We all know that a standard SMS is short; just 160 characters. That one short sentence has to work pretty hard. In one business sms marketing message you have to introduce your company and get your offer across in a convincing and compelling way. On top of that you need to give the person some sort of response mechanic, whether that is a phone number to ring, website to visit or just an option to reply to the text. As if that wasn’t enough, you are also required by law to give the recipient the chance to opt out from future business SMS marketing messages.
It would seem an almost impossible task in just 160 characters. There is however a blindingly obvious solution, that most people seem to ignore. Why not just send a longer text? A standard text is just 160 characters but you can send a message of up to 612 characters long. Sending a long text will cost more than one text credit but often this is a small price to pay compared to the benefits that the longer text brings.
I suppose it’s the very thought of doubling the cost of the business SMS marketing campaign that puts most people off. But when you consider that a single text costs just a few pence, in many cases this sort of frugality is a false economy.
Compelling argument for using a long text
One Text Marketer customer who operates a Domino’s Pizza franchise in the North West has been sending out text campaigns to his customers for many years. If he sends an SMS out to his database, he knows exactly what sort of response to expect. Following a conversation with us, he decided to send a longer text; using two SMS credits for his next business SMS marketing campaign. We offered to share the cost of the campaign, so that his budget wasn’t increased. By sending a longer text the message was given more air and he was able to avoid using text speak. Results were startlingly positive. The overall response rate rose from an average of 3.8% to 4.9%, a percentage increase of about 25%.
Omer Shabir, the franchisee commented:
“I was very surprised that we took so many more orders using a long text. I was expecting there to be a small increase but not as much as there was. Even though it’s going to cost me more, I’m still going to send longer messages for my next batch.”
So it’s definitely something that’s worth testing. Using a longer text gives you the opportunity to get your message across much more clearly and more powerfully than the standard 160 characters.
If you haven’t yet got a Text Marketer account, you can set one up here for free. You will receive 10 free text credits for testing. There is no setup cost or monthly fee, you just buy as many text credits as you need.
We’re always on hand to give you some advice if you’d like, so please feel free to call us on (0117) 205 0202.