Intro
Working in a new environment can be daunting, but it can also offer a great opportunity to expand! And we’re here to help you along the way. Here are a few ideas to help keep your texting operations running smoothly.
Declare who you are
When does this apply? All the time, whenever you start texting with someone.
Could you imagine receiving some kind of correspondence or seeing an ad that didn’t have the name of the business offering that information or product? That’s how your recipients may feel if you don’t state who you are when texting! Not everyone you are texting with will necessarily have your business’ number saved within their contacts. In order to avoid confusion and to remain in good standing with your customers, make sure to let them know who is texting them and why.
Examples
“This is Company A, sending you your deals for the month! ...” or “Hey, this is Jane at Company B. A blog post for the “How to Start Texting” blog series has been posted, called “Choosing a Number”. We will send you a text when the next blog is posted.” The underlined portion makes it clear who is contacting them.
Don’t shorten links
When does this apply? All the time, shortening links leads to undelivered messages.
Long links are not very pretty, we agree, but shortening your links can cause issues with your message delivery. If you’re not familiar with it, you have the ability to make a link that is long and full of letters, numbers, and symbols into a short little link that looks something like this: https://bit.ly/3tYkZGi. You should NOT shorten links before pasting them into your text messages. This is because if the network that the message is passing through cannot identify the location of the link, it may interpret the message as being nefarious, ultimately blocking your message and tarnishing the good history behind your phone number.
Examples
If you set up keyword automation that replies with a link to schedule a meeting, the message could look something like this: “Thanks for requesting a meeting! You can use this link to schedule a time that works well for you: https://calendly.com/beetexting-support/15min“
Inform individuals what they are signing up for
When does this apply? Whenever receiving consent to send informational or promotional texts.
Make sure to be very clear as to what people can expect when they are opting in to receiving your texts. Giving them proper expectations will reduce the likelihood that the individual signs up for your campaign and then opt out soon after. All you have to do is provide a few details alongside the method you use to garner people’s phone numbers, such as what you will text them about and how many times you will text them weekly/monthly.
Example
After someone texts a Keyword to opt-in to receive product updates, you send a message like this: “Thanks for signing up to receive Company A’s marketing text messages. We’ll send you deals that are 100% exclusive to our customers that have opted-in to receiving text messages, and we won’t message you more than twice a month. If you no longer want to receive messages, reply NO THANKS.” The underlined portion lets the individual know what they can expect to receive your company.
Let them know how to opt-out from the get-go
When does this apply? Whenever receiving consent to send informational or promotional texts.
Every individual with a personal phone number has the ability to opt-out of any business class texting campaign, but they might not know that. It is your responsibility to inform them. If an individual replies STOP to any phone number associated with a business, that number will no longer be able to contact that individual. Depending on your use case, you can either inform them of the opt with every text you send or mention it periodically, like once a month, depending on your frequency.
Example
After someone texts a Keyword to opt-in to receive product updates, you send a message like this: “Thanks for signing up to receive Company A’s marketing text messages. We’ll send you deals that are 100% exclusive to our customers that have opted-in to receiving text messages, and we won’t message you more than twice a month. If you no longer want to receive messages, reply NO THANKS.” The underlined portion lets them know they can choose to no longer receive messages. Prompting people to opt-out using “STOP” will cause them to block your number on a network level. Asking them to opt-out using a keyword or phrase of your choice allows them to opt back in, in the future.
Remind them of the program
When does this apply? Whenever sending out promotional text messages.
If you are periodically sending out promotional messages, remind them of what the program entails. You not only want to do this right from the get-go to set expectations but also during the campaign.
Examples
“This is Company A, sending you your deals for the month! ...” or “Hey, this is Jane at Company B. A blog post for the “How to Start Texting” blog series has been posted, called “Choosing a Number”. We will send you a text when the next blog is posted.” The underlined portion reminds people of what the campaign entails.
