Since people get hundreds of emails monthly, they rarely turn on notifications for their email app. But when it comes to SMS, they even go as far as customizing ringtones so they never miss a message. If you want to use this to your advantage, exploring sample text messages to customers would be inevitable.
You might think it’s easy to form an SMS since we frequently use texts to contact friends and family. However, businesses have to be extra careful. It’s not like they can send whatever comes to mind, not caring whether they’re sending walls of text. You may frustrate your customers and even block the business!
For this reason, we’ve compiled a list of example messages you can send to customers with samples for your inspiration. You’ll also learn some benefits and best practices to help you. If you stick around to the end, there are some FAQ that might interest you.
So, let’s start the discussion!
What Makes SMS Marketing Worth Your While?
According to a survey, 48% of customers want businesses to contact them through SMS. Even if text marketing didn’t have any other benefit, this statistic alone is enough to make it worthwhile. But SMS marketing has other benefits, namely:
- Impressive open rates: Since SMS is your customer’s preferred communication channel, they’re more likely to look at your texts. That gives them the potential to bring open rates as high as 98%! All you have to do is make your texts interesting enough, and you’ll also have impressive response rates. After all, the more customers open your messages, the more likely they are to reply.
- Cost-effective: SMS marketing imposes significantly lower costs than other types of marketing. Almost all your customers have a messaging app installed on their phones. All you have to do is use a text marketing platform to send these messages. Moreover, the instant results mean you’ll recover the investment fairly quickly.
- Targeted marketing: With other types of marketing campaigns, you don’t know who’s seeing them. For example, the people who see your social media ad might not even need your offerings. However, with SMS marketing, you can send personalized messages to people who have already consented to receive them. They’re already interested or have gone the text-to-subscribe route, which makes them more likely to act on your texts.
- Two-way communication: Instead of being a mere marketing channel, SMS provides customers with an easy way to communicate with you. If they have an inquiry, they can simply reply to your text and ask.
6 Best Practices for Sending Text Messages to Customers
Before exploring marketing sample text messages to customers, let’s look at some best practices. Without following these tips, you might not be able to reap the benefits mentioned earlier.
Apart from crafting the actual SMS, some things make or break your text campaign. These include gaining customer consent, adhering to compliance guidelines, etc. You might not know about these things if you’re new to SMS marketing. That’s why we’ve dedicated the following sections to six best practices you need to follow.
1. Get Straight to the Point
Unlike emails, texts have a character limit. If you write more than 160 characters, your customers might get your message through multiple texts. When that happens, customers must make more effort to read your complete message. That’s a recipe for disaster
Besides, the primary purpose of SMS is to send “short” messages. Therefore, get straight to the point when writing a business SMS. You also need to make the goal clear as soon as possible.
So, if you’ve sent a promotional text message, it should be clear to the customer from the first sentence!
2. Pay Attention to Your Tone of Voice
People often find it challenging to find the right tone while keeping the text under 160 characters. They either resort to multiple emojis for a friendly touch or use strictly professional language that doesn’t connect with customers.
However, the right balance comes with clear and concise language that doesn’t include a lot of jargon. Using easier and more common synonyms for words also makes the tone more friendly. Since SMS is a personal communication medium, too much professionalism won’t cut it.
Moreover, consider your brand’s tone. For example, a bank wouldn’t look good using words like “friend” or “buddy.” On the other hand, a toy shop would be better off with a friendlier tone.
3. Create a Sense of Urgency
Customers might never act on an SMS if they don’t do so when they first read it. They might forget all about it until the next time you text them. That’s why creating a sense of urgency in your texts is so important. You have to make customers feel like they’re losing out if they don’t take action immediately.
Doing so is easy if you know how to set your offers. For example, you can launch exclusive discounts for people in your SMS list and use words like “limited-time offer.” Giving exclusive, limited-time access can also induce a sense of urgency for engagement.
4. Don’t Forget Personalization
Sending messages to customers without personalizing them is a grave mistake. People see generalized marketing daily when they step outside their houses or scroll social media. Giving them the same treatment through SMS marketing will only frustrate and push them away.
Therefore, use ethical means to collect customer data from various sources, including your website, social media, surveys, etc. Then, create comprehensive customer profiles and save that data to them.
Using these profiles, you can send personalized recommendations or exclusive offers based on location, age, interests, etc. Addressing customers using their names makes them feel like you’re talking directly to them. As a result, they’ll be more willing to take action.
5. Comply With SMS Regulation Guidelines
Some people struggle to see results from SMS marketing, even with the most effective messaging. The reason is their negligence in meeting SMS compliance guidelines.
These rules protect customers from unwanted messages and ensure responsible business practices. Not following these rules can leave a bad impression on your customers and push them away. It can even get you in legal trouble with multiple expensive fines.
Even though the specific rules you need to follow will depend on where you live, some elements are common:
- Take consent before sending text messages. Also, ask the customer what type of messages they are comfortable receiving.
- Be upfront about the nature of texts. If the message is a feedback request, don’t mislead your customers into believing it’s an informative text.
- Provide easy and clear instructions on how to unsubscribe from receiving your texts.
- Avoid contacting customers outside business hours.
- Don’t send prohibited content like spam, threats, or misleading information.
- Follow good security practices to keep your customers’ data safe.
6. Know When To Use SMS Marketing
Just because SMS brings you unmatched results doesn’t mean you should always prefer it over other channels. There are cases when email marketing works better, for example, when you need to include rich content. In other cases, social media might be a better option.
So, the first rule of thumb is to check whether your campaign is time-sensitive. Flash sales, limited-time offers, order updates, and appointment reminders call for SMS marketing since it reaches customers quickly.
Moreover, SMS marketing works best for short, concise messaging. It also allows for two-way communication, which is rare with other channels.
7 Sample Text Messages to Customers for Effective Communication
Now that you know the benefits and best practices of SMS marketing, let’s talk about what you came here for. Going through message examples before creating your own is a good idea. Doing so helps you plan the types of messages you need to send.
It shows you which are the most profitable and which might not be for you. You can even get an idea of how to form your message when the time comes. These seven sample text messages to customers encourage effective communication.
1. Welcome SMS
Starting conversations through SMS without a welcome message means starting on the wrong foot. You want to come across as a brand that cares about
Start by confirming their interaction. For example, send a confirmation update if they’ve placed an order. Or if they’ve signed up to get your texts, let them know they’re on your list.
Show your gratitude. You can also mention what they can expect from your texts. Here’s a sample text message to help you welcome your customers:
“Welcome to [business name] updates and promotions thread. Use [promo code] on your first purchase as a thank you for signing up. Text STOP to unsubscribe.”
2. Event Invitation Text Message
Event invitation text message is another option for interacting with customers through SMS. Since events are time-sensitive, it makes sense to invite customers using this marketing technique. This way, you’ll get more people to attend the event. If the event is at your venue, there’s a chance the people attending will become loyal customers.
This is a text campaign where you need that sense of urgency to get the best results. You can also add the benefits of joining the event. That said, here’s a text message sample SMS to customers for event invitations:
“Hey [customer name], join us for [event name] on [date] at [time] at [location]. RSVP by [deadline] to secure your spot: [link/phone number]. See you there!”
3. New Product Announcement Text Examples
Sending new product announcements through text is also a good approach. Everyone who gets this message will definitely see it. So, if the product is good and you make the message interesting, you will get results.
But for that, you’ll have to talk about how your product addresses your customers’ pain points. Instead of focusing on the features, talk about the benefits. You can explore new product announcement text examples, like this one, to guide your messaging
“Introducing the all NEW [product name] to [customer pain point!] To celebrate, we’re offering 20% off on all orders, including [product] for the next 24 hours.”
4. Customer Birthday Text Messages
Marketing works best when you make your customers feel special. Sending a warm wish on your customer’s birthday is one way. People love it when others remember their birthday, even when it’s just an automated text message. Use this to your advantage by learning how to send customers birthday text messages.
However, don’t forget to personalize your message. At the very least, you can use the customer’s name to address them. But if you have more information, like how long they’ve been a loyal customer, don’t hesitate to add it. For example:
“Happy birthday, [customer name!] We hope you have a joyous and fun celebration. Use [code] to redeem your birthday gift on any purchase you make today!”
5. Text Message for Promoting Limited-Time Offers
As mentioned earlier, text messaging is the best option for promoting limited-time offers. Doing so encourages your customers to take quick action, and the fear of missing out is more effective than you think.
You can also send these messages for time-sensitive updates, such as verifying accounts or payments. However, don’t forget the sense of urgency we’ve discussed in this article. For example, you can say:
“Hey, [customer name!] [Restaurant name] understands late-night cravings. That’s why we’re offering 24-hour delivery for the next three days. Order NOW.”
6. Reminder Text Messages
Regarding consistency, people check their text messages more than they do email. That’s why many businesses use this method to send reminder texts to their customers. You should follow in their footsteps if you own a business that involves appointments.
Even businesses that don’t require appointments can use this text campaign. For example, e-commerce businesses can nudge customers about abandoned carts.
However, remember to be polite and friendly with these messages since you wouldn’t want to appear imposing. Here’s how:
“Hi, [customer name!] Just a friendly reminder about your appointment at [time and location] with [business name.] We’re looking forward to seeing you!”
7. Order Tracking Through SMS
The last sample on this list is order tracking through SMS. When customers place an order, they expect confirmation from you. With that confirmation, they expect you to give them options to track their order.
Seeing real-time updates gives them peace of mind that their order is arriving and enhances their experience. Here’s a sample you can use for such texts:
“Hi, [customer name!] Just a heads up! Your [business name] order # [number] is on its way! Track your package here: [link] Reply if you have any questions.”
Frequently Asked Questions About Text Messaging for Businesses
What is an example of a customer service text message?
Examples of customer service text messages are welcome SMS, notifications on booking, or alerts. An example of SMS can be like this:
“Hi, [customer name!] We apologize for sending the wrong product. Would you like an exchange or a return? As a token of apology, use [code] at your next order.”
Remember, this is just one example of a customer service text message. Various types of messages fall within this category, such as responding to an inquiry or thanking for feedback.
What are the best practices when writing a message sample?
The best practices for writing a message sample are defining the audience and goal of the message. You should use customer profiles to craft the content. Start always with a warm greeting, addressing the customer with their name.
Then, deliver the main message. You can also add details if necessary. But remember to keep the message short. End with a call to action (CTA) so your customers know what to do next.
Once you’ve written the message, take a moment to proofread and edit it. The last thing you want to do is to send a message with a typo. Also, make sure that the message is easy to read. You can even store this as a template for future use.
Simply add placeholder text in places like customer names, personalizable details, etc., to make your work easier.
Is text messaging for business easy to use?
Yes, text messaging is easy for businesses to use. Many SMS marketing platforms can help with the job. All you have to do is follow the best practices and go step-by-step to find success.
However, you need to be aware of a few challenges of SMS marketing. One of the main problems is the limited space. As mentioned earlier, you only have 160 characters. So, it might be challenging to get your point across.
Moreover, there are various spam filters that you need to pass. Even the most simple words can become a problem if misused.
Then, there’s the issue of consent. People might not readily provide you with their contact numbers. Even if they do, many people opt out of marketing messages.
Use SMS Marketing for Consistent, Easy, and Direct Communication
To guide your approach, explore sample text messages to customers. You can even create templates to automate your campaigns. Overall, SMS marketing proves to be a medium for easy, direct, and consistent communication. Not only does it reach your customers quickly, but it is also most people’s preferred communication channel.
Do you want some help with your SMS campaigns? Beambox is an all-in-one WiFi solution that helps you build a contact list and automate text campaigns.
Additionally, you’ll be able to gather data and customize this and other marketing initiatives you run.
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