Entry By Kim Humes
Text message marketing can be a fast and affordable way to get important messages to your customers. However, it can be a huge waste of time and resources to send out messages randomly - when it comes to text message marketing campaigns, timing is everything.
If your customers receive one of your messages at a time when the information is not relevant to them, they will likely ignore it or even be annoyed by it. How you time your messages can have a great impact on what action your customers take, if any.
How often should I send my message(s)?
Less is more. The last thing you want to do is alienate your customers by bombarding their inboxes with several messages every single day. At the same time, you don’t want your customers to feel neglected (as they might if you only send messages out once a month). One or two messages each week strikes a nice balance – it gives your customers some breathing room, but also lets them know you are still there. At least one of your regular messages should include some kind of incentive – discounts, coupons, free products – no matter what the timing.
What time of the day/week should I send my message(s)?
The main point you want to keep in mind is that you want your text messages to drive traffic toward your business. You want to give people incentive to come see you or make contact with you and ultimately, make a purchase.
What times during the day and week is your business the most desperate for traffic? Sending messages on days when your business tends to be slow is a good way to grab your customers’ attention. For example, retail stores tend to be slower when the weather is bad or there are no major holidays coming up. Sending special deals to your customers may surprise them, and therefore intrigue them enough to visit. Sending a “same-day” deal drives them to come your way even more since they don’t have the option of waiting.
Thinking about how your customers plan their lives in relation to your business is another great way to figure out the best timing for your messages. Do you host events? Send your first blast a few weeks before the event encouraging registration or providing registration incentives. Then send a reminder 3 days before or the morning of to get people pumped leading into the big day/night or to pick up last-minute attendees.
If you run a business, such as a salon or a clinic, that requires appointments, text messages can be a great way to send reminders – either about existing appointments or about appointments that have not yet been made, but should be (e.g. dental cleaning). Texting customers the day before not only
reminds them, but gives them time to adjust their appointment if needed. Plus you are not reminding them so far in advance of the appointment that they simply end up forgetting again.
Sending out a promotional message to restaurant customers approximately 1-2 hours prior to meal time catches people as they are making plans. Most people tend to think about what and where they are going to eat lunch around mid-morning, and dinner around late-afternoon (maybe 4pm). Giving a customer incentive to visit your restaurant just as they are thinking about where to eat could mean the difference between them choosing your business over a competitor.
One of the biggest motivators for today’s consumers is convenience, so overall it is extremely important for businesses to provide this to their customers as much as possible. Make it easy for them.
Text message marketing can be a great way for businesses to get in touch with their customers – but time is money. If you don’t send your messages at the right time, you might as well be sending them to your grandmother.
Don’t risk your text messages being overlooked by your target audience – learn how to time your marketing messages effectively.
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