SMS marketing is hands-down one of the best marketing channels in existence.
SMS marketing boasts a 19% click-through rate, which handily beats email (4% CTR) and Facebook (1% CTR). 95% of text messages are read within 3 minutes of being received. Additionally, 48% of consumers prefer receiving direct brand communication via text message.
All this data points to one conclusion: if you’re not using SMS marketing, you should learn how to set up SMS marketing for business and get started sooner rather than later.
You’ll know how to do just that when you’re done reading this article.
What is SMS Marketing?
SMS marketing is opt-in marketing that involves sending marketing messages to customers by text. Common SMS marketing messages are offers and discounts, personalized promotions, remarketing messages, and customer feedback surveys. Many SMS marketing campaigns have a message with opt-out instructions in every interaction.
Maybe you already know this, but it’s important to have an excellent working definition of SMS marketing to know what you’re trying to achieve as you set up SMS marketing for your business.
How to Set Up SMS Marketing for Business
Setting up SMS marketing is relatively simple, so long as you follow the correct process. This trims your work into three broad steps (potentially two) with a handful of sub-steps. Here’s what to do.
Choose an SMS API provider.
This big step saves you a lot of headaches in the long run.
First, using an SMS API is the best way to conduct SMS marketing. You need to automate several processes to manage to send text messages en masse and maintain compliance with FCC regulations. An SMS API gives you the power to automate your SMS marketing as much as possible.
Your SMS API is important. Therefore it’s important to choose the right SMS API provider.
Your SMS API needs to offer automation tools such as opt-out management and message queuing. You should also look for delivery reports, message tracking, and other SMS marketing tools.
While you can use third-party tools with your SMS API to accomplish specific tasks, if you choose a robust API such as the Telnyx SMS API, you’ll get many of the capabilities and tools you need from just your API, which significantly simplifies your marketing communication.
Get an SMS shortcode.
An SMS short code is a five or six-digit phone number for sending text messages. Whenever you see an advertisement that prompts you to send a text to get a discount, the phone number in the ad is almost always an SMS shortcode.
You can use other types of phone numbers for sending marketing messages. Using an SMS short code is the type of phone number to use for SMS marketing, though.
Technically, you must go through the U.S. Short Code Administration to get an SMS shortcode.
However, if you choose a strong SMS API provider, you can get your SMS short code from your API provider. Shortcode aggregators and businesses also help brands get SMS short codes.
That said, choosing a strong SMS API provider that will help you get an SMS short code is the easiest way to get this done since it essentially eliminates this step.
Establish SMS marketing best practices
Lastly, there are some SMS marketing best practices that you should integrate into your SMS marketing strategy. Following these SMS marketing best practices improves the customer experience and helps maintain compliance.
- Never send SMS marketing messages without permission.
You must get permission from a customer before you text them, full stop. The FCC requires this, and texting customers without permission can result in hefty fines.
Regardless of how the customer opts in to receive text messages-from your website, by clicking on an email, via social media link, etc.-the best practice is to send an SMS message and ask the customer to confirm by replying to the text message that they want to receive messages from your brand.
This way, you’ve achieved a double opt-in. The customer confirmed twice that you have permission to text them, and the text message is some level of written documentation that they’ve permitted you to text them.
- Always include an explicit opt-out.
If you’ve ever received a marketing text message, you may have seen instructions such as, “Reply STOP to stop receiving messages.”
This is the opt-out. FCC regulations also require it. Always include this information at the end of your marketing text messages.
- Identify yourself.
Almost nobody will remember your SMS short code number. It’s also best not to text people all the time.
Therefore, you should always identify your brand within the copy of your marketing SMS messages.
Of course, you can do this in a clever or fun way. There’s no need to be robotic about it. Just make sure your customers always know who’s texting.
- Be courteous about send times.
Almost nobody likes getting text messages in the middle of the night. Do your best to confine your send times to business hours.
- Limit your character count.
The SMS character count is 160 characters. Messages more extended than that will get split into multiple text messages, which tends to blow up your customers’ phones, and that’s annoying.
It’s best to keep your text messages under 160 characters. Get right to the point. Make your offer. Use links (especially short links).
Get Your SMS Marketing Going
That’s it. Choose an SMS API, get your short code, and establish some standards.
Setting up your SMS marketing is actually the easy part. That’s for the best. Once your SMS marketing is set up, it’s time to focus on nailing the marketing part.
Get your SMS marketing setup, and start texting.
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