Unlike other forms of marketing, you only have a few short sentences to grab people’s attention and get them to act when sending a text. Whether you want people to visit your website or landing page, you need to be as specific as possible to get the reaction you want. Unfortunately, many marketers new to SMS text message marketing fail to grab the attention of subscribers simply because the messages weren’t specific enough.

Since text messages reach subscribers immediately (and are usually read within five minutes), it’s up to you to create messages that get people excited about your business. Sending long, boring messages that aren’t specific aren’t going to increase sales. Before sending mass text messages, review the message to make sure you’ve included only important information that people need to know about your business.

Say What You Mean

It’s important to clearly state your reasons for sending a text message to subscribers. For example, if promoting an online sale, include your business name, website and a brief message about the potential savings, limited time offers, or other incentives for visiting the website.

Sending funny or misleading messages will only confuse subscribers. Save the humour and heavy sales pitches for email or social media marketing where you have more space to explain yourself.

Don’t Send Unless You Absolutely Have To

This may sound illogical because the goal of any marketing campaign is to reach out to customers as often as possible, but sending too many text messages will only result in multiple opt-out requests.

Use SMS notifications sparingly as a way to enhance an existing campaign. Send messages for limited time offers, holiday sales, or remind customers when it’s time to reorder.

When Sending Links…

Instead of sending people a link to your home page, send links to specific products and services. You can send a recommendation or link to items on sale. Getting people to visit specific pages can prompt impulse sales – especially if customers have made a purchase from your site before.

Recommendations

To get people to visit your website again, make a recommendation based on previous purchases. Many people enjoy knowing more about goods and services that are similar to what they’ve purchased before.