Text messaging is a potent and immediate form of communicating with customers, and one of the most effective tools marketers can use to get their message through, with an estimated 90% of customers reading their text messages within 3 minutes of receipt.1 Text messages are limited to 160 characters, and you think that wouldn’t leave much room for mistakes. But think again: text marketing’s inherent brevity makes it more prone to error, as senders mistakenly omit important details. As phrases, links and offers are shortened in the interest of space, mistakes occur. Avoid sending text messages with critical errors and use our handy text message pre-flight checklist before sending your next campaign.

1. Before You Send: Your Text Pre-Flight Checklist
Text messaging is a potent and immediate form of communicating with customers, and one of the
most effective tools marketers can use to get their message through, with an estimated 90% of
customers reading their text messages within 3 minutes of receipt.1 Text messages are limited to
160 characters, and you think that wouldn’t leave much room for mistakes. But think again: text
marketing’s inherent brevity makes it more prone to error, as senders mistakenly omit important
details. As phrases, links and offers are shortened in the interest of space, mistakes occur.
Avoid sending text messages with critical errors and use our handy text message pre-flight checklist
before sending your next campaign.
Before sending your text, check that...
Your company name is included in the body of your message
Your message contains a relevant call to action
Your message does not exceed 160 characters
You’ve checked for spelling and grammar mistakes
Any words you’ve abbreviated in the interest of space still make sense and don’t have
unintended alternate meanings
You’re promoting how to opt-out. CTIA mandates each SMS message you send contains
clear opt-out instructions. You can’t go wrong with “Reply STOP to opt-out.” At 21 characters,
it’s short and sweet.
If you’re sending people to a landing page...
Any shortened URLs are redirecting correctly
Outbound links land on mobile-optimized content
If you’re using offers...
You’ve correctly inserted coupon codes or offer links
Any offers have an expiration date
You’ve included redemption information (e.g. “show to cashier.”)
You’ve included information for point of sale staff on how to redeem if necessary
For more resources, check out: http://www.SignalHQ.com
1 Source: http://designtaxi.com/news/31968/Conversational-Advertising-Emergent-Trend-in-Mobile-Advertising/