It’s no surprise that SMS marketing is often viewed as a layup, or “gimmie,” in terms of consumer outreach and influence. After all, people can’t put down their phones, so why wouldn’t this type of marketing stand as the path of least resistance when compared to other alternatives? Unfortunately, history is littered with simple shots and opportunities gone wrong, from Rutgers’ Myles Mack firing off this unbelievably bad shot, to the various blunders of His Airness, Michael Jordan. To ensure your brand never makes the SMS gag reel, let’s spend a few minutes talking about the five simple SMS mistakes you simply can’t afford to make as you move forward with your mobile marketing operations.
Forgetting the CTA
First up on the list of unforgivable mobile blunders is forgetting to include a call-to-action (CTA) in your message content. While some of you are probably staring at the screen and shaking your head with disbelief in response to that mistake, Rimma Kats of the Mobile Marketer points out that this issue pops up quite often in the world of SMS marketing. Naturally, you’ll want to support your CTA with solid details and message content, but try not to lose sight of just what you’re aiming for with this outreach. Otherwise, you could be the not-so-proud owner of a mobile marketing campaign that didn’t bother engaging its target audience and spurring these individuals to further action.
Succumbing to Generic Content
Additionally, Kats also hones in on the fact that generic or boring content is another prime issue afflicting many SMS messages. Sure, there’s something to be said for getting straight to the point, but this approach omits one crucial fact – customers who sign up for your contact list generally see a lot of other mobile content as well, so you better find a way to differentiate yourself in a sometimes crowded inbox. If you’re just one among many, standing out and making a name for your brand in the text message inbox won’t come easy.
Being Too Complex
Conversely, Business 2 Community’s Matt Baglia points out that cramming a novel’s worth of text into one of these messages isn’t exactly the right answer either. The beauty of the text message is that it’s a short and sweet way to connect with customers, so keep these attributes in mind as you build your content. A good rule of thumb is that if you can impart the same engaging and exciting message with fewer words, there’s no reason not to distill your content down to a more straightforward and simpler form. For the brands that find the middle ground between complex and generic solutions, SMS success and growth shouldn’t follow too far behind.
Thinking Everyone That Owns a Phone Is the Same
When it comes to getting to know your audience, Douglas Karr of the Marketing Technology Blog explains that, just like the people who open your marketed emails, not everyone who owns a phone is the same. If you’re familiar with list segmentation and targeting specific portions of your audience via email marketing or social media management, then this revelation should come as no surprise.Naturally, the ways in which you differentiate viewers might be a little different – phone type, data plans, etc. – but the basic premise remains the same; if you’re able to build unique and personalized content for each portion of your audience, your campaign’s ability to convert these messages into sales and brand page visits should rise by a significant margin.
Skipping the Unsubscribe Details
Finally, Karr rounds out our list of unforgivable SMS mistakes with a look at the most egregious error committed by modern brands – failing to inform your audience about their mandated right to unsubscribe from your list. While the other follies found on this list can deal temporary damage to your reputation and ability to generate influence among your target demographics, skipping the unsubscribe details can put you firmly on the wrong side of the law.From our anti-spam laws here in Canada (CASL), to the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) sister legislation imposed by the lawmakers south of the border, the message remains clear; if you don’t give these readers a chance to say “no thanks,” expect some serious backlash. However, as long as you play by the rules, as well as take to heart the other solutions laid out by this list, there’s nothing that says your brand can’t exist and thrive in the world of mobile marketing.
