Business SMS Marketing: Striking the Right Tone
Tone of voice is important in all business communications, from letters to direct mail campaigns. The way you speak to clients is all of a part of the image you create in their minds of your brand. As short as they are, this also applies to business text messaging. It may even be more important to get the language and tone right in your messages, particularly your SMS marketing, than in an emailed leaflet for two reasons. First, you have only a very brief number of words to get your message across. And second, text messages have a rapid impact, with recipients typically reading texts within three minutes of receiving one. SMS strategies need to focus on sending personalised and engaging messages.
SMS is for business as well as promotions
Text messages are also a more efficient way of communicating directly with a customer. Calls from unknown numbers are often ignored, voicemail isn’t listened to, and emails may end up in a junk filter. Text messages even from unknown numbers are harmless and so are usually immediately opened. If you need more information on an address or want to let them know that your hours have changed, for example, a text message will do the job more effectively.
It is OK to use text speak
Many businesses are surprised to find that there is no hard and fast rule against the use of text speak in SMS messages. In fact, this varies depending on your individual business. The language you use has to match your audience. Only you have a good understanding of your customer demographic. Some popular text terms that are business safe include FYI, ASAP, AFAIC and TIA. These are: for your information, as soon as possible, as far as I’m concerned, and thanks in advance.
The key is to use text speak in context. FYI and ASAP, for example, have been used as abbreviations in informal business communications since long before we started text messaging. In some situations, such as with food or fashion retail offers, using text speak like U instead of you, and 8 in place of any ‘eight’ sound (like gr8 for great) will add more energy to your message.
But most of the time you shouldn’t
If you don’t sell pizza, teen fashion, or sports shoes, you probably shouldn’t get too informal with your messages. For most business purposes, perfect grammar and punctuation is still essential. Text language like LOL is too informal and can lead to confusion as those unfamiliar with the terms might read it as ‘lots of love’ instead of ‘laugh out loud’. Keep language clear and concise. Where you have a choice use the word that has the least amount of letters.
Plain English and jargon
If it is jargon that is so commonly used in your line of business or industry, then always make sure you use it. It’s more succinct and gives your text message an instant authoritative tone of voice. The message this conveys is that you know what you are talking about. There is a point at which jargon becomes a hindrance. If terms aren’t as widely known, your message may be lost or ignored. If in doubt, always use plain English for clarity.
Are emojis or emoticons acceptable?
Emojis or emoticons are little icons you can create to convey emotions, using symbols on your keypad such as the colon, and brackets. The most well-known emoji is the smiley face, created using a : and a ) to make :). One big problem with text messages for businesses is that they contain no indication of the intent or the emotion of the sender, and are often read with a colder and harsher voice than the sender intended. Emojis evolved to help convey those emotions in a text message. A smiley face indicates the message is friendly.
If you are communicating directly with a client via text message, or you want to send out a short informal text message to your entire customer base, an emoji can be acceptable. But with caveats. Only use one if you are concerned your tone or message could be misinterpreted. And only use the smiley face and the downwards unsmiling face, and for smartphones the thumbs up and the chin stroking ‘maybe’ face. The simple reason for this is that each smartphone operating system uses a different style of emoji. Something like the grinning face emoji can look so different on iPhones and Android phones that it can convey a completely different emotion. And never use negative emojis.
More than one tone of voice
Don’t just set your business one tone of voice. Just like people, your organisation will have different personalities depending on the situation, and you should be flexible enough to adjust tone of voice to suit while still staying consistent with your brand. For example, you could categorise your voice tones into serious, helpful and enthusiastic. Serious text messages may have an emphasis on grammar and use of full sentences and proper punctuation. Helpful texts might always use positive words and contain something that benefits the recipient such as information or a special offer. And with enthusiastic you might allow a more informal, silly tone to be used, that includes a little text speak or emoticons.
Different tones for different departments
The tone of voice used doesn’t just reflect your brand’s personality, but should also take into account the department or part of your organisation it is coming from. Something with more informality is appropriate from sales, but when the message is coming from the CEO you want a tone that conveys more gravitas and authority.
Text messages might form a part of your crisis management plan. And if your business doesn’t have one then it really should. Texting is a fast way to communicate with multiple stakeholders and customers in a crisis. It’s fast, and takes very little effort. It might be a product recall, or an involvement in a news story, or a natural disaster. Here it is important to ensure that there is no room for misinterpretation so only make statements of fact.
Related Articles
Avoid Ad Blockers by Using SMS Marketing
Mobile marketing includes many different advertising channels. Most of them include placing an ad in front of a mobile user. Many of us are used to ads online, but they do tend to get annoying. At least that’s according to an eMarketer report on a study done by Instantly.
Best Practices for SMS Marketing
In many of our previous posts, we have discussed the whys and hows of SMS marketing, listing the benefits, and the impacts on lead generation. There’s no doubt that by employing a marketing strategy that uses business SMS as a medium that your processes will become more efficient and your leads will become more targeted, meaning a better ROI. Here we will look at the best practices for SMS marketing to ensure your campaigns are offering the best for you and your users.
SMS Marketing: 10 Things You Shouldn’t Do in Your Marketing Strategy
In order to gain success with SMS marketing, certain strategies need to be put in place. Here are a few top tips on what not to do when marketing your business through SMS messaging.
3 Reasons Why Enterprises Shouldn’t Build Their Own SMS Gateways
Enterprises are large companies. Sometimes that means they think they should be able to do everything themselves. But when it comes to SMS messaging, building an in-house gateway is more difficult than you might think. Read why finding a good SMS service provider is a better option.
Proof SMS Messaging Gets Results: ROI
Return on investment in SMS marketing is almost unbelievable, but we assure you it’s true. We’ve pulled some standout examples together to show you that you can achieve these results too. Read the full blog to see why SMS marketing offers some of the highest ROI you’ve ever seen.
SMS Marketing Disasters – and How to Avoid Them
SMS Marketing, also known as test message marketing, is one of today's most powerful and cost efficient marketing tools when used correctly and offers endless opportunities with a little creativity added to the mix. However, whether careless or intentional, some mistakes can be harmful to your brand and reputation - as well as leaving you in legal trouble in certain circumstances. Luckily, this is extremely rare and it is easy to stay safe and make sure your SMS Marketing is an all round success. In this article, we look at come examples of how not to do things and offer our advice for ensuring your campaigns are effective and profitable.
Sending Your First SMS Marketing Campaign
6 steps to sending your first SMS marketing campaign. Whether you've already decided to use fastsms, or are still trying us out - these simple steps will show you how quickly you can get up and running and sending texts to your customers.
On The Rise: 6 Changes in Marketing That SMS Can Help Exploit
While traditional advertising methods are declining, SMS marketing is increasing and it is a trend that looks likely to continue. Here are 6 recent marketing trends that open the door for you to take advantage through your next SMS marketing campaign.
8 Reasons to Use SMS in Your Service Based Business
When the glass ceiling on your annual turnover and profits is governed by the number of hours you have to trade, it's even more important to ensure your marketing strategies are as fruitful and affordable as possible. SMS marketing appears, at first blush, to require a lot in the way of technology, budget and management, but it's incredibly successful for small businesses in service industries - even the ones with small budgets and limited resources...
13 Words That Inspire Action in Your SMS Messages
Because they are so short, word choice is important in SMS messages. You need to convey instructions and the benefits of following those instructions in few words. If you’ve ever struggled to find just the right one, check out our list of action inspiring words for SMS messaging.