When creating an SMS marketing message there are some very basic things in that you need to remember to do. We are constantly surprised at the amount of users that attempt to text message marketing campaigns without these basic things in place. As an SMS is limited in size people try to save characters in a variety of ways and sometimes forget to put in the most basic of information.

You might think that an SMS is just 160 characters and that there isn't much to worry about, but you would be wrong. SMS is a very personal and direct medium, without considering carefully the content, delivery and calls to action in your message you could potentially see a lot of opt-outs from your list. However if you do it well SMS can become a powerful and well regarded part of your marketing strategy.

1. Display your business name.

So many people forget this most basic of information. There are a couple of ways to do this.

a) You can set the caller ID (number sent from) to be a name up to 11 characters (no spaces). The issue here is that it is not a number so recipients cannot reply to it and you still have to have an opt-out method in your message. Your message might look like this.

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From: TOPFASHION

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Members get 50% off all styles

tomorrow only at flagship store.

Open 9am, 100 Chapel Street, Prahran.

Opt-out SMS STOP 123 to 0429705882

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You can use manual methods to opt people out as well, but these are less likely to be used and continual messages to people that can't opt out easily will create a bad brand perception. eg.

For info or opt-out call the store on 03 1234 5678

The benefit of a name in the caller ID is that you get a little extra branding on the incoming message. The drawback is that you need to use more chars to include to the opt-out number.

b) The alternative is to use the opt-out number as the caller ID. You then must remember to put the company name in the message. eg.

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From: +61429705882

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TOP FASHION members get 50% off all styles

tomorrow only at flagship store.

Open 9am, 100 Chapel Street, Prahran

Opt-out reply STOP

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With this method the message is slightly shorter and it is easier for the recipient to opt-out. Over time this will generate less complaints and be more positive for your brand.

2. Qualify the recipient

People NEVER remember why or how they got onto a mailing list, it could be as fleeting or inconspicuous as a competition entry, a survey or making an in store purchase and giving details. Smart companies and marketers are now collecting opted-in numbers from customers at point of interest and point of purchase. What they aren't doing is qualifying the recipient when they send out the messages. This is much easier to do on email as you have as many characters as you need to explain how they came to be on your list. With SMS it is a little more difficult.

Generally by identifying your company that will be a start, then just mention the relationship before the offer. e.g. Members, Customers, April Competition Entrants etc etc. By quickly mentioning how the recipient came to be on the list it will make them feel easier about the communication. This is especially important with your first communication.

3. Add an interactive call to action

You can easily engage a customer by mobile by adding quality calls to action. You can use SMS keywords to have people reply to the message with. This is great for event interest. eg.

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From: +61429705882

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Real Estate Legend Course Graduates. Free

advanced course intro seminar starting in

Sydney in November.

Take your property skills to the next level.

Interested? REPLY YES

Opt-out reply STOP

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With keywords you can also add auto-responders that can send further details and add them to separate lists.

You can also add URL's to mobile web pages, google maps, mobile video and even application downloads. There are a multitude of URL shorteners available that are excellent for use with SMS. bit.ly is probably the most popular and it has analytics so you can see how many recipients visited the link. eg.

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From: +61429705882

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Real Estate Legend Course Graduates. Free

advanced course intro seminar starting in

Sydney in November. Take your property skills

to the next level.

Watch intro video on your mobile

lnks.to/relegends

Opt-out reply STOP

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4. Deliver good quality information and offers

I know this may seem a little simple but as mobile is such a personal medium you need to make strong, time sensitive offers to give people a sense of value from your SMS messages. They need to feel that they are getting something that others aren't and that it was a good decision to give up their mobile number.

Good SMS content can come in the form of freebies, discounts, mobile coupons, reminders, links to free applications, competition entries, mobile video, alerts. Just sending out a vague sale alert tends to come across as spammy and will probably result in an opt out. Most importantly make the recipient feel that they were special in receiving the SMS, with good SMS platforms like Burst SMS you can use database variables to insert the persons name and other details into the message. eg.

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From: +61429705882

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Hi [firstname], As a Club Fabulous Subscriber,

show this SMS to jump the queue this Saturday

night 25th July. +50% off cover charge for you

and a friend.

Member: [number]

Full DJ lineup

lnks.to/clubfabulous

Opt-out reply STOP

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5. Don't try to be funky with text language

Shortening words and funky acronyms are used by people with no keyboard, some marketers try to use this language to save characters or 'connect with Gen Y', we find it is much better to speak in simple plain proper language. When marketing you need people to read and understand a short succinct message quickly, they don't need to be deciphering some kind of code.

Also people know you have access to a keyboard and plenty of time to think about what you are writing so you will come across as being a 'try hard' in the eyes of youth anyway. Keep it short simple and to the point.

By following these 5 simple tips you will have the basics down for creating powerful and useful text messages for your marketing campaigns.

The underlying concept is to treat peoples mobile numbers with respect, they aren't like email addresses people only have one. They can't just give you a purposely setup one just for collecting spam. They make a conscious decision to trust you with this data and should you abuse it you will be opted out and never be given the opportunity again.

To deliver quality test messages with free SMS opt-out compliance functionality built in, sign up for an account with Burst SMS. For a limited time we are offering $5.00 free credit on all new accounts. No obligation, no credit card required.

Burst SMS is a bulk sms marketing platform with a highly reliable SMS gateway and cheap sms pricing. Get started for as little as 7.9c per message.