Whether or not you already use an SMS marketing system to manage your business, you are probably aware of the benefits that SMS has over standard e-mail or other marketing channels.

If you are considering a jump into the SMS arena, here are some tips that will facilitate the transition and help you avoid common mistakes that are often made when handling an sms marketing campaign.

If you are an old acquaintance of these, the below-mentioned tips will give your company the extra incentive it may have missed by explaining some fundamental shortcomings and then correcting them:

4 Best Tips for SMS Marketing

• Always record a call to action

The general consensus is that the open rate of text messages floats exactly around the 95 percentile mark, so it’s a good bet that you will attract people’s attention by sending messages. So now you have their undivided attention. What do you want from them? You must give the customer an option to communicate.

In other words, have a clear call to action. Include a position that requires an answer, a visit to a physical address or website, a discount coupon, or just call a number. In short, tell people what you want them to do in the minimum words possible.

Expressing what you want to do is actually only half the battle. Enchant them! Sweeten the deal by giving something back. Maybe you have some super cool software exclusively for customers to try out. You may have written an article in a  newspaper on a topic that matters.

Maybe you just want to show appreciation by offering a discount coupon during a special weekend sale. Keep the download option available when the customer signs up. What it comes down to is that they know in advance what they will do before they click on an action button that you offer.

• Segment your customers

If you do not segment, you will lose a wealth of potential sales. With SMS you can accurately examine your customer base based on individual interests. Services (or a product) can be offered to match what they need or want.

Keep your segments small in number and make an honest effort to categorize them so that your business can meet those specific needs. For example, create a segment for customers who purchase large quantities of products. Another segment can be customers who need a lot of customer service and are willing to pay for it.

Yet another segment could be reserved for people who buy products and expect them to be delivered immediately, regardless of the costs. These people would be placed in a group that needs special delivery services. This technique of segmentation will ensure simplicity and a better focus on the core needs and wishes of your customer base.

• Be short

The nature of the SMS is short, to begin with. The 160-letter length limit requires us to be short, sweet, and to the point. Maximize the information density. Respect your audience and do not try to block off an offer with false interest. Learn to give the most information with the least number of words. The best analogy to drive home is to imagine that you want to learn how to write a simple computer program.

You will find two books on the subject that teach exactly the same. Time is essential and you must learn it quickly. One is a 200-page book and the other is 100 pages long. Provided both are written with clarity and competence, which one would you choose? The same concept is at work here.

Customers have better things to do than read advertisements all day long. Give them the offer, tell them what you want to do, give something back to sweeten the deal, send a thank you message, and prepare for the next step.

• Don’t be greedy

Just because you are able to spam some poor lad’s phone with an endless stream of messages doesn’t mean you should. There is no fighting with unwanted e-mail or spam blocker filters. Your messages go directly to the target group and bypass all those customers who kill advertising guards. With this power comes great responsibility. Do not overload the customer’s phone with the same messages over and over again.

If you have repeat customers, do not include actions that have already been completed when sending follow-up messages. “REGISTER NOW” should not be seen. You already have that person’s information, so why ask again? It seems that you pay attention to neither the individual nor what you offer them. Give them new options or reinforce the options that they had not initially chosen.

Bulk sms service is one of the cheapest tools for conducting surveys or receiving customer feedback. If you know that their opinion is important to you, you can build deeper customer trust and loyalty.