SMS marketing is the act of sending marketing messages to people via text messages on their cell phones. The messages are usually short as phones limit the number of characters in a text message. They are also an effective way to communicate. In fact, according to the New York Times, research has shown that 97% of all text messages are read, 83% of which are read within an hour of receiving them.

SMS Marketing Is Marketing Via Text Messages

Before you can send text messages to your consumers, make sure that you have their permission to do so. If your consumers sign up for accounts with your company, let them indicate how they want to be communicated with, whether it is through texts, emails, phone calls, or any other. Do not send out texts to anyone who has requested to not be messaged via text. Also, do not so send people a text asking if they would like to receive texts from you; get their permission in another way. Companies that send text marketing messages who have not opted to receive them are in violation of the CAN-SPAM act, which require senders to send only to people who give them permission.

Another major law in the CAN-SPAM act is that your electronic communications, which include text messages, should give a way for recipients to opt out of receiving more text messages from you. For instance, in your text message, you can say ‘Reply stop to unsubscribe,’ and remove anyone from your list who replies with ‘Stop.’ If you still continue to send to people even when they have requested to be opted out, or unsubscribed, from your list, you hurt your reputation as a sender and are in violation of the CAN-SPAM act. This can lead to fines and even jail time.

SMS Marketing Is Effective In Communication

The frequency that you send your SMS marketing messages will depend on the behavior of your user. If you are in the technology industry, your consumers are bound to be more accepting of frequent texts and electronic communications. However, if your target audience is housewives, they might not be appreciative of frequent texts. Receiving text messages cost the recipients money, unless they have an unlimited data plan with their network provider. Sending too many texts will increase your unsubscribe rate and negatively affect your sender reputation. Send a few messages a month to start, and adjust accordingly based on their effectiveness and unsubscribe rate.

Contact An Internet Marketing Company To Help You Out

It is best that you keep your SMS marketing messages short and simple. Many carriers only give a maximum of 160 characters. Should your message go over the limit, it will be charged for multiple messages, even when you only sent one. Therefore, be concise and communicate your message clearly. Also, indicate what you want the recipients to do, whether it is to call you, visit your store, and log into your website. Contact a SMS marketing company to help you measure the success of the texts that you send, so you will know if your recipients indeed took action from your text.