SMS campaigns can be a powerful way to connect with your audience, drive engagement, and increase conversions. But they can also backfire if you don't design them properly. Here are some of the most common mistakes in SMS campaign design and how to avoid them.
One of the biggest factors that affects the success of your SMS campaign is when you send your messages. If you send them at the wrong time, you risk annoying your recipients, lowering your open rates, and wasting your resources. To avoid this, you need to consider your audience's preferences, habits, and time zones. You also need to test different times and frequencies to find the optimal ones for your goals.
The most important aspect is the flow of call to action and that's where most of the flaws can be found. No doubt you have executed the best scripted sms to the right audience but with a flawed call to action all your efforts are wasted. And yes rightly pointed out by most others - Timing is very important. For Example in Real Estate its a Friday or even a Saturday that will work wonders to generate that weekend walkin.
Post transaction marketing to people you have already sold to is extremely tacky. No one cares about hearing about a product they just bought. Paying attention to how you source your numbers is important.
Another common mistake in SMS campaign design is sending the same message to everyone on your list. This can result in irrelevant, generic, and boring messages that don't resonate with your audience. To avoid this, you need to segment your list based on criteria such as location, behavior, interests, and preferences. You also need to personalize your messages with dynamic content such as names, offers, and links.
One of the most important things to remember when designing your SMS campaign is that you need to offer value to your recipients. If you don't, you risk losing their trust, loyalty, and attention. To avoid this, you need to make sure that your messages are clear, concise, and compelling. You also need to provide incentives, benefits, and solutions that match your audience's needs and expectations.
You need to demonstrate a sense of sacrifice if you want to justify breaking a potential customer's peace by messaging them. Seeing that notification only to check and find out that you are offering me 1 Free *information* 2 By one get one (that I don't need) at discount 3 Refer a friend bonus for something I haven't even bought I'm probably going to toss your number in the spam bin. This is bad for several reason. One you are turning away a potential customer because you aren't displaying the willingness to sacrifice for a sale. Two you run the risk of them placing you're messages in spam without formally unsubscribing. This means you will continue to rack up SMS fees on some one who isn't even seeing you.
Another common mistake in SMS campaign design is forgetting to include a clear and specific call to action. If you don't, you miss the opportunity to guide your recipients to the next step in your funnel, whether it's visiting your website, redeeming a coupon, or making a purchase. To avoid this, you need to use action words, urgency, and exclusivity to motivate your recipients to act. You also need to make it easy for them to do so by providing links, codes, or instructions.
One of the biggest mistakes in SMS campaign design is ignoring the feedback that you receive from your recipients. If you do, you lose the chance to improve your campaign, optimize your performance, and build relationships with your audience. To avoid this, you need to monitor and measure your campaign metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, and unsubscribe rates. You also need to solicit and respond to feedback from your recipients, whether it's positive or negative.
One of the most serious mistakes in SMS campaign design is violating the compliance rules and regulations that govern SMS marketing. If you do, you risk facing legal consequences, fines, and reputational damage. To avoid this, you need to follow the best practices and guidelines of the relevant authorities and organizations, such as the TCPA, the CTIA, and the MMA. You also need to obtain consent, provide opt-out options, and respect privacy and data protection.