Effective SMS campaigns - how do you create SMS messages that get noticed?

SMS campaigns are becoming an increasingly important part of companies' marketing strategies, offering a direct and effective way to communicate with customers. Compared to other forms of digital marketing, SMS campaigns use short text messages to reach a wide audience, ensuring a high open and read rate.

What are SMS campaigns?

SMS campaigns are marketing activities that use text messages sent directly to recipients' mobile phones. They are an effective way for brands to communicate with their customers, providing information about promotions, news, special events or reminders. A key advantage of SMS campaigns is their accessibility and immediacy - messages can be received by users in almost all circumstances, providing a direct and personal contact channel.

How to create effective SMS messages?

Creating effective SMS messages is an important part of any successful marketing campaign aimed at increasing customer engagement and loyalty. To achieve this goal, it is important to consider the basic steps that will help you construct a message that will capture the attention of your audience.

1. Define the purpose of the message

Every SMS message should have a clearly defined purpose. Whether it is information about a promotion, a reminder about an event or an invitation to visit a website, it is important that the purpose is consistent with the overall campaign objectives. A clear purpose not only makes it easier to create a specific message, but also helps to evaluate the effectiveness of the message later on.

2. Personalisation of the message

Personalisation increases the perceived value of the message to the recipient. Including the recipient's name or other personal information makes the message more personal and increases the likelihood of it being read. Personalisation can also include tailoring the content to the user's previous interactions with the brand, making the message more relevant.

3. Maintain conciseness and clarity

SMS messages are limited to 160 characters, which requires the sender to be concise and precise in the wording of the message. It is essential that the message is clear, easy to understand and focuses on the most important information that the recipient needs to receive. Avoiding unnecessary details will keep the recipient's attention on the message.

4. Include a strong call to action (CTA)

To be effective, an SMS message must contain a clear call to action. A CTA tells the recipient what they should do after reading the message - whether it's visiting a website, taking up an offer or signing up to a waiting list. A good CTA is specific, encouraging and easy to follow.

5. Planning dispatch times

The right time to send an SMS message can have a significant impact on its effectiveness. Sending messages at times when recipients are most active and likely to read the message increases the chances of a successful campaign. Avoid sending messages at night or early in the morning to avoid exposing yourself to negative reactions from recipients.

6. Testing and optimisation

The final step is to A/B test different versions of the SMS message to determine which elements of the message are most effective. By testing different calls to action, content and sending times, future campaigns can be optimised to increase audience engagement.

Advantages of SMS campaigns

SMS campaigns offer a number of benefits that make them an attractive tool for marketers:

• High open rate: SMS messages have a much higher open rate than email, increasing the chances of reaching the recipient.
• Instant delivery: Messages are delivered almost as soon as they are sent, allowing recipients to respond quickly.
• Reachability: Most people have a mobile phone, making SMS one of the most universal communication channels.
• Simplicity: The short and concise nature of SMS messages makes them easy for recipients to create and understand.
• Highly personalised: SMS campaigns can be easily personalised, making them more effective and tailored to the audience.

A breakthrough in communication: The power of SMS campaigns

In summary, SMS campaigns are a marketing tool that offers unique opportunities to reach customers and build lasting relationships. With high open rates, instant delivery and personalisation options, SMS campaigns are a valuable part of any integrated marketing strategy. However, the key to success is to create messages that are not only informative, but also engaging and motivate recipients to take action.

Take a look at our SMS campaign services.