SMS marketing can sometimes come across as spammy, but when carried out correctly, it’s by far the most effective means of mass communication. With open rates of 98% and response times of 90 seconds, it’s crucial to make sure the message you’re sending is relevant and valuable to the recipient.
Here are 8 top tips for writing SMS copy for successful campaigns:
Be concise and keep it short
SMS is short and should be sweet. With a 160-character limit, you want to craft your message to be concise but impactful. Try to avoid complex sentences and keep messages simple and easy to digest.
Personalize your message
Not only does personalization grab attention, but research has shown that it’s what consumers want, with 80% being more likely to buy from a company that provides a tailored experience.
Adding a first name is the simplest way to personalize, but think about other relevant data you could use. Consider a personal sign-off if it’s appropriate for your brand/business.
Include a clear call to action
SMS is great for grabbing attention, so make sure your call to action is clear and compelling. Make it obvious what you want people to do next, and add a link to help them get there fast!
Tip: Don’t forget to track your links for full campaign attribution and future optimization.
Don’t be afraid to add some urgency
With an average open rate of 98%, a text message is 4 times more likely to be opened than an email, so don’t be scared to use that to your advantage. Using immediacy can help encourage your recipient to take action.
Act Now, Ending Soon, Last Chance – these are all easy copy mechanisms to motivate people to act in the moment.
Link to mobile-friendly pages
It sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised how easy this can be to overlook! If you don’t have a mobile-friendly site, consider building mobile-friendly campaign pages to ensure your customers get the best experience possible.
Proofread and check your copy
As with any campaign, mistakes can happen, so have a few people read your messages for accuracy and clarity. Avoid using abbreviations, colloquialisms and text speak – they aren’t always universally understood in the same way!
Make sure your tone is consistent
Speaking with a consistent tone of voice across your communications, from emails and websites to brochures and social and mobile media, helps build a clear picture of who you are and what you stand for.
When writing short-form copy, like mobile messaging campaigns, it can be beneficial to have a clear tone identity. For example, what is it about the Coca-Cola voice that makes it so positive, friendly, and down-to-earth? Consider creating tone of voice guidelines to ensure everyone at your company is speaking consistently across your brand.
A tone of voice guidelines document needs to do two things:
- Introduce your brand’s tone of voice and tonal values, explaining what they stand for and how they support your brand and company mission.
- Give detailed, practical support to the people creating content for different channels. This part will form the bulk of your guidelines, which people will be dipping into regularly.
Always provide an opt-out
It’s now a legal requirement to offer customers a simple way to remove their consent to receiving marketing communications. For SMS marketing, include an opt-out message in every text to remind customers they can unsubscribe at any time.
Simply ask them to respond to messages using the word ‘STOP’ or ‘UNSUBSCRIBE’. Don’t forget to send your customers a follow-up text message that confirms this!
Julia Applegate
Based in Charleston, SC Julia is a Demand Generation Marketing Manager with 6 years of experience in B2B technology businesses and an emphasis on growth and demand generation marketing. Julia is passionate about balancing data-driven marketing with creative campaigns and bringing agile methodology to new companies.
