SMS Marketing Mistakes

Although still very effective, email marketing has been around for a while. The content may be new and interesting but the delivery method is nothing revolutionary. Marketers are looking for the next best way to reach their customers effectively. Well, look no further than SMS.

SMS marketing is when you send over a promotional campaign through a text message. They are usually intended for time-sensitive purposes, alerts, new offers, or updates. In order to send these messages, the user has to opt-in. So before you start utilizing this direct line to your audience, make sure you are following all the stated and unstated rules.

1. Sending Without Permission

First and foremost, please please please make sure that you have secured written consent from the mobile number user in accordance with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. If you are sending bulk messages to phone numbers you have not received consent from you will be in some legal trouble, and that is what we are trying to avoid here. 

2. Not Staying on Brand

No matter what kind of communication that you are sending out to anyone on your contact list, it should be in line with your brand. Many larger companies have communication brand standards that they like to follow so the customers have consistency no matter where they are being reached at. 

3. Texting Outside of Business Hours

You DEFINITELY do not want to receive a 2am text message from your local dog groomer, your home insurance provider or even the bakery down the street. It is courteous to contact people when they are awake and working, rather than just as they are sitting down for dinner, or putting their kids to bed. They might not be too pleased if it interferes with their nightly routine, and the last thing you want is to anger a potential or current customer. 

4. Not Including a Call-to-Action

The whole point of sending an SMS message is to get the consumer to take action. So failing to include a call to action in your message would be counterproductive. A CTA can be as simple as a quick link in the body of a message. Lines like ‘Learn More’, ‘Join Us’, or ‘Try for Free’. These are intended to make sure that at the end of your communication the consumer knows exactly what they need to do. Creating a sense of urgency and drive can make your SMS marketing campaign more effective. 

5. Sending Too Many Messages

You might just end up getting ghosted if 10 different messages are going out a day. No one really loves to get bombarded with marketing materials especially on their phone. That can quickly lead to you being blocked or the consumer opting out of your campaign. Finding the right balance for messaging means that you are reaching your customer at the right time, on the right day, regarding pertinent information. 

Although still very effective, email marketing has been around for a while. The content may be new and interesting but the delivery method is nothing revolutionary. Marketers are looking for the next best way to reach their customers effectively. Well, look no further than SMS.

SMS marketing is when you send over a promotional campaign through a text message. They are usually intended for time-sensitive purposes, alerts, new offers, or updates. In order to send these messages, the user has to opt-in. So before you start utilizing this direct line to your audience, make sure you are following all the stated and unstated rules.

1. Sending Without Permission

First and foremost, please please please make sure that you have secured written consent from the mobile number user in accordance with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. If you are sending bulk messages to phone numbers you have not received consent from you will be in some legal trouble, and that is what we are trying to avoid here. 

2. Not Staying on Brand

No matter what kind of communication that you are sending out to anyone on your contact list, it should be in line with your brand. Many larger companies have communication brand standards that they like to follow so the customers have consistency no matter where they are being reached at. 

3. Texting Outside of Business Hours

You DEFINITELY do not want to receive a 2am text message from your local dog groomer, your home insurance provider or even the bakery down the street. It is courteous to contact people when they are awake and working, rather than just as they are sitting down for dinner, or putting their kids to bed. They might not be too pleased if it interferes with their nightly routine, and the last thing you want is to anger a potential or current customer. 

4. Not Including a Call-to-Action

The whole point of sending an SMS message is to get the consumer to take action. So failing to include a call to action in your message would be counterproductive. A CTA can be as simple as a quick link in the body of a message. Lines like ‘Learn More’, ‘Join Us’, or ‘Try for Free’. These are intended to make sure that at the end of your communication the consumer knows exactly what they need to do. Creating a sense of urgency and drive can make your SMS marketing campaign more effective. 

5. Sending Too Many Messages

You might just end up getting ghosted if 10 different messages are going out a day. No one really loves to get bombarded with marketing materials especially on their phone. That can quickly lead to you being blocked or the consumer opting out of your campaign. Finding the right balance for messaging means that you are reaching your customer at the right time, on the right day, regarding pertinent information.