Top Four Challenges in Text Message Advertising
- You must provide your contact information in a very small space
What is the best form of contact information to use in a text message? Let's take a look at some options:
- URL:URLs are a great way to provide both contact information and branding, however it is best if you have a short URL (long ones will take up too much space), and the majority of your target market has a data plan so they can access your site from their phone. Keep in mind that if someone wants to contact you they will have to go to your web site and find your 'contact' page which may not be convenient when they are 'on the go'.
- Phone number: The major advantage of using a phone number is that your customers all have a phone in their hands and can easily contact you via phone. The downside is that unless you have a branded 800 number, you're not communicating your brand to your audience.
- Email: An email address provides the advantage of both branding, through the URL portion, and providing direct contact information. In addition, many phones are now email capable. However, email addresses can be long (and take up too much space in a short message), and may not provide a response as quickly as a phone call.
- You have to convey your message
You don't have a lot of space, so we recommend asking yourself these question. What do you want your customers to do when they read your message? And does your message communicate that clearly and provide them with all the information they will need to take action?
- Not everyone understands text abbreviations
using common acronymns to help convey more information in a text can be great, but you must be sure you know your audience. What percentage of your audience knows those acronymns mean? If it's not 100% you're potentially leaving dollars on the table, because you'll be alienating those who don't understand texting 'slang'. dynwim? (do you know what I mean?)
- Not everyone has a text message plan
Unlike email, text messages are not free to receive. While many people have subscribed to a text message plan that gives them lots of messages for one flat fee per month, and some are on unlimited text message plans, there are still millions of cell phone users who are paying 10 or 15 cents per message. This mean that text spam will be doubly unwelcome because users may have to pay for the annoyance.
So, if you you don't want to be known as a spammer, be sure to use a text advertising service that only sends messages to customers who have 'opted-in' (like Text-It-On) or one run by a carrier who has the ability to waive the message fee for advertisments.
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