Opt-in text messaging is an effective way for businesses to connect with customers and boost engagement. Text messaging can be an ideal channel for promotions, announcements, reminders, and more when done right. However, several aspects must be considered to have a successful opt-in text messaging strategy. This guide will cover everything you need to know about building your opt-in list, crafting effective messages, timing your campaigns, personalizing content, offering incentives, ensuring compliance, managing opt-outs, measuring performance, and evolving your strategy.
Understanding Opt-In Text Messaging
Opt-in text messaging refers to sending promotional SMS messages to customers who have explicitly signed up to receive messages from your business. Opt-in means customers have given their consent to be contacted via text. It is 100% consensual and gives the recipient the option to unsubscribe to the messaging chain or ‘opt-out’ at any time. Now you’re aware of the opt meaning in text! The messaging has a high open rate, builds engagement, and allows targeted campaigns. Texts are also timely, convenient, and have a personal feel.
Building Your Text Messaging List
Offer an incentive for signing up, and promote your list on your website, social media, in-store, and email newsletters. Make it easy to sign up by texting a keyword to a short code. To grow organically, try to Run a contest or giveaway, engage social media followers, get customer referrals, and advertise your list in your location. To create compelling messages, be concise, personalize messages, use emojis and gifs (carefully), have a clear CTA, and provide value. Some Check-in message examples are, “Welcome back! Have a great meal”; Appointment reminder example, “Your haircut with John is at 5:30. See you soon!”
Personalized Timings
The best time to send these messages is Weekday evenings, lunches and breaks, and weekends. Avoid very early morning and late night. Strategize for timing messages based on customer behavior. Look for patterns in your CRM and analytics. Send messages when customers are most engaged with your brand. Personalization boosts engagement and relevance. Customize messages by using customer names, location details, and past purchase info.
Offering Incentives
To motivate the customers to join in, offer discounts, coupons, buy-one-get-one offers, free shipping, exclusive access to sales, and more. Use Time incentives to inspire immediate action, like scarcity and urgency, provide high perceived value, and promote your incentives on other channels. These could be mentions of a flash sale or a limited time offer on a well-received product. Maybe customize messages like these by checking what was previously on customers’ wish lists!
Complying with Regulations
Here is an overview of relevant regulations, including TCPA and GDPR. TCPA requires consent for auto-dialed marketing messages, and GDPR requires consent for any messaging with personal data.
The practices to stay compliant are getting prior express written consent, honoring opt-out requests within 2 business days, and sending messages to verified customers only. You must always honor opt-out requests. It allows customers to manage communication and maintain trust in your business. Only sending valuable content and offers provides an easy way for customers to opt out or update their preferences. Offering highly targeted messages also helps.
Measuring Success
Some of the key metrics to track for opt-in text messaging success are:
- Open rates
- Click-through rates.
- Opt-in rates
- Opt-out rates.
- Sales driven by messaging campaigns.
To measure and analyze performance, use tools that provide detailed reports on sends, opens, clicks, and opt-ins/outs. Integrate with your CRM to track resulting sales. Only then can you analyze the results and make future benefits based on historical trends and analyses of consumer preferences.
Evolving Your Strategy
It is very important to stay up to date with changing customer preferences and technology. Consumer preferences change quickly. New messaging options, like chatbots, SMS two-way messaging, and more, also emerge. Over time, many strategies for evolving your opt-in text messaging strategy exist. Survey customers to gauge interest in new options, test different messaging types, measure performance, and optimize your strategy based on trends.
Conclusion
Opt-in text messaging is an effective marketing channel, but only when permission and trust are established. By following best practices around list building, personalization, compliance, and more, you can have a successful long-term opt-in text messaging strategy using customers’ “opt-in” permission to stay in touch with your brand.
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