We love a small change that has a big impact. If you want to optimise your SMS campaign, it doesn’t always have to be the really big measures that make the decisive difference. Especially if you are just starting out with SMS campaigns, you can make a big difference to the success of your campaign with just small adjustments. So let’s look at the small changes you can make to improve your campaign.
Five small changes that make a BIG difference in your SMS campaign
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Table of Contents
Validate numbers – saves money
This measure is neglected by many companies, but it is quick to implement and can make a decisive difference: Validate the numbers of your recipients before you send SMS.
For example, you can carry out an HLR query and sort out invalid numbers.
If you are now asking yourself: Why should I do this if my recipients enter their numbers themselves, here are the most common reasons why invalid numbers end up in your system:
- Recipients make a typing error
- Recipients do not enter a country code and you assume an incorrect one
- Recipients deliberately enter an incorrect number
- There was an error when importing the number
In any case: number validation saves you from unnecessary costs and can make a big difference, especially with large-scale SMS campaigns.
Find out how to carry out an HLR query in our helpdesk.
Let the recipients decide – creates transparency and acceptance
Hardly any other medium is as personal and as close to your recipients as text messaging. This also means that recipients are less tolerant if they don’t like the frequency or content of the messages.
How do you make sure that your recipients enjoy reading your messages? In addition to very careful target group segmentation, there is a simple solution that we believe has long been best practice:
Let your recipients choose what kind of messages they want to receive and how often they want to receive them.
This simple measure significantly increases the acceptance of your messages. Simply ask for their preferences when asking for their consent. The appreciation you show your customers will pay off in any case.
Personalise messages the right way – how to stand out
It’s no longer a secret that you should personalise your marketing text messages. However, successful personalisation today goes far beyond the use of placeholders to insert the name.
Good personalisation is also based on thorough customer segmentation. Of course, it is up to you to decide which aspects of your messages you want to personalise. Individualised offers in particular are an effective way to personalise messages and thus ensure better customer loyalty.
Want more? Include past orders and stated preferences and ask for feedback on the products ordered.
In any case, it is very important that your data is error-free – incorrect personalisation is embarrassing at best and damaging to the customer relationship at worst. If it is used particularly well, it is probably the most effective measure if you want to optimise your SMS campaign.
Insert links at the end – for more interaction
This point is probably the epitome of a small change that makes a big difference. If you use a link in your SMS, in most cases it makes sense to place it at the end of the SMS. The reason: some smartphones display a link preview when the link is at the end of the message. So with a simple trick, you have the option of adding a kind of preview image to your text message.
As text messages generally cannot contain images, this is a special way to include more than just text in your message. However, bear in mind that not every mobile phone can display a link preview.
You should also test in advance which image is actually displayed when you send the link before your message is sent to all recipients.
With seven.io you can send attachments via SMS. Read our instructions to find out more.
Use simple, clear wording – no misunderstandings
A text message has 160 characters, so it makes sense to be brief. Nevertheless – or precisely because of this – it is important that your message is easy to understand. Nobody wants to read a text message that contains convoluted sentences, but a message that’s all abbreviations is no fun either.
Keep it short, use simple and clear language and ideally have your messages proofread. Your call-to-action should leave no room for interpretation – formulate clearly what needs to be done.
This will avoid misunderstandings and ensure that your SMS campaign performs well at the first attempt.
Conclusion: Optimise your SMS campaign with small adjustments
While there are numerous ways to optimise your SMS campaigns, even small adjustments can make a significant difference, especially for those just starting with SMS marketing. Number validation is a simple trick to reduce costs. Letting recipients decide for themselves which messages they want to receive and how often ensures a high level of acceptance of your messages and successful personalisation inspires future and existing customers. The right placement of a link gives you the opportunity to spice up your SMS. Clear and short formulations ensure that only messages that really say something are sent to your recipients.
Have you had good experiences with other customisations that have made a big difference? In your experience, what is particularly important? We look forward to your comment or message.
All the best
Header picture by Eduard Figueres via iStock