Every day, a huge 18.7 billion texts are sent around the world. That's over a million per second! The massive popularity of SMS texts means that they're a superb medium for marketing, yet many companies don't harness SMS text marketing's abilities to their fullest.

SMS marketing needs a great SMS message as its starting point. If the message isn't great, fewer people will click the link or otherwise respond to the text. In this guide, we'll show you how to craft better messages that get results for your business. Ready to learn more? Read on!

1. Avoid Slang and Text Speak

When writing your SMS text messages, avoiding text speak is vital. It looks unprofessional, which doesn't inspire confidence in your company. Similarly, slang is also to be avoided for the same reason. Your marketing SMS message should be written in full sentences. If you do not have enough room to say what you want to say, consider rephrasing it, or cutting out unnecessary words. You've only got a limited amount of space to play with, so choose your words carefully.

2. Include a Call-to-Action and a Sense of Urgency

If your text message trails off without inciting the reader to do something, you're far less likely to win customers. You're more likely to simply waste their time and your money.Call-to-actions are decisive phrases that instruct your reader to do a certain action. For instance, you could tell them to "click here to find out more" or "act now." These create a psychological sense of urgency. This sense of urgency should also permeate the rest of your text. For example, tell your customers when a certain deal ends, or that it's only running while stocks last.

3. Personalise Your Messages

Bulk SMS text messaging doesn't need to be impersonal. You should be able to personalize your messages to include the customer's name, using a similar technique to that of mail merge. Using a customer's name or other information that you have about them will help them trust you. They may feel that the message is targeted more at them and their interests, which may also make them more likely to take action.

4. Avoid Complexity

A great SMS message needs to be pithy. It should grab the reader's attention without taking up much of their time. For this reason, avoiding complexity in your messages is vital. Keep it simple. Tell the recipient what you're offering, including a price, tell them when it's going to end and finish the message with a CTA. If you can keep it down to 100 characters or so, you're doing great.

5. Let People Opt-Out

There's a big difference between bulk texts and spamming. It's not a line that you want to walk, so include an opt-out option for your customers. This is as simple as asking them to text "STOP" or a similar phrase to a certain number, so make sure that you give them that option.

Improving Your SMS Text Marketing

SMS text marketing is a fine art: by using the tips that we've outlined, you'll be able to craft better, more persuasive messages that will get better results from your customers. If you'd like to start sending out bulk messages, our platform can help you. With our system, you can schedule texts, personalize them, send a birthday text to your customers, and much more. For more information, get in contact with us today!