The fastest way to create stylish real-time experiences for promoting a business is by using mobile devices. If you haven’t been using text and SMS messaging to grab the attention of a customer or client, you’re missing an opportunity.
- 85% percent of Americans have a Smartphone within reach.
- The standard open rate of text or SMS marketing messages is about 95% within 15 minutes of being received.
- When someone opts into your messages, they text a created short code, and the number is automatically added to your list.
Radio is having great results using text messaging, as both a programming and an advertising feature, because listeners are immediately connected to their station.
- Text messaging results are measured and tracked against the keyword assigned to the campaign for the market.
- For a station that announces an event-prizing, the results can feasibly get over 1000 responses within an hour.
- Text-message marketing is cheap and easy to track. By promoting short codes to build a list, the radio station can view the number of responses and the number of opt-ins by the day, week, or total campaign.
The Do's and Don'ts
DO:
Do be persuasive. Convince a listener to sign up by promising exclusive deals, coupons, and specials to those that text immediately.
Do keep it real. Text alerts are mostly opened within 15 minutes of being received, so make it a timely event. The closer the timing, the better. Grab people after work with an offer for a happy hour drink, a special event that evening, or something happening soon.
Do give compelling information. Send listeners text coupons such as “Buy one special, get the second half-off.” If there is a musician performing at a venue nearby, run a spot that includes a text message special on the day of that event.
DON'T:
Don't send too many or too few. You want to be consistent by sending them text messages weekly or monthly alerting them about specials and events. However, you don’t want to annoy them with an onslaught of messages either. The best frequency is to send a text message two to four times a month.
Don't Be Wordy. Some cell phones can’t receive large messages and are limited to sending and receiving messages 160 characters or fewer in length. Keep them short, and to the point.
