Do Your SMS Marketing Messages Sound Spammy?
Spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, lovely spam; Wonderful spam…
This Viking spam song from a Monty Python sketch is said to have inspired the use of the word spam to refer to junk or unwanted messages on the Internet. Its first documented use is in 1993, but there is some evidence people were using it even in the early 1980s.
However and whenever it started is an interesting point of fact, but what matters is nobody likes it. As a marketer you probably don’t think you’re sending spam. After all, spam usually is most often associated with unsavoury pay day loans or other unscrupulous activities from companies that don’t have permission to contact the people they text.
That certainly isn’t you right? But what sort of response rates are you getting to your SMS marketing campaigns? Are people acting on the messages you send or is there an eerie silence that follows each campaign? Or worse are they taking action by opting out after getting your messages?
If you aren’t seeing a positive response from your SMS marketing then your list may be thinking of it as spam and just ignoring it like they do much of their email. So take your latest marketing messages and examine them again with these four questions in mind:
- Do you identify yourself? If your list doesn’t recognise the number you send text messages from, they may just ignore it thinking it is genuine spam. Always include something to identify your messages as coming from your company in every message. This can be achieved by including your company or brand name in the “From” field of your message. Alternatively put your virtual mobile number in the “From” field so you can get replies and make your company of brand the first thing in your message body. Click here for more info on message labels.
- Is there a specific call to action? Did you send out a great offer, but forget to include that little detail about what people should do to get it? For example, “click the link” or “reply YES to enter”. Don’t assume people know what to do. Always tell them exactly what they need to do in order to get the wonderful thing you’re offering. This is critical to the success of your SMS marketing campaign so spend the time to get it right.
- Are there enough details? Just telling your list there’s a sale, special deal, or limited offer isn’t enough. Should they change their entire schedule to make time to visit your sale? Not unless you convince them they should. Send messages with as much important details as possible. Say “50% off everything. Ends Tuesday” instead of “Clearance sale until Tuesday”.
- Is it relevant to your list? If you’re able to segment your list, make sure you send offers to the right people. Not everyone wants a deal on men’s suits, or vacation deals to Aruba. The more targeted your messages are to your list, the better the response will be. And even if the people don’t respond, they at least know the message was intended for them because it was relevant.
If you can answer all of these questions in the affirmative then your message won’t appear as spam to your list. It doesn’t mean your SMS marketing is perfect, but it does meet the core requirements for a good offer. Keep working on your offers and you’ll see your response rate improve. In the end, there’s no such thing as “wonderful spam”.
For more great ideas on to grow your business using SMS marketing download our free Mobile Marketing Guide.
Related Articles
What You Can Learn From a Bad SMS Message
In last week’s blog I covered how the Trump campaign sent unsolicited SMS messages to voters. This week I’m stuck on the same topic, but from a totally different angle: what we can learn from that failure. Because honestly, their biggest issue might not be violating the law. It might be the people they have writing their SMS messages. It’s time to dissect the message that spawned the law suit, and learn what we can from it.
To Txt Speak, or NTTS. TITQ.
Is it a good idea to cram more information into your precious 160 characters by using "txtspk" acronyms and abbreviations? Yes and no! It depends on the audience and the message. In this post you can pick up some insights into this question and join us in dissecting a real life example.
Should You Tease Your SMS Marketing List?
Teasing is a tried and true marketing technique. But there’s a lot you can learn from some recent examples in the video game industry. In particular, how you can create the same kind of frenzy in your SMS list – but only if you do it right.
What are the Worst SMS Marketing Messages You’ve Received?
Just for fun, I asked people in a marketing focused Facebook group to share the worst SMS marketing messages they’ve ever received. I was expecting a deluge of responses, but actually only a few trickled in. But those horrible SMS marketing messages are out there…the comments on my post proved it even if no one wanted to share (I guess they’re all shy).
What to do When Your SMS Campaign is Failing
Here's some ideas on what you can do to help your SMS campaigns to do better. Use the following checklist to see if you’re using all your possible channels.
3 Best Types of CTA for SMS Marketing
One mistake some marketers make is assuming people will know what to do when they read an SMS message. After all, they’re short and to the point right? How confusing could they be? On the other hand, when writing every other form of marketing they know that calls to action need to be clear. So, just because you don't have much room, it doesn’t mean you get to leave out your call to action! Saving space and being brief is important though, so take a look at three of the best SMS marketing CTAs you can use.
The Truth About SMS Opt Out Rates
You’ve read all about getting subscribers, the legal and recommended guidelines, and put great offers out to your list. But people still unsubscribe. Should you be worried? Are you doing something wrong? That depends. As the saying goes, you can’t make 100% of the people happy 100% of the time. You will have opt-outs, but whether you have too many is the question you should be asking.
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.
6 SMS Marketing Faux Pas To Avoid
SMS marketing can be an incredibly useful tool for successful mobile marketing campaigns. However, it is not without its pitfalls. We have compiled a list of six of the worst SMS mobile marketing faux pas, so that you can avoid them and text your way to marketing success.