Now that you’ve built your lists, turned on your core triggers, and implemented the S.P.A.M. Strategy into your SMS playbook, all that remains is pushing subscribers into the flywheel!
Important: the cadence of communication with your SMS list is very different than your email list. SMS is an extremely intimate channel and is a form of conversational commerce. Sending a text a day, as some brands do with email, is a non-starter so focus on quality over quantity.
It’s perfectly reasonable to supplement your existing email campaign calendar with SMS but make it reasonable and segmented. Bear in mind as well that your SMS automation is part of that communication cadence, so be extremely focused on what you send.
Aside from the number of texts, focus on great copy and context. You only have a certain number of characters to start a conversation with. Below are a couple of SMS screenshots from my phone – one with a mass of promotions and then one on the right from North Face.
Although I’m sure that the texts on the left performed decently well, note how North Face intrigues me even more with a pseudo-loyalty offer, great MMS image, and clear call-to-action. Since I’m signed up for all these brands’ email and SMS lists, I can say that North Face separated their messaging a day apart while the others blitzed me at once. It’s clear that the other brands want to sell me, while North Face wants me to join their mission and community.
I personally ended up engaging with North Face and entering to win; the other brands didn’t tell me anything different than the emails they sent on the same day. North Face reinforced its email with an SMS that took a more conversational approach.
The point is this: treating SMS like email is a surefire way to burn your list down. Texts should be conversational, personalized, friendlier, and to the point. This is where copy plays a critical role.
Consider using a tool like Jasper.ai or Persado to create a great copy with limited character counts. With a few simple tweaks to your tone, you can turn “last chance for your discount” into more playful copy and emojis without sacrificing bandwidth.