SMS is faster becoming the preferred method for businesses and customers to communicate marketing promotions, conduct sales consultations and resolve customer complaints but for newcomers, the landscape can be daunting. Here’s a list of SMS best practices to ensure your SMS strategy is as effective as possible. 

SMS, or Short Message Service, is a highly effective communication tool for businesses and organizations. From nonprofits to entertainment, education to SaaS, and beyond, companies across all industries are finding success with SMS texting. Even small businesses are leveraging this simple yet powerful method to reach customers directly on their mobile devices. With 90% of text messages being read within three minutes, it's no surprise that SMS is quickly becoming a go-to for businesses looking to connect with their audience.

SMS platforms make it easy to reach thousands of people in just a few minutes and engage in real-time conversations with clients and customers. However, the success of an SMS text messaging campaign depends on more than just the technology. To fully reap the benefits, it's important to follow best practices and avoid common pitfalls.

In this guide, we'll cover the dos and don'ts of mobile marketing, and provide tips and strategies to maximize the impact of your SMS text messaging efforts. By understanding the best practices of SMS text messaging, you can ensure that your business stays compliant and effectively reaches your target audience.

1. Obtain Proper Consent for SMS Text Messaging

Before launching any SMS text messaging campaigns, it's crucial to ensure that you have obtained proper consent from those who will receive your messages. This is known as permission-based marketing, and it's an essential aspect of successful text messaging. Additionally, it's important to abide by local laws and CTIA recommendations to protect consumers from unsolicited communication.

To encourage opt-ins, you can use a variety of channels such as email, social media, or online forms. You can even offer special promotions and deals by asking users to text a specific keyword to a short or long code number. By following best practices for obtaining consent, you can ensure the success of your SMS text messaging efforts while staying compliant.

2. Include Required Legal Disclaimers for Compliance

In order to remain compliant with the guidelines set by the CTIA, an international trade association for the wireless communications industry, it's important to include certain legal disclaimers in your SMS text messages. These may include statements like "Msg & Data rates may apply." To simplify the process, many SMS text messaging platforms, including ours, automatically add these required disclaimers to the appropriate places, so you don't have to worry about them.

Note that subscribers will only see these disclaimers once, when they first opt-in to your list, and not with every subsequent mass text message. By including the necessary legal disclaimers, you can ensure compliance with industry standards and protect your business from any potential legal issues.

3. Make Opt-out Easy & Accessible

It's important to ensure that your subscribers have the option to opt-out of your text messaging program at any time. To make this process as simple as possible, many SMS text messaging platforms, including ours, automatically include the option to opt-out in the auto-reply messages. The opt-out message, "text STOP to cancel," is included in the initial auto-reply and not in subsequent text messages.

Once a subscriber texts "STOP," the Alive5 SMS platform automatically blocks their number from receiving further messages. Making it easy for customers to opt-out is crucial as it can prevent complaints to their wireless carrier and potential filtering of your messages in the future. By providing an accessible opt-out option, you can keep your subscribers happy and maintain the integrity of your text messaging program.

4. Maintain Appropriate Messaging Frequency

It's important to keep the frequency of your text messages appropriate. Overloading subscribers' inboxes with too many messages from your business can lead to annoyance and an increase in opt-out rates. The best practice is to send 2-4 texts per month.

Consider clearly communicating the number of texts you plan to send per month, either in the auto-confirmation message or when advertising your text campaign. However, be cautious to strictly adhere to that number, and if necessary, set a higher threshold to ensure that you never exceed the number of messages you plan to send. By maintaining an appropriate frequency, you can keep your subscribers engaged and avoid overwhelming them with too many messages.

5. Target with Relevant Content

Make sure the texts you send to your subscribers are worth their attention. Be creative, concise, and engaging, and offer something of value, such as an unbeatable deal or useful information. Don't send messages just for the sake of it. Maintaining a balance between frequency and relevance is crucial, as excessive texting can lead to high opt-out rates and a shrinking contact list. Aim to create messages that are so relevant to your audience that they give your texts the same attention as messages from friends. Don't assume text messaging isn't appealing to your target audience - research shows that text-based purchases appeal to a diverse range of people, not just millennials.

6. Use a Conversational Tone

Minimize the use of SMS text messaging shorthand. While not legally required, it can increase your credibility and professionalism. Keep in mind the character count limit, but prioritize making your messages readable and written by a person rather than appearing like an automated system. Prioritize using numbers for dates and limit abbreviations as much as possible. Ensure that your messages can be easily understood by someone in 5th grade.

7. Don’t Send at Night

Limit text messaging to normal waking hours to show respect for your subscribers. Sending texts during the night is not only impolite, but also unproductive, and can quickly lead to loss of customers. To maximize success, be mindful of the best times to reach your subscribers. SMS text messaging is an effective tool for inspiring immediate action, but it is less effective in the middle of the night. Also, be aware of the TCPA restrictions which prohibit telephone solicitations from 9:00 PM to 8:00 AM in the recipient's local time.

8. Link Relevant Keywords

To maximize the impact of your SMS text messaging, use keywords that are closely related to your business. Keywords are words or phrases that your customers can text to opt-in to receive messages, special offers, or exclusive information. It's important to choose keywords that are memorable and clearly associated with your brand to avoid confusion among your customers. Be mindful of the context and choose keywords that align with your messaging. Avoid making the common mistake of using keywords that are not related to your business.

9. Don’t Hesitate to Reply Quickly

By sending a text message, you're establishing a personal connection with your customers. Giving them the opportunity to provide feedback on your products and services makes them feel valued. This valuable information is crucial to the growth of your business. Whether they are responding to tell you how much they love your brand, redeeming a coupon for an immediate purchase, or offering constructive criticism, you can make informed business decisions. To keep them engaged, you can also use an auto-responder to send instant, personalized follow-up messages. However, it's important to maintain the personal touch by incorporating real human interaction.

10. Expand Your Reach While Focusing on Locality

Opt for a text messaging platform that offers national coverage and a range of capabilities, including both short and long codes. Short codes are ideal for mass texting, while long codes enable peer-to-peer messaging. For localized campaigns, utilize long codes with the phone area code of the target area for a more personal touch and higher engagement rates. This approach allows you to grow your marketing efforts nationally while still delivering locally relevant campaigns.

11. Offer Value, Always

Ensure that each text message you send provides value to your subscribers. If someone has given you permission to text them, it's important to give them something worthwhile in return. If your text program is used for marketing purposes, keep your messages fresh and exciting to hold your customers' attention. Offer exclusive access they can't find anywhere else. Consider using limited-time deals to create a sense of scarcity and urgency. If you don't offer value with each message, your subscribers may not see the point of receiving them and may choose to unsubscribe.

12. Track Your Performance

Successful marketers have the ability to track their campaigns' performance and demonstrate their ROI. The right text messaging platform should provide you with the tools to measure your results. By integrating tools such as URL Shorteners and using these custom trackable short links in your SMS messages, you can gather even more data on your audience's behavior. This will allow you to see click-through rates and other key insights, helping you determine which messages and promotions are effective and which ones need improvement. Utilizing SMS text messaging will not only help you refine your campaigns, but also foster stronger relationships and meaningful conversations with your clients and customers.

SMS text messaging has become increasingly important for businesses looking to connect with their target audience, as more consumers spend a majority of their time on mobile devices. Connect with an Alive5 SMS specialist if you’d like to learn more about how SMS can boost your business’ bottom line.