Monday 18 March 2013

Three Best Practice Rules to Follow for Text Marketing

Text marketing seems to be popping up everywhere these days, however sometimes people don’t always have a positive association with the popular marketing technique. This has something to do with a little problem we are all familiar with called spam. Spam is a silly word for unsolicited communications – and nobody likes to find these sorts of messages in their email inbox! They are annoying, and potentially dangerous should the message include a link that installs a corruptive computer virus.

What makes text message marketing so unique is that there really isn’t spam involved with it. At least not at this point of time, as long as businesses out there continue to follow good practices when it comes to composing and timing their messages. No company wants to create a bad reputation and that is exactly what will happen should they spam their customers. Surprisingly enough, text marketing has remained spam free despite not incorporating any filters – the reason for this is because industries have discovered how powerful and effective the marketing method is, when utilized properly.

How does your business ensure they don’t accidently spam anyone using SMS marketing? Well, there are a few basic rules to follow. First of all – your customers MUST opt-in first. If you don’t have their permission, you may not send them messages. This is truly the key to SMS marketing. It isn’t difficult to gain your customer or client’s opt-in – encourage them to text-in and then make sure they are aware that they are choosing to receive further marketing messages from your business. Many times, if you sweeten the deal by providing an instant deal, discount or promotion as a reward for opting in, your customers will be excited to receive messages in the future.

Next, be sure you allow your clients or customers the choice to opt-out with every message you send. Think this may seem counteractive? It isn’t! You are actually giving your customers control, which they will appreciate. In turn, they will appreciate your business, along with the respect they receive from you. Truth is, if you don’t do this, you are putting yourself at a major risk for prosecution in the event a client feels overwhelmed by your message marketing.

The third and most important best practice regarding text marketing for a business is to make sure you time your messages correctly. Don’t send them too frequently, but don’t send them sporadically either. You want to be consistent – so that your customer base can come to expect and even predict when they might receive your next message. Once a week is a good guideline, whether it is a coupon, sale notification, or even just a fun tip – you can be sure your message will be welcomed.

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