4 SMS marketing pitfalls to watch out for in 2022
SMS marketing is a direct and concise form of communication via mobile phone.
Sending personalized bulk SMS messages to your customers, consumers or clients may seem like a great plan, but sending relevant messages to the right people at the right time is absolutely critical to a successful campaign.
With roughly 98% of users who receive an SMS reading it within 3 minutes of receiving it, SMS messaging is a very practical and effective way to communicate. In short, SMS is ideal in that your customers get the message quickly and directly.
We all want to know the most effective and efficient way to create SMS campaigns that work. But we also want to know which mistakes to avoid. Here are the four most common mistakes SMS campaign creators make when creating an SMS campaign.
Why do I need an SMS marketing strategy?
With marketing campaigns, it’s absolutely crucial to understand what you want to achieve, how to properly implement the strategy and tactics, and how to measure everything afterwards. This is no different with SMS marketing campaigns.
Without a properly chosen and defined strategy, your SMS interactions won’t work
For example, irrelevant messages sent at inappropriate times can lead to recipients unsubscribing from your database.
The answers to the following questions will help you lay the groundwork for your strategy:
- Why are you sending SMS messages at all?
- What do you want to communicate to your audience?
- Is the information you’re sending relevant?
- When and how often do you want to send SMS messages?
Putting it into practice
Set goals and metrics. These will help you evaluate the success of your SMS campaign and also how to improve. Having empirical evidence of whether or not your campaign is working is crucial to the success of your business. For example, in the context of selling a particular product, you can track how your SMS campaign is performing thanks to a discount code in the SMS message. You can easily evaluate it thanks to the number of transactions where this SMS discount code will be used.
Shouting into the void
Only send marketing SMS messages to your contacts if they volunteer for this type of communication. Understanding and respecting your target audience is vital.
Remember who your audience is
Forgetting who you are actually communicating with can be your undoing. Many users lose interest if content becomes irrelevant to them. Therefore, it is very important to maintain regular and up-to-date communication with your target audience.
When your customer subscribes to SMS messages, in many cases they will also provide you with additional information. This can include age, gender, occupation… When structuring an SMS campaign, take all of this information into account so that you can tailor and plan that particular campaign effectively.
This targeted message can make the target user feel that they are being listened to and their needs are being respected. For example, you can send a welcome SMS message introducing them more about your brand and letting them know that they can unsubscribe at any time.
Loyalty and VIP promotions
Make your VIP customers feel really special. This step is a great asset to the company. Exclusive and preferential access to information about special promotions via text messages can be a great example that works. And know that retaining an existing customer is 10 times less expensive than attracting a new one.
What is the brand’s tone of voice?
Sending generic messages that don’t embody your brand doesn’t elicit any of the response you’re asking for. Without the necessary charge and personality in your message, these text messages can turn off potential customers and may even cause them to unsubscribe from your mailings. Marketing, in short, is about enticing your audience to a product or service they might want and/or need. Keep this fact in mind.
Consider your brand’s tone of voice properly. In an SMS message, intent, context and tone are absolutely critical.
A consistent tone of voice for your brand and, by extension, your marketing message will allow your customers to connect with your brand. Developing and building these relationships is absolutely critical to the long-term growth of your brand and your business.
Your audience most likely knows that by signing up to receive SMS text messages from your chosen business, they will receive various SMS promotional messages. They may receive notifications of important deadlines, sales, discounts, new product launches, etc. However, always be consistent in your messaging and stick to your brand’s set tone of voice, this is the only way to attract your customers’ attention and convey much more than a simple SMS message.
Content should be direct, concise and engaging. One SMS message is only 160 characters long. So it’s really important to have a fundamental idea of what the message should look like and what kind of content you want to send.
Minimum engagement
Keep your customers constantly interacting with your brand. Understanding your customers and what they require from your brand is what will keep you ahead of your competition.
Challenge your customers
In the previous lines, you’ve read that it’s important to make your SMS message relevant to your target audience. It is also recommended to inform them about interesting events or news. However, this type of message does not always encourage action. And it’s the calls to action that provide the boost to your customers’ interaction with you. So offer your customers an interesting benefit and ask them to take advantage of it. Calls to action can vary from using a discount code to clicking through a link.
Build trust
Increase awareness of your brand and build the necessary level of interaction. For example, send your customers information about your company, products, services and ask them to take a look. Mention the benefits you offer as well. This way, the customer will see you in a better light and you will establish a necessary and much needed relationship.
Be considerate
Your inconsideration can cost you your customers. In the case of text messages, we’re primarily talking about the timing of the send out. Since a text message is sent and received within seconds, your customers will only interact with the content if it is accessible and not annoying. Make sure you send SMS messages at a time that is optimal for your target customers. Don’t overwhelm them with too many text messages and don’t send SMS messages at any time of the day.
Planning and setting up an appropriate SMS strategy will allow you to properly structure, measure and improve your communications. Understanding your target audience brings many benefits and builds stronger relationships. In the overall view, SMS marketing will build transparency and develop a strong brand identity. Take advantage of this and avoid the above SMS marketing mistakes, this is the only way to get the most out of your SMS marketing campaign.
