Getting started with text message marketing [Checklist]

Using text messages is a great way to create a sense of exclusivity, provide top-notch customer service or send sensitive information directly to your customers. If you haven’t started using text messages as part of your marketing or customer experience then guess what? You’re in the right place!

We’ve created a checklist to help you learn the basics and get you started with your very first text message marketing campaign. Some of the core aspects you’ll be covering in the checklist include:

• What to think about before creating a text message
• What to include in your text message
• Things to do before sending a text message
• How to measure text message results
• Just fill in the form and it’s all yours.

Hmmm, not ready to download? That’s ok. Keep reading for an overview of what we cover in the checklist.

Before you start text message marketing

It’s really important that before we start sending to contacts and before we even start drafting a text message that we start thinking about why we are sending the text message in the first place. Firstly, pick a strategy. Determine the purpose of your text messages and ask yourself whether the purpose is purely marketing related? Or is it transactional? For example, receipts, confirmations, last minute booking updates? Perhaps it’s both. That’s totally fine but you just need to be aware that the two can follow different rules and legal guidelines.

Next you need to review the law which is totally dependent on the kind of text messages you’re sending i.e. marketing related or transactional (as mentioned above). Check out the Global Email Marketing Compliance Guide which includes resources for electronic messaging. It’s a fantastic resource that will point you in the right direction for law material wherever you are.

Once you know the purpose of your text messages and the relevant rules and guidelines that apply to each, you need to make your contact list. You might create that list by exporting from your current datasource or you might create the list within your text messaging platform. In Ungapped the two may be connected which makes things a whole lot easier. The important thing to do with contacts is that you need to double check that all contacts have valid mobile numbers (with the correct country code) and not landline numbers. If they have a landline number, such as a company telephone number, your text message will not reach them and all your efforts will have been for nothing.

Last thing to do before you start drafting the SMS for your text messaging to to set a budget. It’s always a good idea to set a budget for new marketing efforts so that you and your team stay on track. Doing so will make sure only the most relevant text messages are sent and will keep your costs under control.

Download the checklist and keep reading this post

You’ll be directed to a download form which doesn’t take any longer than 30 seconds to complete. Click here to download the checklist.

Please note that this checklist is designed for Ungapped users only. If you don’t have an account you can create one for free here.