How to Create an SMS Text Marketing Plan?

In SMS text marketing, messages are limited to 160 characters. This is the standard text message maximum for standard cell phones, even though nowadays smartphones are capable of much longer messages. In order to reach the greatest number of customers or clients, it is best to stay within the 160 character limit, simply because you wouldn’t want to alienate anybody from your marketing campaign. Don’t be deterred by this limitation however, it is actually a good thing. It forces your campaign to be brief and to the point. No fluff or unnecessary words. People like this, and will respond much more positively to your messages.

Just because your messages must be short, doesn’t mean that they don’t require the proper planning beforehand. Messages can’t just be haphazardly thrown together. The most successful SMS text marketing campaigns are cleverly planned and a little strategy is certainly involved. Without a little prepping, you risk the chance of annoying your customer database and you’ll find yourself with more opt-outs than you’d like. Now, an SMS text marketing plan doesn’t require months and months of planning, but a little time will definitely prove to show successful results in the long run. Here is how to perfect your perfect text marketing plan:

Firstly, you’ll want to define your schedule. Create your text marketing campaign with the intention of sending out your messages in batches, with an even amount of time in between. You won’t want to send text blasts too frequently, but just enough to stay on the minds of your clients and customers. It’s important to regularly reach out to people, but you don’t want to be hasty and make any mistakes or typos. This brings me to the next tip, which is write ahead. Take the time to craft your message so that it has the perfect amount of power and effectiveness to connect with your customers. If you wait until the last minute to write your marketing message, you most likely will not be sending a memorable message.

Remember that SMS marketing is a very personal way of reaching people. You’ll want to be sure your messages are as relevant as they can possibly be. Separate your clients or customers into different lists – these lists can be based on their buying preferences or demographic. This allows your customers to have more control over the way they are marketed to, and minimizes opt-out rates. Targeting your customers in a direct way is very effective. From here, you can track your campaign results accurately. Figure out what people are responding to best, and what isn’t working as well. This means you can fine-tune your SMS text marketing campaigns to reach more clients and have a bigger impact.