How To Make Sure Your SMS Messaging Is Converting

13 Jun How To Make Sure Your SMS Messaging Is Converting

It’s honestly great to have statistics so readily available for assessing the efficacy of SMS (Short Message Service) messaging in marketing. Compared to a low 15% email open/read rate, the 98% SMS messaging open rate is significant. It tells us there is a fabulous response. However, we want the open rate to show conversion toward our websites, sight?

So, being mindful that while initial responses may come readily from a messaging-savvy generation, that may not be where the spending clout lies. Don’t let your heart sink yet though, the up-and-coming generation is growing fast and we’re familiarising them with SMS messaging-to-conversion behaviour for when they’re big! But that doesn’t mean the open/read statistic is misleading, the influence of children to push parents towards our website is huge, so let’s use it.

We need to bear in mind that our main target market are busy people, so it’s a matter of making smart use of the 160 characters that SMS messaging can hold before swinging over to the more costly MMS format. Messages get chopped down to 153 characters and arrive in smaller bits if potential customers have set their phones to prevent MMS (Multi-Media Service) messaging. That could render our carefully worded SMS messaging ineffective and confusing. Now that we’ve got that, let’s look at some tried and tested messaging tips that promote the conversion rates we need.

Ten Golden Rules For Effective SMS Messaging

• WHO Is This? We’ll have lost major ‘brownie points’ if we’ve not identified ourselves up front. Being clear here is the first step in building a trusting relationship
• WHAT? – we can’t expect people to guess or ‘get the picture’. Spelling out what they need to do is step two in making our new SMS messaging relationship appealing.
• WHEN? – let people know when the offer expires so they never become frustrated late-comers.
• WiiFM? – being clear about ‘what’s in it for me?’ aims at the heart of the matter, have no doubt
• STD’s – SMS messaging is a professional matter, language STANDARDS must not drop – slang like Gr8, l8 or LOL are best avoided – we’re not BFF’s. Capitals are equivalent to shouting in messaging. The only exceptions for campaigns are SALE or FREE.
• NAMES – Dale Carnegie was credited with the catchphrase ‘people’s names are music to their ears’. He was right. Now it’s about reaching that same response through eyes, not ears. When we address people by their personal name, we get through those ‘securely locked gates of change’.
• CUSTOMIZE – we all like to feel noticed and appreciated. The sooner we can style our SMS messaging blurb towards the interests and inclinations of our ‘respondees’ the better.
• CTA – we know a clear Call To Action must be fitted into the 160-character limit but to be polite, we also need to provide an ‘opt out’
• TESTING 1, 2, 3 – testing our SMS messaging, adjusting and retesting is the last and vital tip not to be overlooked. We don’t want our blows to strike the air.
• SHORT ‘n SWEET – 160 characters get used up fast if we’re keeping all the rules; personal names in, abbreviations out etc. Professionals know the ropes and it’s worth getting assistance to make every word count.

The SMS Messaging Sweet Spot

As key as our carefully chosen wording may be, we can blow it badly if we irritate. We know the gates of change are securely locked from the inside, so just as in literal fishing, having the patience to wait for them to bite, triples our chances of reeling them in. So, here it is in bold: WAIT TO BE INVITED IN. Sending SMS messages only after contact is made yields a massive 122.6% conversion rate. No kidding! Successful SMS messaging has more to do with respecting our target market than we may realize. Even though it’s not a face-to-face contact method, SMS messaging is an up-close-and-personal matter. It needs as much respect and nurturing as any long-distance relationship.

If those stats blew you away, then you’ll love to know what the marketing sweet spot is for how often our contact should be made. Is it twice? Is it thrice? Having politely waited for contact, this is not the time to get shy. Three or more SMS messaging stats deliver a gobsmacking 328% conversion rate!

A word of caution though, every single text message we send after contact must hold value for the responder. It’s not an open invitation to barrage people with information or persuasion. SMS messaging is an area we may need skill-up in, so we’re not left scraping the bottom of the barrel.

Panacea is fully geared to assist you not to make fatal errors. They are the ultimate SMS messaging-to-conversion whisperers. Contact us today.