Key takeaways
- There’s no single correct message frequency, avoid too many or too few texts and refine with split tests and surveys.
- Treat SMS as a two‑way channel: encourage and accept customer feedback via surveys, social media or other open channels.
- Keep messages brief, don’t overload recipients with details, use teasers to drive website or social engagement.
- Segment your audience, tailor SMS content to different groups rather than sending the same message to everyone.
- Common pitfalls: blasting one‑way robotic offers, overlong copy, ignoring segmentation and misjudging frequency.
Introduction
Like any great innovation, the road to SMS marketing that you’re familiar with today is littered with the failures and successes of those who came before your brand. Of course, these lessons learned don’t just make for interesting conversation, there’s actually quite a bit you call pull from the past to ensure that you always maximize your mobile impact moving forward. With this in mind, let’s dig into a couple SMS bests practices and faux pas so that the next time you fire off a message to your loyal following, you’ll have everything you need to represent your brand in the best way possible.
Do Figure out Your Frequency
Starting off with the positive side of the discussion, Rimma Kats of Mobile Marketer explains that hammering out the questions regarding frequency should be at the top of your “to do” list. While there’s no standard number of daily or weekly messages that applies to every single branded audience, that doesn’t mean you should approach this part of the process with nothing more than a cursory review of the subject.
Essentially, you’ll want to avoid the extremes of the messaging spectrum. Too many messages and you’ll come off as overbearing; too few and you risk irrelevancy. Naturally, these aren’t the tightest parameters, but using this system as the basis and mixing in some split testing and survey techniques can help you continue to refine your frequency as you get to know your audience more over time.
Do Understand the Two-Way Street Paradigm
Kats goes on to explain that brands and marketers alike need to understand that mobile marketing is very much a two-way street. Too often SMS marketing comes off as robotic or impersonal because brands simply bombard consumers with deals and offers, leaving no room for interaction. However, the best campaigns in the world go beyond this basic methodology and not only accept customer feedback, but encourage it.
Think of it this way; by keeping your communications open – either via regular surveys, an active social media presence, or some other open channel – you cannot only produce a better SMS product, but enhance the return on your investment by getting tips and suggestions straight from the people opening your texts. It seems so obvious when laid out in this manner, but plenty of brands struggle with the idea that SMS marketing truly thrives when both sides of the transaction get a voice in the conversation.
Don’t Think Brevity Isn’t Always a Bad Thing
On the “don’t” side of things, Business 2 Community’s Liga Bizune has a few suggestions that could save you from an SMS disaster. First off, don’t assume that brevity is always a bad thing. Trying to explain everything, down to even the tiniest detail, not only overwhelms the reader, but terms the expedient and fun affair of opening a text message into a laborious chore. It doesn’t take a mobile marketing expert to know that this is a decidedly bad situation.
Instead, embrace brevity and leave your consumers hanging on the edge of their seats with enticing content. Not only does this process keep your readers on the go interested and waiting for your next correspondence, it can also spur them on to come check out your brand website or connect with your organization on social media – a win-win scenario regardless what you’re selling.
Don’t Assume Segmentation Is Only for Email Marketing
Outside of getting the wrong idea about brevity and refined message content, Bizune also notes that assuming everyone wants the same type of content in the first place is also incorrect. If you’re already operating an email marketing campaign, you know about the power of segmentation. Even if you’ve never sent an email in your life, the idea is fairly straightforward to understand.
Different portions of your audience like different things, so tailoring your content to each portion – or “segment” – can help you maximize the power of an already effective system. It takes a little time and effort to delve into the particulars of these varied individuals, but it’s well worth the work to reap the rewards that follow.
Naturally getting to know your audience in greater detail and creating text content meshes well with surveying and other interactive tactics, so deploying this mindset, as well as the rest of what you’ve learned, should keep you on the right track for success and increased awareness in the SMS inbox. Even if you’re on the first step of your journey, you’ve made this trek significantly easier by learning more about what does and doesn’t work from others who have already traveled down this road.
FAQ
There’s no standard daily or weekly number. Avoid the extremes, too many messages feels overbearing, too few risks irrelevancy. Use split testing and surveys and iteratively refine frequency as you learn your audience.
Make SMS a two‑way street: invite and accept customer feedback via regular surveys, an active social media presence or other open channels. Use the feedback to improve messages and boost return on investment.
Embrace brevity. Don’t try to explain every detail in the text, keep it concise and enticing, leaving recipients curious enough to visit your website or social channels.
Segmentation matters. Different audience segments want different content, so tailor messages accordingly. Building segments takes time and effort and works well alongside surveys and interactive tactics.
Use split testing and survey techniques to compare frequencies and solicit audience input. Iterate based on results rather than assuming a single correct cadence.
Don’t send too many messages or too few, don’t rely on one‑way, impersonal blasts, don’t overload texts with details and don’t assume every subscriber wants the same content without segmenting.
