10 Tips on Creating a Successful Text Message Campaign
10 Tips on Creating a Successful Text Message Campaign
The App Chicks have put together a list of 10 tips on how to create successful text message campaigns because delivering the right text message at the right time is crucial to the success of your mobile text message campaign.
We feel safe in saying that if you follow our 10 tips, you will not only be in the clear as far as any rules and regulations, but you will be successful in implementing multiple surefire text message campaigns. Please pass these tips along to anyone you think will benefit. We scoured the web and couldn’t find these exact tips with helpful examples, so please keep this handy.
Why Text Messaging Campaigns Work
The reason text message marketing works is because it increases customer devotion. If you can’t depend on your customers, you don’t have loyalty, and you don’t have a business. No matter what you do, make sure you remember this: loyalty creates revenue, loyalty creates referrals, loyalty creates return customers, and loyalty breeds loyalty. This is true for life, as well as business relations.
“Lack of loyalty is one of the major causes of failure in everyday life.” – Napoleon Hill (American author, 1883-1970)
As Promised, Here Are Our 10 Tips
1. CHOOSE A SIMPLE, LOGICAL KEYWORD: Your keywords should make sense, they should be memorable, and they should be easy to type.
Examples:
• HAIR20
• MYSHOES
• XYZSTORE
• DEALCLUB
2. EXPOSE YOUR KEYWORD AND ADD IMMEDIATE BENEFIT: Advertise your keyword on your social media platforms, store signs, business cards, flyers, coupons, commercials, receipts, and anyplace your customers will be and anywhere they will see. You cannot push out deals and incentives until you get your customers to opt in willingly.
Examples:
• Restaurants: Place a business card or a postcard with patrons’ bill that contains the campaign invitation: “Text BACK to receive $20 off your next $50 tab. Limit 1 per table. Expires 1/1/13.”
• Hair salons: Place your campaign in a picture frame with keyword near mirror: “Text HAIR20 to 96362 to become a member of our text club and receive 20% off your bill TODAY.”
• Stores: Place print flyer at or near cashier: “Text XYZSTORE to 96362 to get exclusive deals and 10% off your purchase instantly TODAY.”
• Tell them over the phone before they buy: “If you text DEALCLUB to 96362 right now, you will not only get exclusive deals only for text club members every month, but you will receive a promo code instantly. If you tell me what that promo code is, I’ll discount your purchase right now by 10%”
• Email your contact list: “Thank you for being such loyal customers. We want to thank you by offering you 50% any service this month. All we ask is that you text OFF50 to 96362 to receive your special promo code to use when you make your purchase. Not only will you receive 50% off this month, but we promise to send you one killer deal every single month. You are loyal and we are grateful.”
• Create an Online Sign-Up Page using The App Chicks service.
3. BEGIN YOUR TEXT WITH THE NAME OF YOUR ORGANIZATION: Readers will immediately know who the message is from if you do this. The App Chicks make it easy for you by automatically including this information in the message box. But, you should understand why this is so important…without your organization’s name in front, readers will have no idea who you are and they will most likely opt out because they will have no use for your text.
Examples:
• “Back Wine Bar & Bistro: Text BACK to receive $20 off your next $50 tab. Limit 1 per table. Expires 1/1/13.”
• “Hair ABC, inc: Text HAIR20 to 96362 to become a member of our text club and receive 20% off your bill TODAY.”
• “XYZ Store: Text XYZSTORE to 96362 to get exclusive deals and 10% off your purchase instantly TODAY.”
4. REWARD YOUR CUSTOMERS. ALWAYS: There is nothing worse (okay, there are things that are much worse, but go with it) than opting into a company’s text campaign that decides to text their audience with messages that offer no incentive to visit their place of business. For example, a hair salon which will remain nameless (not affiliated with The App Chicks) provides 1 text message per month that states something along the lines of: “Remember to treat your loved one with a haircut this month!” and “It’s Mother’s Day on Sunday. Make sure you bring your mom in to get pampered.” For the record, we did not make these up and we understand how a hair salon would think these are perfectly fine messages to text out to their audience. But, they are not. In the eyes of The App Chicks, this is just like spam and opt-outs will line up one by one.
Better examples:
• “Hair ABC, inc: Remember to treat your loved one to a haircut this month. Show this text to the front desk to receive a $50 gift certificate for only $35”
• “Hair ABC, inc: It’s Mother’s Day on Sunday. Bring your mother in to receive 20% off of any service on our menu! Sunday only.”
5. PROVIDE EXCLUSIVITY: Customers who opt in to your text campaign should feel like they are a part of something special and exclusive. It’s your own private Groupon at their fingertips where they are the first and hopefully the only people to get the amazing deals every month. Providing exclusivity adds a perceived and, indeed, REAL value to your customers. They are more likely to opt in AND remain in your campaign for life. This means you have a customer for life.
Reward + exclusivity = LOYAL CUSTOMERS WHO RETURN TIME AND TIME AGAIN, LIKE CLOCKWORK.
Feel free to remind your audience:
• “Hair ABC, inc: Remember to treat your loved one to a haircut this month. Show this text to the front desk to receive a $50 gift certificate for only $35. *exclusive text club only*”
• “Hair ABC, inc: It’s Mother’s Day on Sunday. Bring your mother in to receive 20% off of any service on our menu! Sunday only. *Only if you received this text*”
6. ABBREVIATE ONLY WHEN NECESSARY: Abbreviate words only when you must. Messages that contain proper spelling and grammar hold more value, just like any other business literature. Text messages, however, are the exception, but avoid it if possible.
Typical words to abbreviate (but avoid if you can):
• And = &
• Because = bc
• You = u
• Hours=hrs
• Forward = FWD
7. INCLUDE A CALL-TO-ACTION WITH URGENCY: Get your audience moving by specifying when promotions expire.
Examples:
• “Back Wine Bar & Bistro: Show this text to receive $20 off your next $50 tab. Limit 1 per table. Redeem with 48hrs.”
• “Hair ABC, inc: Come in and 20% off your bill. This week only.”
• “XYZ Store: Pay only half for leather boots any size. Limit 1 per text club member. Must redeem by 5/10/13.”
8. ASK RECIPIENTS TO SHARE: When you provide killer specials and when your customers love you, they will tell their friends to opt in. Great campaign strategies create even more great referrals from your existing participating audience.
Examples:
• “Back Wine Bar & Bistro: Show this text to get $20 off next $50 tab. Limit 1 per table. Redeem with 48hrs. Tell friends to text BACK to 96362 to receive this offer.”
• “Hair ABC, inc: Come in and 20% off your bill. This week only. FWD to friends.”
• “XYZ Store: Pay only half for leather boots any size. Limit 1 per text club member. Must redeem by 5/10/13. Tell others to text BOOTS to 96362 for deal.”
9. TIMING IS EVERYTHING: For sales promotions, deliver promos during business hours to drive in business. Send happy-hour incentives in afternoon to attract patrons who otherwise would not have even thought about visiting your business. Or maybe they were going to go and you just made them love you even more! Another strategy is to send messages to customers specifically to get them buying when business is typically slow.
Examples:
• “From XYZ Shoes: 40% off all leather boots at www.xyzshoes.com for the next 48 hours only. Use coupon code OFF40BOOTS at checkout. Tell friends to text XYZ to 96362.”
• “XYZ Boots: 40% off leather boots through 2/28/13. Show this message to cashier to receive discount. Find a store: www.XYZshoes.com/locations. FWD to friends.”
10. LIMIT YOUR MESSAGES TO 1-3 PER MONTH: If your customers receive too many message from you, your campaign will lose impact and viewers are more likely to opt-out.
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With Love and Mobile Exposure,
The App Chicks
