Bulk SMS Best Practices: Engaging Messages and Effective Delivery
Crafting Compliant and Effective SMS Messages
SMS marketing is a powerful tool for driving client responses, appointment bookings, and sales, but it must be used responsibly to respect recipients and comply with regulations.
Essential Compliance Rules
Always obtain consent before adding a contact to an SMS campaign. Clearly identify yourself and your business by name in every message. If you are messaging a contact for the first time, or if it has been 90 days or more since your last message, you must include an unsubscribe instruction at the end. Examples include "Reply STOP to opt out" or "If you’d like us to stop texting you, just reply STOP." If a contact opts out, you must honor their request and remove them from future campaigns.
Strategic Best Practices
To maximize engagement, personalize your message by using the {{contact.first_name}} custom value to greet each contact. Send messages sparingly, no more than once per month, and respect personal time by scheduling sends during appropriate hours. For measurable results, include a strong, clear offer. Keep your message concise and exciting to avoid increasing unsubscribe rates. Offering something for free can maximize interest and start conversations that build trust. Use a casual, conversational tone and avoid overusing exclamation points or emojis. To spark a direct connection, ask one clear question. Avoid sending links, as they can cause deliverability issues and detract from the conversational nature of SMS. Only send messages when you are prepared to respond to replies promptly.
Message Examples
Poor Example: A long, overly enthusiastic message that lists numerous services and fees, which can feel like spam.
Good Example: "Hi {{contact.first_name}}, this is Ashley from Bob’s Fitness, we’re giving out a few 10-day passes and I wondered if you’d like one? If you’d like for us to stop texting you, reply STOP." This message is personal, clear, offers value, and includes the required unsubscribe instruction.
Setting Up and Sending Your Bulk SMS Campaign
Selecting Contacts and Composing Your Message
Begin by selecting the contacts you wish to message. You can use Smart Lists to filter your contact database. Click the Send SMS button and then Ok, Proceed. Type your message and give the action a title for internal reference.
Choosing a Delivery Method
You have three options for sending your messages:
- Send all at once: This option delivers the message to all selected contacts immediately. It is best for one-way announcements that do not require a response.
- Send all at schedule time: This option allows you to set a specific date and time in the Start On field for the message to be sent to all contacts at once. This is also ideal for scheduled announcements.
- Send in drip mode: This method slowly delivers the message to your contact list over a period of time. It is the best choice for messages you expect to generate conversations and replies.
Configuring Drip Mode Settings
When using drip mode, you can configure several settings to control the flow of messages:
- Start On: The date and time when the system should begin sending messages.
- Batch Quantity: The number of messages sent each time the system triggers a send.
- Repeat After: The time interval to wait before sending the next batch of messages.
- Send On: The days of the week when messages are allowed to be sent.
- Process Between Hours (optional): A specific time window within each selected day when messages will be sent.
For example, you could set up a drip campaign titled "Database Reactivation: Black Friday Weekend Promo" to start on November 29th. You could configure it to send 10 messages every 3 minutes, only on weekdays and weekends, but only between the hours of 10:30 AM and 11:00 AM each day.