. After all, whether you’re a seasoned SMS veteran or you’re in the midst of your first campaign, everyone has to start somewhere. With this in mind, here’s five SMS marketing tips that “newbies” to the process simply can’t live without as they prepare to reach out to mobile shoppers.
Stick to the Short and Sweet Approach
Before doing anything else, Entrepreneur magazine’s Susan Gunelius notes that the last thing mobile viewers want to have pop up in their SMS inbox is a long-winded message. Instead, your brand is much better off keeping things short and sweet. It might take a little practice getting used to trimming down the fluff, but once you see the positive response in the form of opt-ins and increased interaction, you won’t think twice about sticking to a more streamlined method for your SMS content.
Always Avoid Hype and Slang
Of course, there is most definitely a right way and a wrong way to keep your messages short and to the point. As appealing as it may be to use slang and abbreviations to reduce the character count, Gunelius goes on to point out that the reality of the situation is that having these colloquialisms in your text messages does little to impress an audience. Instead, focus on promoting a professional and straightforward style of writing. Additionally, avoid overused hype words, such as “amazing” and “unbelievable,” to keep the tone on track for a clear and powerful marketing message.
Simple CTAs Go a Long Way
The backbone of any mobile offer comes in the form of its call-to-action (CTA.) This portion of the mobile sales pitch frames the offer in such a way as to convince the viewer to accept the promotion immediately. As Lilian Sue of Business 2 Community explains, there’s no need to turn your text CTA into an over the top production. For newer members of the text marketing scene and established brands alike, staying simple and making the next step clear and easy with a straightforward CTA is the best way to generate a positive interaction with your target audience.
Don’t Be Daunted by Seasonality
One of the biggest stumbling points to operating a successful series of text campaigns comes in the form of keeping relevant content rolling out to customers at a consistent pace. Unlike other forms of marketing, SMS messages relies heavily on seizing the moment. In his look at this process, specifically for the upcoming holiday season, Michael Essany of Mobile Marketing Watch reports that brands aiming for true success on this front know the importance of capitalizing on seasonality.
Fortunately, this concepts spreads far beyond just taking note of spring, summer, fall, and winter. By keying in on local and regional events, as well as other developments related to your target audience, your brand can make the most of timely and relevant texts. In some cases, this could be a recurring or perennial series of events, or a one-time offer. Either way, when compared with the mundane and static selections fired off by your competition, it won’t take much to see that embracing seasonality is a cornerstone that can help SMS newbies make quite the splash.
It’s All about Value
Of course, the biggest thing to keep in mind as you make your way into the world of SMS marketing is that value stands above all else. Without a compelling or powerful deal backing your promotional material, it’s hard to expect much from your campaign moving forward. Naturally, what defines value depends entirely on what matters to your target audience, but keeping an emphasis on giving these shoppers something worthwhile and relevant at the forefront of your approach is a solid way to lay the foundation for your SMS initiative.
In most cases having coupons or redeemable codes fit this billing, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get creative with your content once you’re a little more comfortable with the text marketing process. By adding in consistent communications that promote upcoming events and other relevant news and info, your brand can go beyond the basics and redefine the established value proposition that comes with coupons and discounts. Even if you’re not quite ready for this phase of your SMS evolution, at least you now have all the tools in place to leave your newbie status in the rearview mirror.
FAQ
Keep them short and sweet. Mobile viewers don’t want long‑winded texts, so practice trimming fluff and keep content concise and streamlined to improve opt‑ins and interaction.
Slang and abbreviations do little to impress and can undermine your message. Use a professional, straightforward style and avoid overused hype words such as “amazing” and “unbelievable.”
Simplicity. Make the next step clear and easy to complete, a straightforward CTA generates better interaction than an over‑the‑top production.
Key messages to timely moments: holidays, local or regional events and other audience-relevant developments. Seasonality can be recurring or one‑time offers and helps your texts feel more relevant than static, routine messages.
Lead with something worthwhile and relevant to your audience. Coupons or redeemable codes are common examples. Value is defined by what matters to your target customers.
Add consistent communications that promote upcoming events and relevant news or information. These content types let you redefine the value proposition beyond basic discounts and coupons.
