Own Goal Scored! When To Text And When Not To SMS.

The ‘Hand Of Clod’ can be applied to quite a few individuals who score own goals when they fail to understand recipient expectations with different channel messaging platforms. A good striker knows when and how to get through.

In business, as in the social media context, knowing when and what means to get your message across is critical if your online marketing campaigns are to succeed. With a profusion of channels now available, it is tempting to use every platform, in the mistaken belief that being seen and heard everywhere will imprint your brand identity with a wider audience take up.

But if one lesson is to be learnt by business owners working with their web design and marketing teams, it is that target market audiences are more likely to appreciate your efforts to reach them, if you show that you are in tune with what they want to hear, in the way they want to hear, by choosing the right means when attempting to connect. Thus, uou are more likely to gain a desired response.

Today, the mobile SMS can takes its place alongside the email marketing message, as an effective means of getting your message through. But to succeed, ’best practice’ is demanded. The development of mobile internet means etiquettes of practice will soon be established to avoid ‘overload’ and the sense of being constantly pursued. As in all traditional marketing strategies, focused targeting must consider the most appropriate manner of delivering the actual content of the message.

Mobile users who opt to receive text messaging, will give these messages priority over email, and it has been readily recognised that we are all more likely to instantly respond by immediately looking at our mobiles when the alert sounds. This does not mean that every marketing message should be piped out in this way, of course. Simply stated, if a text message will have the same value 24 hours from now, then it doesn’t merit sending as an SMS!

Employing SMS selectively for outbound communications is important so as not to abuse the ‘urgency’ principle. Your captive audience will feel privileged to hear about 24 hour, exclusive offers by text alert, but will not be amused if they are interrupted by a SMS, informing them of a product launch in one month’s time. That’s when an email is better employed. Your potential customers will not want their SMS inboxes filled up with irrelevant messages and may well unsubscribe to your channel very quickly.