Text Message Marketing Faux Pas
When you decide to begin a text message marketing list, it’s vital to ensure you don’t overstep your boundaries and make serious mistakes. While some errors may be minor and ignored by your subscribers, big errors can have consequences. Make sure to follow these rules when sending text messages from your company:
Don’t Send the Same Information Via Text and Email
Both text and email serve different purposes. Text is ideal for instant, short communication, while email is best for longer content and multimedia. Furthermore, you want differences between both marketing channels so customers don’t see the same message from you multiple times.
Ideally, texting should feel exclusive and personalized. Texts are great for flash sales, special discounts, and notifications of product shipments. They’re also fantastic for starting one-on-one conversations between the business and a customer. For example, texting is efficient and quick if the client needs customer service help.
You should only send the same message via both marketing channels in rare circumstances. For instance, email and text cancellation messages are warranted if an upcoming event is canceled and your subscriber has indicated plans to attend. However, you can still alter the content and include more information within the email, such as planned ticket refunds or reschedule dates. Your text message could simply alert them to the cancellation and provide a link to obtain additional details.
Get Customer Approval for Text Messages
Never, ever purchase a database of phone numbers to text. It’s illegal to do so in most countries, and you’ll easily ruin your business if customers think you operate a spam shop. Instead, take the time to develop a cultivated list of clients who want to hear from you via text.
Ensure that whenever a customer provides you with their phone number, they permit you to text them. You can provide clear-cut, easy-to-follow forms that indicate you’ll use their phone number to contact them for promotional purposes. If they agree to your terms, you’re golden.
Define the Relationship
Communication is at the heart of many relationships, and corporate text messaging is no different. Make sure to send a welcome email to every new text subscriber within a day of receiving their phone number. Use your short messaging space to describe how your organization uses texting.
For example, if you use text messaging for sales promotions, say so. Welcome them to the platform and provide them with a keyword they can respond with if they decide not to continue receiving a text from your organization.
Don’t Send Messages at Inconvenient Times
Never send a marketing text message after 6 p.m. or before 9 a.m. Ensure that your clients receive text messages from you at regular hours during the day. No one wants to hear about your newest product at 3 a.m. when they’re likely sleeping soundly. Your message will only annoy them, not get you the positive attention you want.
Suppose that you regularly send text messages to a global customer base. Contact Consumers has an API that ensures your messages are only sent at appropriate times that correspond with your client’s time zone. Take advantage of the API to keep your customers happy.
Stick to the Point
Each text message that you send should have a clear message. That message should address one key item, such as a sale or announcement. Ensure that your texts don’t contain multiple CTAs that are hard to follow. You’ll lose the focus of your customers, and they may opt out of your text messaging services.
For instance, you may send your customer a single text notifying them that a service is on sale for the day. You can include a link to purchase the service. However, if your message contains information about the deal, an announcement of a new product, and a link to a customer satisfaction survey, you’ve lost direction.
Don’t Send Messages Too Frequently
Organizations should use text message marketing with intent. Daily text messages are usually unwanted and harass your customers instead of supporting them. Keep your marketing text messages to a minimum. At most, send marketing texts once or twice per week. Any more, and you risk losing subscribers. Worse, you may do damage to your brand.
Don’t Use Texts as Your Only Marketing Strategy
Texts are a complementary marketing method you can use with other strategies. Make sure to combine text messaging with different promotional approaches, such as email and social media advertising. One way is not better than another. Instead, companies should use all strategies simultaneously for the most optimal results.
