SMS is not a megaphone
Text messages get read almost instantly, which is exactly why they wear out so fast. A few rules for shops that want their texts to still work next year.
There is a moment every shop goes through after it starts collecting phone numbers. The first few texts go out, orders jump within the hour, and somebody says the obvious thing. Why don't we do this every day?
Please don't.
A text message lands in the same place as messages from your customer's mother, their kids' school and their doctor. It buzzes in their pocket. It gets read, usually within minutes. That is the power of it, and it is also the risk. Every text you send borrows a little of that attention, and if you borrow too often people simply reply STOP and you never get it back.
Consent is the foundation, not a formality
Before anything else, make sure the people you are texting actually agreed to marketing messages, and that you can show when and how they agreed. Rules on marketing texts in the United States are strict and the penalties are per message. An order confirmation number is not permission to send promotions. If you are not sure how your opt in was collected, find out before you send another thing.
Fewer, better, sooner
The shops that get the most out of SMS send far less than you would expect. Two or three texts a month is plenty for most customers. Some of the best programs send fewer.
Save the channel for messages that genuinely benefit from speed:
- A reward or coupon that expires in the next day or two.
- A same day reason to order: weather, a big game, a limited batch.
- A note that their usual order is ready to repeat in one tap.
Everything else belongs in email, where people expect to browse.
Write like a person
A text should read like it came from the shop, not from a marketing department. Short. One idea. The name of the shop near the start so people know who it is. A link that goes straight to ordering, not to a home page.
Leave out the capital letters and the exclamation marks. Customers are already a little guarded when a business texts them. Shouting does not help.
Watch the opt outs
Every text you send should be judged on two numbers: the orders it brought in, and the number of people who opted out because of it. A message that brings in a lot of orders and loses a few hundred subscribers may not be a win at all, because those subscribers were worth something every month for years.
If your opt out rate creeps up, slow down. The channel is telling you something.
Treat SMS like the phone number of a friend. You can call them when it matters. You cannot call them every day.
