As more and more companies of all stripes venture into the realm of SMS marketing, it is safe to say by now that it is the next big thing. Given how attractive and affordable SMS marketing is it is easy to understand why it has gotten so popular so quickly. It gives customers the feeling of receiving personal attention from your business, which they enjoy, and with a business’s message reaching so many customers the cost of bulk mobile messaging quickly pays for itself.

  Like any good thing, there are some do’s and don’t’s when it comes to using SMS marketing. The platform that’s great for keeping in touch with customers can just as easily push them away if you’re not careful. Let’s look at some basic ways to keep your SMS effective and to use simple, effective strategies to ensure that your message is appealing and gets the right kind of response from your customers.

  Grab them from the start: Some people like to criticize that our world of texts and instant messaging is shortening people’s attention spans. Whether this is true or not, what’s undeniable is that advertising messages work best when they use strict economy of language. In other words, keep it short. Even if your customers have opted in, they still might feel like your messages are junk mail to be discarded if you don’t immediately grab them with something they want. So keep your message focused on what you’re offering. Make it up-front and eye catching.

  Speaking of opting in…

  It’s better to gain permission than ask forgiveness: It just can’t be stressed enough, always make sure you are getting permission to send texts to customers before doing so. Not only will you annoy people by sending them texts they don’t want and that aren’t relevant to their needs and lifestyle, but it wastes your own resources. SMS marketing works best for growing relationships with interested parties. It is not the best place to do a cold pitch. Always make your subscription process easy, simple, and highly visible and you won’t have to worry about whether or not your recipients actually want to hear from you.

  By the same token, make your opt-out process equally simple. You’ve probably been on at least one e-mail list where following a series of unwieldy unsubscribe links never quite got you unsubscribed. Text customers have even less patience with that sort of thing and in many parts of the world it can even be illegal. Make opting out easy so the customer leaves with goodwill. It’s more important than you think. 

  Show them that you value their time, and show them the value you have to give: If you’re just using SMS marketing to remind customers that you exist, you’re doing it wrong. Give people a reason to get excited about that text. Make them wonder what hot new offer you’re going to show them. Is it an exciting new product? A useful coupon code that leads to big savings? Make sure your text recipients come to expect these things and they will use them. More importantly, they’ll tell their friends.

  Of course you are probably as excited about these deals as your customers. You want to get it out there as fast as possible. But do so within a sensible time frame. Try to make sure your texts only go out during “business hours.” Not only will this increase your customers’ chances of seeing it, but they’ll appreciate it more and be more likely to remember it than if it came through during their private time with their families.

  SMS marketing is clearly here to stay. Do the right things when using it with your customers and their business will be here to stay too.