Checklist for writing effective text messages for business [infographic]

Text messaging has long appeared to be quite a powerful promotion tool for both big corporations and small businesses. That does not come as a surprise, given that 63 percent of smartphone owners keep their devices with them all waking day but one hour. And 82,1 percent of users read every single message they’ve received. This data can be summed up in one word: opportunity.

Whether you’ve already implemented SMS in your daily business practice, or just planning to start, there are some ground rules, and tricks you should follow to ensure the success of your texting campaigns. The team from TextMagic has created a checklist so that not even a slightest detail is overlooked.

The thing to do right from the start is get the reader’s attention. Use a catchy phrase, or power words like free, instantly, new. To keep the customer’s attention, provide value. You might offer participation in a loyalty program, a discount, let them know about the location of a new store, etc. There is no way to stress this enough: the offer has to engage your customer.

Writing clear instructions for the reader is vital as well. If you fail to provide the necessary details on what to do and when, all your efforts will end up in vain. Always double-check that you’ve specified everything.

After you’ve finished crafting your message, check if you haven’t used text-speak, abbreviations, too many exclamation points, or emojis. With them, you’ll just come across as unprofessional.

To get the most out of your text messaging campaign, follow the best delivery practices. Restrain yourself from sending more than 2-4 messages per month. Otherwise, the unsubscribe rate will grow drastically. Send only during working hours, when the recipients are not asleep or commuting.

To find out more on how you can carry out a texting campaign the right way, check the infographic below.