Journey From 'Creepy' To 'Cool': Your Essential Etiquette Guide for SMS Marketing

SMS marketing can be quite the tightrope walk, especially when you're teetering between informed and invasive 😅 There’s no denying that SMS is a powerful tool in our arsenal—it’s direct, personal, and nearly everyone reads them ( admit it!). But I bet those messages don’t seem so warm and welcome when they arrive at odd hours or are overloaded with emojis 🤔🙄.

Marooned At Midnight: Timing Is Everything

We need to get this straight—texting someone at 2AM is as close to waterboarding as most marketers will get! It’s all about respecting your audience. Remember that two-way text messaging wasn't designed for hefty sales pitches; it was made so granny could send GIFs of kittens playing piano 👵🏼🎹 Anything off-family-hour could bring unwanted attention like blocking or reporting. Plus, if you're going rogue with time-zones —stop!

The Ugly Emoji Bath: Use Sparingly...

Alright, it’s 2021 and we’ve all collectively understood that a well-placed emoji can replace a thousand words. But fourteen in a row? That's practically an Emoji Iliad 🙃 Emojis may be cute, but they're not fudge; too much can leave your audience dizzy! Cut down on the clutter and furnish your SMS marketing with just enough emojis per message (say, three). Showing moderation here can keep things professional yet lively.

Robo-Texts: Don't Do It

We at Tells.co believe in automation—it powers our amazing AI bot 😉 But your texting style shouldn’t sound like you let the office printer have a crack at creative writing 😂 Just because it's automated doesn't mean it has to sound robotic—be conversational, and remember, no overuse of jargon and business slang!

'Don't Call Me Maybe': Opt-outs Aren’t Hard To Get

No one likes the clingy ex who just won’t get the hint, right? 🙅🏻‍♀️ Make sure you afford an easy opt-out option to demonstrate respect for personal space. After all, digital marketers are essentially guests in other people's private messaging spaces—we should act accordingly!

A Peek Into Finer Texting Practices: Real World Examples

So we've gone over what not to do—now let's address some positive practices instead. Take 'ABC Insurance', one of our clients that hit big time by respecting SMS etiquette—they never send promotional messages past work hours. They make use of emojis but only sparingly —two sunglasses emojis 😎😎 for summer discounts or an umbrella ☔ when discussing coverage for rainy days.

The Clean Act Can Pay - And Well!

By keeping their messaging neat, legible and respectful of boundaries, ABC Insurance saw not just a reduction in blocked numbers, but even enjoyed higher response rates! So remember, dear SMS marketer—cut down on the 'creep factor', give your audience space to breathe and let your messages carry that oh-so-unmistakable human touch.