The Rules of Proper Texting
Despite the overwhelming preference of your customers for you to text them rather than call, there are still some etiquette guidelines of business text messaging Kansas State to follow.
Make or ruin the relationship you have with consumers by using proper business texting etiquette.
Please don't do that!
To assist B2C enterprises in navigating the murky waters of text message marketing, we have compiled a list of do and don'ts.
DO:
· Be yourself and talk to people.
· One of the reasons text messaging is so popular with clients is because it's a more informal communication than email or phone calls.
· The use of "text slang" is acceptable, but it's not the same as texting your customers like you text your friends.
· As long as the emojis make sense and are used sparingly, they are acceptable.
· It's alright to use well-known abbreviations if they help convey your point.
· There are a few things to keep in mind when texting directly with your customers: don't include emojis, abbreviations, or anything else that could confuse or waste the recipient's time.
· In the first message, introduce yourself.
· Finding out who sent the text message shouldn't require the client to become a detective.
· You're out of luck if they don't have your phone number or email address on their contact list.
· So when you send your first text, make sure to introduce yourself or at the very least give a brief description of yourself.
· The CTA or directions should be clearly stated.
· You should include clear instructions when asking clients to act, such as clicking a link, writing a review online, or texting you back.
· Even if it's tempting to offer something ambiguous like, "Let us know when you can come pick up your order!"
· If you want your customer to know what you're looking for, say, "Text us back to let us know when you'll be by!"
· Text message etiquette sets the stage for a call to action by establishing a positive impression of your company.
· You may ask for an online review or invite them to a sale on the weekends.
DON'T:
· Make use of capitalization and punctuation to your advantage.
· Punctuation and capitalization regulations have always been a bit of a challenge when it comes to text messaging.
· After all, you still want to maintain a professional image.
· An important principle here is to experiment and discover what works.
· If you're going to see how customers react to utilizing ellipses (...), dashes (-), and other punctuation, go ahead and do so.
· The same holds for capitalization as well.
· If applicable, capitalizing your sentences (or even entire words) can be tested to observe how response rates change.
· Don't send long URLs via text message.
· Reading a paragraph that has been overwhelmed by a long, unwieldy URL is just aggravating.
· Brands should not rely on modern texting services to automatically shorten URLs.
· Before giving out your URLs, use a service like bit.ly to shorten them.
· Ensure that you reply.
· Don't be late in responding.
· Leaving a customer on "read" for three days is like going a customer in your waiting room for three days.
· As a good rule of thumb, aim to respond to your customer as quickly as possible or even faster (preferably faster).
· Make sure your customers know that you are very interested in communicating with them by responding quickly to their questions.
· Don't be a slouch.
· Texts should not be sent at night when clients may be asleep.
· Ordinary people go to bed at a far earlier hour than you, and I do.
· That's something to keep in mind.
· It's a decent rule of thumb to keep most of your communications between the hours of 9:00 AM and 6 PM unless the consumer initiates the conversation first.
· Do not be cold.
· Make a connection with the customer.
· There is no better way to create a relationship with your customers than through texting them.
· Do your best to be polite and helpful to everyone you come into contact with.
