Published: Oct 16, 2018
Last update: Jun 23, 2022
Ecommerce Marketing Retail SMS how to

How to write effective SMS messages for a campaign

how ti write sms
How to write effective SMS messages for a campaign
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It is crucial to know how to write an SMS to get the most out using bulk messaging as a marketing tool, whether for communicating with employees, with other companies or for business marketing strategy.

Advice on how to use SMS for your business

  • Identify yourself immediately at the beginning of the message so that your recipients know who is writing to them. You can personalize a sender name of 11 characters using the LabsMobile platform.
  • Be concise, only say what is strictly necessary – and write it in a simple way, with correct spelling and grammar. The only exception are accents, as SMS messages don’t accept accents unless they are UNICODE. This also affects other types of characters that you can use in the message.

How to write effective SMS messages for a campaign.

UNICODE messages are a type of SMS message that offer a wide variety of possibilities for communication, but there the messages are also slightly more expensive to send.

The usual length of an SMS is 160 characters, but UNICODE messages take up more space, which means that either the length of the message has to be shorter, or you have to send more than one message.

  • Start with the most important message you want to get across, providing more details when necessary. It is important to pay a lot of attention to the opening words, as they will pop up along with the sender name in the notification on the recipient’s mobile phone or in their inbox.
  • You should always include links. If the recipient can find more information elsewhere, indicate briefly where (website, social media channels etc.). You can shorten URLs with shorteners so they take up less space – you can find a tool that shortens URLs within the LabsMobile platform.
  • The message has to sound professional, but always adapt your tone to the audience (formal or informal). We advise that you adopt an informal tone for SMS marketing campaigns.
  • Try not to shorten words unless strictly necessary.
  • Only use capital letters to highlight key words.
  • Check your spelling and grammar to maintain an image of professionalism.
  • Read and think about what you would like to receive. Look for valuable content. Focus on what you want the recipient to click on.

Examples:

No, bla bla bla, more information: link.

Yes, blablabla, to discover more, click on the link here.Create call-to-actions if necessary.

  • Sign off in a friendly way.
  • Personalize the message whenever possible, so it feels as if it has been sent directly to the recipient. You can also personalize the sender and the text. In brief, always include the name of the person. You can personalize the name and other fields in the message to ensure the message feels personal to the recipient.
  • Sender. The sender can be the brand or company. This is where you should introduce it. The acceptable format is 11 characters without spaces or special characters. You can edit available senders under Settings inside the LabsMobile platform. You should also bear in mind that some operators in other countries only allow a random or assigned phone number, depending on the country.
  • Text. The text of the message is another part that you can personalize using variables including %NAME%, %GROUP%, %PHONE% and other customized fields such as %FIELD1%, %FIELD2%, %FIELD3%. For more information, watch HERE our tutorial on how to personalize fields in a message by utilizing a database.
  • Advertising messages should describe themselves as such and offer the recipient the option to unsubscribe.
  • You can include emojis. SMS messages with emojis are UNICODE, but they have very high success rates, as you can create empathy with the recipient.

Avoid the following typical errors:

1  Do not repeat exclamation marks.

2 Do not overuse capital letters.

3 Write clearly.

Now you know how to write an SMS message, you can apply them to the next bulk messages you send out from your company. This system of communication is effective and economical, particularly if you know how to get the best possible results through your writing.

With LabsMobile it’s easy, and we are always happy to help you.