How to improve your conversational SMS messaging

Conversational SMS messaging

SMS messaging is a tried-and-tested marketing tactic that has shown huge potential when attracting the masses. While the latest artificial technologies can also improve your customer experience, a business must not forget about the benefits of this channel when delivering personalized service.

Conversational SMS takes your marketing strategy up a notch, encouraging business owners to strategize fresh ways to engage their customers through SMS messaging. By incorporating a human-driven approach, you’ll be able to keep your business content relevant and interesting.

It might seem like a ton of admin to tailor each SMS to suit different customers’ needs, but with the right bulk SMS messaging platform, you’ll be able to send thousands of instant messages with the click of a button. But remember, access to high volumes of data comes with a protocol. The more personal you become with your customers, the more you’ll need to follow the correct etiquette when doing so.

Here are a few tips to follow when creating a conversational SMS campaign:

Ask your customers to give you their consent

With the latest General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), you need to ensure your customers have agreed to receive messages from you and take part in your conversations. If they have, make it known to them that they’re able to opt-out at any time of the conversation with access to opt-out text code. Should they request you to delete their personal information, do so immediately. If you’re confident that you’ve obliged to the correct regulatory requirements and know that your customers want you to SMS them, it’ll give you the freedom to build stronger relationships and tweak your approach to suit their needs.

Be sure to add value in the content you share

Now that you’re trying to switch up your marketing strategy and create a more conversational approach, make sure that you’re still adding value to their lives. SMS is an immediate communication channel. And because of the nature of the channel, you need to showcase a sense of urgency in your messages. Just because customers choose SMS as their preferred contact platform, it doesn’t mean that they’ll always be interested in the type of content you send them. If you keep sending them irrelevant content, you’ll push them to opt-out which is what you don’t want. So, in these cases, try to segment your SMS messages to reach different target audiences for different reasons. For instance, create a keyword strategy that customers can respond to. The type of keyword they opt-in with will tell you a lot about their interests.

Include a strong call to action (CTA)

Whether you choose to use your SMS marketing strategy as a stand-alone campaign or choose to integrate with existing channels to help boost your reach, make sure that you offer one powerful CTA in your SMS messages. Customers enjoy promotional CTAs such as discounts or coupons, and when received via SMS, they’re more likely to redeem them too. For a blended approach, use SMS as a stepping stone for customers to visit other platforms. For example, to view your Facebook page or their email inbox.

Be creative with your SMS messaging

Much like any type of marketing content used to engage customers, your SMS content needs to be clear and easy to digest. Because you’re able to reach a variety of different audiences through SMS, you need to be careful with the type of language you use. Older generations might not understand texting trends, so try to make the content appealing, understandable, and effective for its 160-character limit. Also, be prepared to test your approach several times and make use of the relevant analytics to gather feedback. The last thing you want is to bore your customers or ignore their feedback requests.

Keep the conversation flowing

Conversational SMS is meant to be a flowing conversation. It’s a two-way chat, allowing customers to respond to your messages and vice versa. Once you’ve created a conversation thread, you’ll quickly be able to change your tone and content to match their interests. Should you automate these conversations by using a chatbot to create your dialogue, make sure that once the customers’ questions become too complex, you’re able to alert an employee to take over. Another tip to consider is sending your messages at the right time of day. Make sure the person you’re messaging is available, based on their working hours and geographical time zone. SMS messages at 2 am are an absolute no-no for any business.

Grow your SMS potential with Clickatell

Our SMS Platform gives your business an incredible opportunity to reach your customers in moments that matter. It gives you the freedom to build your marketing strategy your way, facilitate two-way messaging, and more. Read about the SMS features here and start a real-time conversation with your customers today.