You just purchased a new license for Busybee PowerBlast or Busybee BrandTxT, and you just sent out your first SMS campaign. You’re excited for the inevitable horde of new customers to come streaming into your establishment. You give it a few minutes, and you only get less than a handful of inquiries. After a few hours, things still haven’t changed. What gives?
While you may have the best tools of the trade, not knowing how to wield them properly will lead to a dry spell. If you’re not following the best SMS marketing practices we’ve covered in a previous blog post, then your campaign will likely fall flat on its face. Below are the things that might have caused your SMS campaign to fail.
You didn’t have a strategy
You’re basically doing the SMS marketing version of the infamous Leeroy Jenkins. If you don’t know who that is, then sit down for a short story. Jenkins is an MMORPG character in the video game World of Warcraft. Basically, he missed his team’s strategy discussion, rushed headlong into battle while shouting his name, and killed himself and his buddies in the process. But that was in a videogame. In the end, he respawned and became a longstanding meme in the gaming community. In real life, using his reckless strategy for your SMS campaign won’t make your business famous. People will ignore your text, wasting your time and money in the process.
You try to cram too much
A single text message can only have 160 characters, though PowerBlast has a 1,000 character allocation. You might think you’re doing your business a favor by condensing all your products into just a few sentences, but no. On the other hand, detailed explanations are better off viewed on a website, poster, or another medium. Cramming your SMS campaign with too much information will leave your customers confused. Studies also show that information overload hampers short term memory formation. By trying too hard to be unforgettable, you’re actually becoming more unmemorable.
No call to action
Let’s say you strategized well and kept your message short and sweet, yet the phone still isn’t ringing. Then you probably forgot to put in a call to action (CTA). No matter how obvious you think the CTA is, customers won’t know what to do with your text unless it’s explicitly indicated. Whether it’s as simple as calling a number, texting a code back, visiting a site, or showing up to your store with the text, including a clear CTA is a must for measuring the success of your SMS campaign.
No real incentive for customers
A mobile number is a sacred thing. It’s a very personal way to communicate with customers as their phones are always on their person. As such, you should make your SMS campaign worth it to customers. Occasionally incentivize those who are subscribed to your texting list with exclusive deals and offers. The better your offer, the more customers will take advantage of it. Just make sure that you’re not operating at a loss.
You’re sending at the wrong time
No one will act on your SMS campaign if there’s no one who can read it in a timely manner. You want your SMS to be read a few moments after it is received, not a few hours. The best time to send a promotional text depends on what you’re doing. If you’re in the B2B industry, it’s best to send texts during work hours. But if you’re in the lifestyle spectrum, texts in the afternoon up to the evening are better. Moreover, Monday campaigns perform the worst (because duh), while weekends receive the most action. Just be mindful that you’re not sending messages too early in the AM nor too late in the PM.
Keep these don’ts in mind when you’re sending your SMS campaign to get more conversions. These tips are also best paired with Busybee PowerBlast or Busybee BrandTxT, our bulk SMS management platforms which allows businesses to easily create SMS campaigns and track their performance. Visit https://www.mybusybee.net/ or follow our Official Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/officialbusybee.textblast/and contact (02) 929-2222 or (63) 917-837-2000 for more information regarding these products.
