SMS marketing is the most popular and frequently used communication channel in the world recently. It has the power to send far more direct and personal messages than any other medium. Nine out of ten consumers want to text with businesses, but only 48 percent of businesses are equipped to do so.
As marketers, we must tread lightly with our texts. While the benefits of SMS are endless, you can also do more harm than good if you’re not following best practices
Some Mistakes while running your SMS Marketing campaign can be occur, and the clever thing to do is to avoid them.
Listed below are some of the most common SMS mistakes, along with tips to avoid them. By following our advice, your SMS campaign can be a powerful tool to engage your audience and build a strong relationship with your customers.
Mistake #1: Sending undesired text messages to the wrong audience
Nobody likes receiving promotional texts that they didn’t sign up for or even been a part of. Before you start sending mass messages, ensure that you have permission to do so.
It’s also essential that you comply with state and local regulations and wireless carriers’ messaging policies to make sure your messages get delivered to customers who are willing to receive them.
Knowing your customers and learning their needs is the number one priority of all businesses. You can’t create effective SMS campaigns if you don’t know your audience.
Solution: Know your target audience and Get permission by using an opt-in form
Studies show that the effectiveness of your SMS marketing campaign depends on 98% of the target audience, and what a business should consider marketers to do market research and analyze your target audience to understand their interests and know their wants and needs. Create a strategy that is appropriate and effective for your audience. Consider age, gender, location, concerns, and behavior. Based on all the characteristics of your target audience, create an SMS marketing campaign that would be the most appealing to the people you send it to. Also, regarding the allowance for sending SMS, you can request that your customers sign up for your text messages containing exclusive promotions, product releases, or other valuable information via an online form or by texting a keyword to a mobile short code. Being transparent with your communication sets the stage for building a positive relationship with your consumers.
Mistake #2: Texting invalid numbers
Sending SMS to invalid numbers is the most common reason for SMS delivery problems. Changed (or fake) phone numbers on your SMS list won’t reach their intended destination, which can decrease your message deliverability score as well as losing money on something worthless.
Solution: Grow your sending list organically with the help of HLR
It may be tempting to purchase a database, yet these lists can contain fake or invalid numbers. The only way you’ll effectively reach customers is by growing your text subscription list organically.
Researches show that use your email customer base as a starting point to grow your SMS list, and encourage others to subscribe by running a contest, offering exclusive discounts to subscribers, and promoting your text list across other media programs.
To avoid sending messages to invalid numbers, use a reliable API equipped with phone number lookup to ensure the numbers on your list can receive SMS messages. Speak with an expert at your SMS provider to learn more about SMS API features that can help you send SMS with confidence.
Also, in this case, it is advisable to use the HLR lookup which is the main database of permanent subscriber information for a mobile network. The HLR is an integral component of CDMA (code division multiple access), TDMA (time division multiple access), and GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) networks. It helps you avoid any obstacle that you might encounter in your database.
Mistake #3: Not setting up for future contact
So you’ve got a new subscriber–what’s next? It’s one thing to attract new customers, but keeping their attention is even more important.
A common mistake with SMS marketing is not laying the foundation for future communication. Failing to let your customers know how and when you’ll be in touch can leave them sore and surprised when you hit them with your next message blast.
Solution: Send a welcome SMS after having them in your database that explains terms of your relationship
Once a customer subscribes to your SMS database list, send a welcome message demonstrating how often you’ll be texting, the types of information you’ll be sending, and how they can opt-out.
Make use of keywords to simplify the process and make it clear to your customers how to change their messaging decisions.
Mistake #4: Using the same messages for SMS and other marketing platforms
A common mistake that some marketers make is trying to save time and effort by using the same message for emails, social media, and SMS. The problem is, each channel is better tailored to support different types of messages.
SMS and the other platforms each have benefits not offered by the other, and it’s likely that the same message through both channels will hurt your marketing efforts.
Solution: Send only time-sensitive, urgent text messages
Due to its 160-character limit, SMS is the perfect channel for short, time-sensitive promotions and information.
Email, on the other hand, is more appropriate for longer messages with images, links, and attachments.
Social media and emails can be used if your message contains information that may need to be saved by your customers for a later time, email is the better route. However, if your message requires immediate action, SMS is the way to go.
Mistake #5: Inconvenient timing
Whether you are sending it to a global audience or to a local customer base, the timing of your SMS is everything. SMS is best used to encourage urgent action, so the time that you send your promotion performs a huge role in the success of your campaign.
Solution: Respect your subscribers’ time zones and schedules
In order to consider for time changes with a global audience, select an API provider that systematically scales and optimizes for different countries’ mobile regulations. Since nobody wants to receive a text at 1 AM, use a provider that automatically delivers your messages to your audience at the right time in the right time zone.
While you’re carrying on your SMS marketing strategy, it is important to keep in mind these SMS mistakes and plan your campaigns with care and caution.
By putting in the effort to create effective SMS messages, you’ll not only generate high engagement rates but also gain an advantage over your competitors and build a strong relationship with your customers.
Avoid these SMS marketing mistakes, and you’ll be well on your way to success.
Mistakes can be made in any marketing platform, but it is quite important to know how to avoid these mistakes and learn from them in order to pursue a prosperous SMS campaign.
Check out BroadNet Technologies and try our SMS services to learn more about how you can use SMS to take your marketing mix to the next level.