Do’s and Don’t’s: Txt Msg Mktg
Text message marketing is a huge tool that can bring your company or organization to the next level of success. By utilizing the channel that gets directly to consumer’s lives, your brand awareness and customer engagement will increase exponentially. However, there is a right and a wrong way to go about it. So, as presented through how Whole Foods should do it, here are the do’s and don’t’s of text message marketing.
DO
1. Get consent
It’s important to give consumers the choice to opt-in. SMS keywords are helpful in confirming a subscription. This also gives a chance to welcome in customers and identify the brand.
Ex. Welcome to Whole Foods text updates! We’re happy to have you in our healthy, happy family! Respond with YES to opt-in.
2. Add necessary disclaimers
Despite texting plans being mostly unlimited, disclaimers are a legal requirement in text message campaigns. Be sure to include how often you plan to text, that rates may apply, a link to the terms and conditions as well as privacy policy, and information about how to unsubscribe. You can consult the CTIA’s short code monitoring handbook for more information.
3. Be consistent
Your company should pick upfront how often messages will be sent. The frequency will depend on the organization. As a grocery store, Whole Foods would be best at about once week as that’s about how often someone goes grocery shopping. Consumers should know what to expect from you and never be hit out of the blue.
4. Add value and personalization
Consumers are giving you a personal channel, so they should receive something in return. They will feel more special gaining incentives for signing up as well as a personal touch added on. They’ll be more likely to pay attention when messages are tailored to them. Some things to add would be addressing by name, location specific offers/information, and shipping updates.
5. Give the option to leave
No one wants to be trapped into receiving texts they no longer want. Always have a keyword set up (such as STOP) to allow for opting out of the messages.
6. Commit to being responsive
20% of people read a text message within one minute of receiving it, so you need to capitalize on being there to answer them. Have a team available for a set number of hours a week to monitor the marketing inbox.
7. Have a clear call to action
Whole Foods should advertise special sales, coupon offers, and online options. Be clear about what you want the consumers to do. Don’t waste the personal access with pointless messages that they’ll eventually start ignoring. Tell them what to do to get them ready to purchase.
8. Make messages short and sweet.
SMS messaging has a 160-character limit. Be sure to get your message across without all the unnecessary fluff included. The average attention span has exponentially decreased, so keep that in mind. If you really need to, MMS messages allow to upgrade to 1,600 characters.
DON’T
1. Send late night messages
A mass text after regular business hours is one of the last things a consumer wants as they just settled down for the night. If they can’t immediately take action or respond, don’t send that message. You want to avoid annoying anyone.
2. Spam
Along with being annoying, too many messages can quickly drive consumers away. Stick to your frequency and be sure it’s the same amount you’d be willing to receive at a time. Groceries aren’t that interesting.
3. Be generic
Add in your own unique personal touch to your messages so people remember your brand. A grocery store is pretty generic, so a good way to get Whole Foods to be different and noticeable would be to offer recipes with shopping lists, “ugly” fruit sales, or healthy food puns. Stand out from the rest of the crowd. Your company won’t be the only ones using text message marketing, so don’t blend in.
4. Use text lingo
Yes, messages should be short and sweet, but avoid using abbreviations, emoticons, or all caps at all costs. Regardless of it being text messaging, you should continue to be professional in your communication.
