SMS marketing is often believed to be an outdated marketing solution, but if done right it is one of the most result-oriented and profitable marketing channels available so far. With a whopping 98% open rate, SMS is certainly one of the most powerful tools used by hundreds of businesses worldwide to reach their target audience and boost conversions.

In order to be successful with SMS marketing, the first and the most important step is writing a foolproof SMS marketing copy. If you have created an SMS campaign earlier, you must have a clear idea about using the limited 160-characters for your benefit.

Here are our 10 tried-and-tested tips to writing a short, concise, and to-the-point SMS marketing copy for successful campaigns:

1. Keep it Short and Simple

Text messages are meant to be short and concise. As a general rule, you’re not allowed to use more than 160 characters per message. Unlike emails that allow senders to write long messages along with supporting data and images, you only have a restricted slot in SMS campaigns to get your message across. That is why it’s extremely important that you choose your words carefully while writing your SMS marketing copy.

Make sure you pay special attention to the first few words of your message. Always use a strong hook to instantly capture your audience’s attention. Use powerful opening words like ‘SALE’ or ‘DISCOUNT’ to persuade your readers to immediately take your desired action.

2. Always Capitalize the Important Words

Because of its simplicity and ease of use, text messages are believed to be ubiquitous. However, there are some limitations you must pay attention to while writing your message. As there’s no option for the marketers to style or bold important words, you can simply highlight those words by putting them in capitals. Hence, if you want some words to be highlighted, you can capitalize them to achieve your desired results.

3. Personalization is the Key

With a professional SMS marketing service like SaturnText, you’ll be able to perfectly personalize your messages. There are certain tools available on the market that enable you to conduct thorough market research. Based on your research, you can craft a copy that directly addresses your target customer, making him or her feel more special and valued.

4. Use Clear CTA

A persuasive CTA is said to be the heart and soul of the text message. Your recipients are always looking for hints as to what they’re supposed to do once they receive and read your message. Ideally, you should place your call to action at the end of the message to instruct recipients to take a certain action right away.

5. Create an Urgency

No matter how amazing your SMS marketing copy is, your recipient may leave it for later if it fails to create a sense of urgency. For instance, instead of writing an ‘ongoing sale’ try to offer a limited time offer to your customers. Saying a sale will end in three days gives them a reason to visit your store as soon as possible and take advantage before the sale ends.

6. Offer an Opt-Out Route

Permission-based marketing is an essence of the SMS marketing strategy. In order to comply with new anti-spam laws and increase the credibility of your business, always include a clear opt-out option in your messages. Clearly explain to your recipients that they can opt-out/unsubscribe at any time if they’re no longer interested in receiving promotional offers and other information from your brand.

7. Use Power Words

In order to engage your target audience, it is important that you add relevant power words to your text. Make sure you use these words carefully and you’ll be able to hit your recipient’s emotions without making any additional effort.

8. Link Your Message with Mobile-Responsive Pages

As mentioned above, you have to follow the 160 character limit while writing your SMS marketing copy. What if you have other important information and resources to share with your audience? In order to add other details, you can simply link your text with mobile-responsive pages to increase conversion.

9. Avoid Long Sentences

Short sentences are memorable and more engaging. In order to maintain the attention and engagement of your reader, try to stick to a 5^th grade level. Always keep your selling points short and to the point so that they’ll stick in your reader’s mind and stay there forever.

10. Proofread

Last but not least, don’t forget to carefully proofread your messages before sending them out to your audience. Once they’re delivered, there’s no way you could make any adjustments so it’s extremely important to get them right the first time.

The success of your SMS marketing campaign mainly depends on the quality of your SMS marketing copy. If you think you can master the art of writing a persuasive SMS copy and haven’t given this thing a try, now is the time to develop amazing SMS content to drive sales and ROI.