SMS communication is far from obsolete. For a technology that had its heyday in the mid-to-late 2000s, SMS as a marketing tool has stood the test of time as it maintains its status as one of the most engaging mediums out there. In fact, SMS marketing beats most other social streams like email and social media when it comes to response rate. Recent data shows that it outperformed the rest by 209%, as users are more likely to respond to a text for its convenience. That alone is too much of a large number to rule out SMS Marketing from your media plan! Imagine the number of prospective clients you could miss without SMS Marketing.
It will also be a mistake if you breeze past the process. Despite the higher likelihood of getting a response, marketers should be mindful of how we’ll come across our prospects. This an SMS read as your fifteen seconds of fame, a fleeting spotlight moment to capture your audience’s attention. What should you do with such little time to stand out?
Or a better question to ask: How do you make sure you don’t start on the wrong foot?
Lucky for you, we committed enough rookie mistakes back in the day to give you this guideline:
1. Sounding Too Spammy
We’re pretty should you’ve been at the receiving end of the spectrum, where you’ve encountered a message that sounds a bit too good to be accurate and that you know the marketing motive is murky.
Luckily, modern technology has been too smart for users to filter out spam messages. Unluckily for marketers, it could mean spending hard-earned media budgets on text prompts that would not see the light of day. So before you hit that launch button, put yourself in your customers’ shoes and ask if your messages sound too good. Also, don’t dabble in obvious violations like trade sanctions, explicit content, and the like.
2. Unclear Objectives
Otherwise, it will sound like you’re sending out text messages just for fun. Make sure to be a little more on the-nose about your promos or your brand. It is offering at that time. Give more emphasis to your voucher codes, too, should you have any – sadly, this is a common mistake as codes that are stated on the last parts of your message body tend to be ignored.
Again, the challenge here is to maximize the little spotlight your client will give you, so best to have your intent stated explicitly upfront.
3. Forgetting to Place an Opt-out
Tying this in with the goal of not sounding spammy, you must let your clients know that you’re not forcing them into anything. Opt-out or unsubscribe buttons are the solutions for these. Some countries’ laws already require unsubscribe buttons to be placed in SMS marketing messages in line with their data privacy measures.
Investing in SMS marketing tools with built-in opt-out systems would be a good idea to avoid this mistake a lot easier. Ringbot.io is a white-label SMS marketing tool that perfectly fits as an example.
4. No Calls-to-Action
Let’s face it. This is hardly a rookie mistake. Even seasoned marketing professionals forget to place clear calls to action, which is not an excuse to prioritize ensuring your objectives are clear. A confused subscriber is a conversion lost. Apart from missing to pique interest, it would be safe to assume these users have no time to know more about the next steps, so give this away as soon as possible through a clear CTA.
5. Texting at the Wrong Time
SMS Marketing Platforms have always been designed to dictate when SMS blasts will launch. That being said, make full use of these toggles, and prioritize looking for suitable intervals where your subscribers are entirely in tune. State the obvious, sending a text blast in the wee hours of the morning would surely yield poor results as your users are most likely disengaged by then.
The best times to launch vary per brand, so we advise throwing a couple of AB Tests before fully committing to your campaign. Teaser phases are a must to determine this and then go all out once you get a good ballpark for your launch times.
6. Investing in Incompatible Tools
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution in the market that will perfectly accommodate your business processes. Sure, it would take some time, but the ideal way is first to use various free trials to find the perfect fit.
Fortunately for you, Ringbot can quickly fix that. The sad thing is that SMS Marketing Tools tend to be rigid to fit data science requirements, but Ringbot.io has already mastered the art of SMS Marketing that can offer seamless automation services for various marketing agency business models. Even better, Ringbot.io does not cut corners, and you can rest assured that data privacy guidelines are strictly followed despite advancements.
Mistakes Easily Averted with Ringbot
You can carefully quality-check your SMS campaigns all you want, but without an efficient SMS marketing tool, all your efforts can go to waste at the drop of a hat.
With Ringbot, you can surely opt out of rookie mistakes with an efficient user-based technology that can blend well with your business process. Start your free trial today and see the difference.