It’s easy to get excited when you’re sending your first SMS marketing messages. Text messages are a fantastic way to connect with audiences, whether you’re marketing a brand, supporting a political campaign, or fundraising for a nonprofit.
Many marketers no longer rely on outdated communication methods, turning instead to SMS messages to increase engagement and connect with people directly. SMS marketing messages have an impressive 99% open rate, far higher than the 20% open rate for marketing emails.
SMS messages also bypass spam and junk folders, a common disadvantage in email marketing, and land directly in your subscribers’ pockets. Most of us quickly scan text messages since our phones are usually within arm’s reach. Unsurprisingly, 90% of SMS marketing texts are read within three minutes of being received, producing fast results and increased traffic. Partnering with the Tatango SMS marketing platform means you’ll have access to purpose-built software and almost 15 years of industry experience, ensuring your messages can have an even more significant impact.
In this blog, post you’ll learn how to benefit from the many upsides of text message marketing while avoiding some common pitfalls. Bad tactics can sneak into your strategy and keep your SMS marketing campaign from reaching the desired results. Let’s look at three tactics that can easily backfire, harming your SMS marketing campaign before it even gets off the ground.
3 SMS Marketing Tactics to Avoid
Text messages are the perfect way to send people coupons, rewards, donation links, reminders, and updates. It’s a great tool for growing your following, keeping up with current supporters or customers, fundraising, and strengthening your communication strategy for the future. But following these three bad tactics will set you up for failure and undercut your messaging campaign. Recognizing and avoiding the following pitfalls is crucial when starting your SMS marketing campaign.
1. Sending Messages to Nonsubscribers
One major mistake people make when starting out with SMS marketing is sending text messages to people without following the proper process and best practice. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) is the federal law governing SMS marketing in the United States, and it prohibits brands and organizations from sending messages to people who haven’t opted in to receive such messages from them. Marketers who don’t abide by TCPA requirements face hefty fines of $500 or more per message. Fines can quickly add up with repeated or mass texts that violate the law.
To avoid these penalties, make sure your first message sets expectations for the SMS campaign and asks recipients to respond with a keyword.
At Tatango, we always recommend a “double opt-in.” Even if someone texts your SMS program first or adds their number to an online form, take the extra step and get their explicit permission to continue contacting them. By asking them to respond with YES or another preset keyword, you’ll get unequivocal confirmation and permission to keep sending texts to their phone number.
Sending unsolicited messages is not only a violation of the law but also a surefire way to lose potential supporters or customers. Start with clear and transparent instructions to cultivate a positive relationship with your subscribers. There should be no uncertainty about what they need to do to opt in.
2. Not Timing SMS Messages Correctly
Once people have joined and opted in, you can begin sending them messages. However, bad timing and scheduling can quickly sink an SMS campaign before it even gets going. Sending messages too frequently or outside of standard business hours is a turn off for many subscribers.
No one likes to feel pestered with brand offers and fundraising requests late at night. Create a schedule that takes timing and frequency into account. In some situations, like during political races, texting frequency will increase closer to election day and around fundraising deadlines, but keeping up that pace for an entire campaign can drive away supporters.
Be intentional with your timing. For example, texts with coupons for a coffee shop will perform best in the morning. But those same texts arriving late in the evening or at night are often annoying and will harm the relationship with subscribers. If your SMS campaign spans multiple timezones or regions, it’s a good idea to be mindful of when those messages go out.
Fortunately, Tatango’s SMS platform makes it easy to segment your subscriber list by time zone or location. Supporters and customers can add that information when filling out the initial contact form or by texting keywords. Use Tatango’s scheduling and management tools to easily set up time frames for messages and target optimal slots throughout the day—even with extensive subscriber lists.
3. Using Passive Language and Not Including a Call to Action
When sending text messages, you’re asking people to get involved, by buying products, donating to a nonprofit, staying engaged, or registering to vote, for example. Your subscribers should always walk away knowing the next critical step they should take. Using the language and tone in these messages is vital. Many SMS programs miss the mark, using passive wording and failing to add a clear call to action (CTA).
Language makes a difference, especially in the message wrap-up, the last part of your message. Your top priority should be to let people know how they can join or support. Use active verbs to engage recipients and make messages feel urgent. Your CTA should push subscribers to complete a specific task such as making a purchase, responding to a survey, or tapping on a donation link.
Take advantage of the fact that text messages make immediate communication possible by giving people a clear idea of what to do next. Vague SMS campaigns tend to lose momentum and subscribers.
If you’re promoting a product, provide a link and tell people to “visit our store today!” Political campaigns find success by calling people to volunteer, donate, register, and vote. Here’s an example of calling people to use a keyword for more information: “Respond with VOLUNTEER to find out more and get involved right away!”
Avoid Bad SMS Tactics and See Positive Results
By avoiding these harmful tactics, you’ll send compelling messages and catch people at the right moment for optimum results. SMS messages help keep your subscribers engaged and invested, which makes a big difference when you’re trying to meet sales or fundraising goals. Always keep your subscribers top of mind and consider the most effective language and timing for your goals.
With Tatango as your SMS platform, you’ll gain access to powerful software and experienced staff to help set you up for success. We can help you avoid these common pitfalls and send messages that work so you’ll hit your goals and build a sustainable SMS program.
To get started sending engaging messages right away, contact the team of experts at Tatango!
