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Have you tried using SMS as a marketing channel for your business? You should. Here’s why – it’s relatively inexpensive and very effective when done properly. Besides, every phone today is SMS enable and it is reported that SMS messages are read within 3 minutes after their receipt.   Many companies benefit heavily from SMS marketing today. However, before you jump right in, here are a few dos and donts to ensure your SMS campaign is as effective and productive as can be.    
  1. Set SMART Goals: Before starting any campaign, it’s smart to set Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time bound goals. Identifying exactly what you’re trying to achieve with that campaign will not only give you deirection on how to achieve it, it will help you monitor the results of the campaign.
 
  1. Target Your Audience: Are you targeting male professionals? Ladies that live in Anambra? Or students in Abuja? The great thing about SMS marketing is the ability for you to target specific geographics (e.g age, location, sex etc). However, it is astounding to see so many campaigns that miss their marks by sending the right message to the wrong audience (and burning cash in the process).
 
  1. Set Clear and Specific Call to Action: What is it you want your recipient to do after reading your message? Visit your website, call a number or attend your workshop? It is critical to be very clear as to what you want your recipient to do. If not, you’d have wasted their time and your resources.
 
  1. Use Clear Message: Its poor taste when a campaign has so many slangs and abbreviations such as u instead of you. Personally, I don’t take brands that send such messages seriously. So in your campaign, use clear words and be professional. Also, get straight to the point. The character limit in SMS will force you to be as specific as can be.
   
  1. Time Your Campaign: Even though a large percentage of SMS are read within miutes of receipt, you want to time your SMS campaign at the right moment so your recipients can take the desired action. Sening your SMS to working class professionals very early in the morning might not be such a good idea since they’d be preparing for work and wouldn’t have time to take action.
    Now, try to avoid these practices when sending out SMS campaigns
  1. Don’t Send SMS without an Offer: SMS campaigns without something valuable to the recipient is a plain waste of money. Yes, being consistent in SMS marketing will help you increase your brand awareness, but sending an SMS without something for your recipient will backfire. It could be a discount to a product, some new and relevant information, just something.If you have nothing, don’t send the campaign.
 
  1. Don’t Be Vague: Some marketers send vague messages with the hope that they’ll arouse curiosity in the recipient. This technique usually backfires. Besides, with the amount of marketing people are exposed to every minute, people don’t have the time or patience for vague messages.
 
  1. Don’t Use Slangs and Abbreviations: I’m repeating this because many marketers make this mistake. Maybe they’re trying to save space or be cool. Either way, don’t. It’s just plain annoying and unprofessional.
 
  1. Don’t Fail To Measure: See the importance of setting smart goals and clear call to actions? When you fail to do that, how would you be able to measure the success or failure of your campaign? When measuring, take into account deliverability rate and conversion rate.
 
  1. Don’t Try To Sell With One Text: Smart sales people will tell you not to try to sell over a phone conversation. I’m telling you not to sell via a text. Putting the price of a product in a text without showing all the benefits and feature of that product will turn your potential customers off.
  Ready to start your SMS campaign but don’t know where to start? Email grow@connectnigeria.com or call 0809 800 5000 and we’ll help you out    
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This article was first published on 7th March 2016

frederick

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