5 Questions Your Customers Ask When Reading Your Bulk SMS Messages
When your customers or prospective customers receive your bulk SMS message, there are usually at least five questions in their mind that go a long way to determine how they will respond to your promotions. You must provide answers to these questions in advance before you hit the compose button and start typing that 160 characters magic sales SMS:
- What are the incentives? It is not just enough to let them know you have just purchased and installed the best printing machine in town or that you have the best hair-dryer in the hairdressing industry. Tempt them with incentives such as a coupon with a premium discount that will make them feel they are part of a secret community.
- Why is this message so long and boring? When using bulk SMS for business, try not to exceed the 160 characters limit. (You wouldn’t get this advice on many bulk SMS blogs in Nigeria since they want you to buy more units). So go straight to the point and try to deliver high value and your message will be on its way to being among the 90% of SMS that are read within the first three (3) minutes.
- What am I expected to do? When your bulk SMS ends without a clear call to action, it’s like having a pastor preach a good sermon without an altar call. Invite your customers to take immediate action such as sending “I’m interested” to a particular number or texting your keyword to your short code and ensure this stands out.
- Why should I act now? Even when your bulk SMS messages are well tailored to the right audience, your customers or prospects can still procrastinate taking action and eventually forget about your campaign if you don’t create a sense of urgency. Try including some sort of expiration date to encourage customers to respond faster.
- Is this an exclusive offer? Even with all the elements in the right place, customers will still feel reluctant to act if they perceive the offer in the bulk SMS is available to everyone. When sending bulk SMS to customers, always include the fact that the deal is exclusively offered to customers on a VIP list. This will make your customers feel they are part of something special. If the offer were available to everyone, then what is the appeal of being a subscriber?
