When it’s time to connect with your customers, the opportunities run the gamut. From using social media marketing strategies to building an email list, it’s not hard to secure at least one channel for brand-building efforts. However, if you want to compete in this world of short-form content, instant gratification and breaking news cycles, go from long-winded to concise with your short code practices. Consider the following ways to get started.
1. Develop a Perfectly-Timed Schedule
Conduct extensive research in order to learn more about the best times to send short-code messages to your audience. While the numbers range from 150 to upwards of 400, people check their phones more than 100 times every single day. While it’s safe to say that people will see your company’s messages, being visible isn’t the final goal. Learn more about human behavior surrounding the times when most people are likely to take action. Depending on the audience you have, it might be best to send more messages after 12 pm. Just as much as the time of day matters, the number of text messages matters. You’ll want to send enough to remain at the top of your mind without being too pushy or annoying.
2. Add Personal Touches
A wise person once stated that the sweetest word in the world is a person’s name, as most people love to see or hear their own name. Lean into that special fact by personalizing your messages. Whether you’re sending a reminder message about an upcoming sale or a quick text about the newest inventory, lead with a customer’s name. When they see their name, it’ll come across as though they’re receiving a text message from a close family member or friend. Plus, using personalization helps to create a sense of familiarity that’s appropriate within this context. You’ll want customers to feel as though they’re part of the company’s culture and family.
3. Make Communication Feel Like a Two-Way Street
As a business owner, there’s a desire to maintain an ongoing relationship with the consumer in order to help the business thrive. Even though the relationship is a two-way street, it’s not uncommon for customers to feel as though the communication becomes one-sided. When a company has an ongoing sale, the customers get a promotional text message. However, if the customers have questions about business hours or any other details, it’s not as easy to get in touch with the customer service reps with the ease of short code texting. Thankfully, there are ways to make it easy. Make your shortcode system easy for customers to respond with any questions, comments or concerns. Based on the message they send, your system can forward the correspondence to the relevant department for continued correspondence.
4. Track Your Various Campaigns
If you’re using a new promotional graphic across your social media platforms, use a specific keyword or short code text code that helps you distinguish this marketing campaign from your other campaigns. When each campaign has its own keyword or unique code, this helps you track the progress and data of each campaign’s performance. When you’re able to discover which ones operate the best, you can duplicate and scale the process. It’s also helpful to know what didn’t work in order to make sure you improve your process and ditch the ineffective options.
5. Honor the Short Code Guidelines
While it should go without saying, never spam your customers. When someone trusts you with access to their personal phone, this is a privilege you don’t want to abuse. Additionally, it’s against the law. The TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act) includes mandates surrounding spamming customers. When this happens, your company will receive a fine. Depending on the type of carrier a customer has, they might not receive the message at all. This is because there are short code compliance measures that the CTIA adheres to. Even with making sure there are no spamming practices or ineffective marketing practices, some carriers just don’t allow short code messaging. Knowing this, always keep additional marketing strategies within your arsenal.
Using Short Code in the Future
As you develop your short code best practices, include these pointers in your efforts. Lean in the direction of growth and what that entails in order to make this marketing tactic work beautifully.
