SMS marketing is one of the best marketing strategies any brand can use to engage with its audience and drive more sales.
But to run successful message campaigns, you must understand the best SMS marketing practices and optimise your message to appeal to your customers and generate results.
In today’s article, we will discuss 10 common SMS marketing mistakes that can limit the effectiveness and success of your campaigns. We will also discuss how you can avoid these mistakes and get better results from your SMS campaigns. If you are thrilled to learn all that and more, keep reading.
#1 Sending Messages Without Consent
This is one mistake you want to avoid making, as it can severely affect your brand. In most countries, before you send a marketing message to anyone, you must secure their consent. You cannot purchase phone numbers or send marketing messages to random numbers. Doing so will expose you and your brand to legal liabilities.
So how, then, can you get numbers to send marketing messages to? There are many ways to get numbers, whether for SMS for real estate marketing or any other industry. But it all involves having people opt-in to your SMS marketing list. You can use your brand’s social media platforms to invite your customers and audience to join your SMS list and promise freebies.
#2 Not Sending a Welcome Text
Another common SMS marketing mistake some brands make is not sending a welcome text. After someone signs up to your SMS list, you must welcome them aboard and tell them exactly what to expect. You can highlight how frequently they expect to hear from you and what your SMS marketing campaigns will focus on.
One trick that most top brands use is to automate their welcome message so it gets sent to new subscribers instantly when they join their SMS mailing list.
#3 Texting Outside Business Hours
If you want a successful SMS marketing campaign, you should avoid texting your audience outside business hours. Receiving marketing texts outside business hours can be pretty annoying to people unless it is contextually appropriate in the case of emergencies. So what can you do to avoid this? You can use online tools to schedule your SMS campaigns to send during business hours, But make sure you are aware of your subscribers’ time zones when scheduling messages,
#4 Not Staying On Brand
SMS marketing is an excellent way to connect with your customers as a brand. So you shouldn’t be afraid of letting your brand personality shine through in your texts. Avoid making your messages appear awkward and robotic, as your readers won’t appreciate this. Instead, work on having a brand tone and let it come through in your message. The goal is to meet your customers’ expectations, so compose your texts to read appealingly.
#5 Not Shortening Your URLs
Including links to your site or web pages in your SMS is always good as your audience can easily click them. For instance, if you are running a special promotion sale, you can include the link to it in a message campaign.
However, one mistake some brands make is not shortening their URLs. They leave long strings of characters in URLs, making their message look awkward and exceeding the SMS marketing practice of a 160-character count.
#6 Not Including a Call to Action (CTAs)
CTAs are an essential part of SMS marketing. When you send a message to your subscribers without including a clear CTA, they are less likely to know what to do. This can cause them to unsubscribe since you’re not adding any value.
But by specifying your CTAs clearly, you can generate better results and increase your revenue. For instance, if you send a text with coupon codes, you can tell them the link to click and that they need to enter the coupon code to take advantage of the offer.
#7 Sending More Messages Than Expected
Nobody wants their inbox to be filled with lots of marketing messages. So refrain from sending your subscribers too many messages that will quickly get them pissed and unsubscribe from your mailing list. For instance, sending 10 messages daily to your subscribers won’t make sense, as this is overboard.
Besides, always stick to the frequency you stated in your welcome message. So if you say you’ll send a message weekly, don’t suddenly increase it without informing your audience first.
#8 Sending the Same Messages
Some brands are guilty of this mistake, and you want to ensure you avoid it. Do not send your subscribers the same messages (even if it is a promotional message) over and over, as this can be annoying. Doing so can give your audience subscribers remorse and make them unsubscribe from your mailing list. Instead, craft new, appealing and value-oriented messages that they will appreciate.
#9 Being Too Sales Focused
We get it; you are running an SMS marketing campaign mainly to increase your sales. However, don’t let this be your undoing. Being too sales-focused can quickly piss your subscribers off. Don’t let your messages centre on selling your goods or services alone. Instead, you can give tips on how they can enjoy a better experience on your platform or request feedback to hear what your subscribers say about your brand.
#10 Not Focusing on SMS List Growth
The growth of your SMS list will improve your SMS marketing as a brand. So do not neglect to grow your list. Always look for ways to acquire more subscribers as they can become buyers and regular customers with time. And remember, the more customers you have, the more revenue you can get.
Wrapping It Up
We’ve discussed 10 common mistakes that some brands make when it comes to SMS marketing. Thankfully, these are mistakes that you can easily spot, and we’ve provided tips on how to avoid them. Remember, do not send messages to any number without consent. Also, ensure you send a welcome message to new subscribers and shorten your URLs to make your text look neat and within the 160-character count.
Likewise, avoid sending more messages than expected or repeating the same messages over. And while you want to profit more, avoid being too salesy with your SMS campaigns. If you follow the tips provided in this article, you can be on your way to having a successful SMS marketing campaign.
