Top 4 Writing Tips for Scheduled Text Message Marketing

Almost the only form of marketing that is guaranteed to be read nowadays is scheduled text message marketing. People will delete emails without even seeing the first line, they're wise to pop-under ads and right click to close them, and even the most annoying blinking banners barely get a look in. Scheduled text message marketing is still fairly underused and a powerful tool for the right offer and audience. If you've got a powerful promotion, here are our top four tips for framing it in text message words!

1. Set the scene

Frame your offer either in terms of the problem it solves for your customer, or in terms of its benefits … using SENSORY language. This is language that evokes a feeling in your reader. "Save" and "discount" always arouse interest, but to be memorable you might uses words like:

• Warm and cozy
• Sizzle
• Dripping
• Laugh
• Fresh

You can see how these apply to many different contexts, and as you read them you can picture a feeling, a sound, a sight or a quality. This is what will make your scheduled text messages stick in customers' minds.

2. Calls to action

They are an essential part of marketing everything from hearing aids to handbags. Don’t just provide a website or phone number, TELL your customer to look it up or call it. If you have a physical store, say "Come and see us at…". You can also bring your sensory words into a call to action. For example, if you were advertising a steakhouse restaurant, you could say "Experience the sizzling flavors and juicy drip of our finest by stopping by 123 High Street, Downtown."

3. No txt spk!

Society is well and truly divided on the issue of text-speak. The bottom line is that it isn’t suitable for corporate communications. Even if you have a young audience or an informal brand, full words are safest.

4. Write about one thing only

You need to identify a single offer for your text message. Customers will only get annoyed if the first message is truncated, and then their silence is again interrupted by beeping, only to find more advertising. You need a single offer per scheduled text message for both memorability, and to avoid being an annoyance.