SMS Mobile Marketing Best Practices

It doesn’t matter if you’re a seasoned SMS mobile marketing expert, or you are just beginning, you MUST be aware of the DOs and the DON’Ts of mobile marketing. Yes, we know every marketing campaign is unique unto itself, but you will either fail or get in trouble if you do not follow these guidelines.

DO NOT Send Messages Without Permission

Never, ever, ever, EVER send a message to someone without first getting their permission first. This is the GOLDEN RULE! People need to opt-in to your text messaging service before you can start messaging them. Not only will you upset the people you messaged without permission, but it is non-compliant with regulations.

But don’t look at this as a bad thing. SMS is powerful because you have to get permission. By texting only people who have opted-in to your service, you now know you are messaging people who want to hear what you have to say! So not only will you know people are opening and reading your messages, but you will get responses and interaction from them. This only strengthens and enhances the business to customer relationship, which makes them more willing to spend their money with you!

DO Advertise Your Keyword Call-To-Action

You’re probably asking yourself, “How do I get people to opt-in to my service?” This is simple. You want to market and advertise your short code (this is your call-to-action) on any and all print materials, social media, and if you’re still traditionally marketing, on all of your TV and radio spots.

A call-to-action (CTA) looks like this: Text SHOES to 54896 for Coupons & More from Sally’s Shoe Shop!

You’ll notice there was an offer included with the short code so people have added incentive to opt-in to your service. Remember, you want to also include at the bottom of your texts a way for subscribers to opt-out of your service.

An opt-out instruction would look like this: Msg & Data rates may apply. Text STOP to opt-out.

This is good for you because it gives freedom to your subscribers. If you text them without including the opt-out at the bottom, you will not only irritate your subscribers, but this is also non-compliant. Giving subscribers freedom to opt-out of your service will make them happier and, believe it or not, less likely to opt-out of your service. Why? Because you are giving them the choice.

     DO Add Incentive To Your CTAs

This was mentioned earlier, but this cannot be stressed enough. People really have no reason not to opt-in to your service if you are giving them something.

For example, a GREAT way to incentivize your opt-in text would be like this: Text SHOES to 54896 to get 25% of your next pair of shoes at Sally’s Shoe Shop!

Who doesn’t want a discount? On another note, the BEST way to get people to opt-in to your service is to offer FREE stuff. Now this isn’t always feasible, but it’s something to keep in mind. Always remember that incentivizing your CTAs brings guaranteed results!

DO NOT Send Text Messages Without Value

Text messaging can be the most powerful tool you use in your marketing strategy, but you need to be careful. Since SMS is such a personal and immediate medium, it can be easy to become annoying or aggravating to your subscribers. You want to remember that a lot of people still pay per text, and no one wants to be bombarded by constant texts every second of every day. This is a SURE way to lose all of your subscribers. Don’t do this! You worked hard for your opt-ins, don’t just give them up for worthless text messages. Make sure you have something to offer in EVERY text you send, or you are wasting your time and your subscribers’ time. A good guideline for sending messages out is 4-5 messages a month.

DO Make Opting-Out Easy

You may be wondering why in the world you would want to do this, but hear us out. Remember, SMS marketing is permission based. A majority of people who subscribe to your service are only doing it because they know they can opt-out at any time. You also want to note that you still spend per text (yes, it’s pennies per text, but this can add up!), so you don’t want to be sending messages to people who don’t want to hear what you have to offer. Don’t waste your money on people who are never going to listen to you, make opting-out easy!

DO Track Your Results

Don’t just run a campaign without tracking your results! You are spending money so you want to make sure you are reaching the people you want to reach. If you get the right mobile marketing platform, you can measure when’s the best time to send messages, what content is intriguing your subscribers the most, and who you are getting the most responses from. If you’re including web links in your campaign, be sure to use a link shortener such as “bit.ly” that allows you to track who is clicking on your links.

These guidelines may sound like a lot to digest right now, but in actuality they really aren’t that hard to implement. We just want to make sure that you are aware of these rules and make sure that you are compliant, while at the same time running a successful SMS mobile marketing campaign.

Godsend mobile marketers!