3 Problems with Text Message Blasting

The humble text message is often in the shadow of its flashier counterparts, like email campaigns or social media marketing. However, there's an underrated charm to text message blasting for your business worth exploring.

Imagine this: it's a busy Monday morning, and you're running late for an important meeting. You're rushing out the door, but your phone chimes with a quick text from your favorite coffee shop around the corner. "Hey there, need that caffeine kick? Show this text for 10% off your morning brew!"

This small yet powerful nudge saves you money and ensures you'll be grabbing your coffee from that familiar corner today.

There is a clear underrated appeal to business text messaging – its directness, personal touch, and ability to reach customers wherever they are. However, like every marketing tool, text message blasting has pros and cons. It's essential to know its potential problems to harness its full potential.

Here's our guide to help. Let's explore the common pitfalls businesses face when using text messaging as a marketing strategy. Additionally, we will discuss how to strike a balance between engaging and annoying your audience.

What is a Text Blast?

Text messaging is a timeless tool that continues to be popular. With a staggering five billion people globally still sending and receiving SMS messages, approximately 65% of the world's population stays connected through text to this day.

Essentially, a text blast is sending a generic, one-size-fits-all message to the masses that may reach a large audience. This often fails to create a lasting impact or build genuine relationships with customers.

This is where the concept of text blasts starts to fade into irrelevance, paving the way for advancements in AI text automation tools like Meera.

With Meera, businesses have a dynamic edge in delivering messages with efficiency and real-time conversations, leveraging the power of AI texting.

As text messaging continues to be a vital part of global communication, the transition from text blasts to AI-driven tools like Meera is a natural progression. By adopting this innovative approach, businesses can maintain efficiency while offering a more personal and engaging customer experience.

Potential Problems with Text Blasts

As a traditional method of SMS marketing, text blasts have potential drawbacks - especially when it comes to today's customers. These problems, if not handled correctly, can negatively impact your relationship with customers and the overall effectiveness of your SMS marketing strategy.

Here are some of the common challenges to keep an eye on when using text blasts:

• Message Fatigue: Bombarding your audience with too many texts can lead to message fatigue. Customers who feel overwhelmed or spammed might disengage or opt out of your messaging list altogether.
• Opt-Out Rates: Customers have the option to opt out of receiving texts. High opt-out rates can erode your subscriber list and reduce your outreach potential.
• Relevance: Sending generic messages not tailored to your audience can result in disinterest and disconnection. A lack of relevance can quickly dilute the impact of your text blasts.
• Timing: Poor timing can be detrimental. Sending texts at inconvenient hours or too frequently can annoy customers and damage your reputation.

Understanding the delicate balance between engagement and annoyance is key to maintaining a positive relationship with your customers while harnessing the power of text marketing. 

It is for this reason that conversational text messaging is now the preferred method for capturing leads, nurturing them, and qualifying them for sales.

Types of Messages

With text marketing, it's all about sending the right message to hit the mark. SMS open and response rates can soar as high as 98% and 45%, respectively, but it all hinges on the types of messages you're putting out there.

Promotional Messages

Around 71% of consumers plan to shop digitally for the holidays. This is why businesses increasingly rely on promotional messages to communicate with their customers. They serve as a drumroll announcing your upcoming sales, discounts, and exclusive offers.

In today's world, consumers prefer receiving these enticing updates through text messages. It's a direct and immediate way to notify your customers about the deals they don't want to miss, and it's precisely the kind of alertness that text blasts bring to the table.

Personalized Messages

The power of personalization in text blasts cannot be overstated. Research shows that 80% of consumers are more likely to purchase when they feel like the experience is tailor-made for them.

Text messaging software has made personalization a breeze through features like templates, scheduling, and the ability to include recipient details. 

When your customers receive messages that speak directly to their needs and preferences, your open and response rates increase, creating a more engaged and satisfied customer base.

Bulk SMS Blasts

Bulk SMS blasts are the way to go for certain businesses looking to communicate on a grand scale. This approach allows you to reach out to a large audience simultaneously, effective for sharing promotional messages, announcing new product releases, or sending appointment reminders.

As text blasts are impersonal, this may not work with complex or consultative sales cycles. These businesses often deal with intricate products, services, or solutions that require a more personalized approach.

You can maintain efficiency in sending to your target audience while still delivering a personal conversation with conversational text messaging. Utilizing these various messaging types in your SMS marketing strategy can make all the difference in reaching and resonating with your customers.

Issues with Message Content

You will need to overcome the challenges of SMS marketing, as these can affect the delivery and reception of your messages. Let's delve into some key issues related to message content for text message blasting and how to tackle them effectively.

Spam Filters and Folders

It's no secret that spam filters are the gatekeepers of our digital inboxes. Marketing messages alone account for 36% of all spam worldwide – a number of which probably weren't intended to be flagged as spam.

When your messages land in spam, they go unnoticed - defeating the purpose of your campaign. To help you navigate this challenge, here are five key tips that can significantly reduce the risk of your text blasts being relegated to the spam folder.

• Obtain consent: The foundation of any successful SMS marketing campaign is obtaining explicit consent from your recipients. This means they should willingly sign up to receive your messages. Use clear and transparent opt-in forms and make it easy for subscribers to understand what they're agreeing to.
• Craft Clear and Relevant Content: Craft your message content carefully, avoiding spammy language, excessive punctuation, or excessive capitalization. Plus, be sure your message is directly related to the recipient's interests or preferences. You're less likely to trigger spam filters by providing value.
• Use a Recognizable Sender ID: Consistency matters when it comes to the sender ID you use. Frequent changes or using an unfamiliar sender name or number can raise suspicions and result in your messages being flagged as spam. A recognizable and trusted sender name contributes to higher deliverability.
• Respect Timing and Frequency: Be considerate of your recipients' time and inbox space. Avoid sending messages during unusual hours or too frequently, as these behaviors can be interpreted as spammy. Respect different time zones and frequency preferences to maintain a positive sender reputation.
• Monitor and Respond to Feedback: Keep an eye on any spam complaints that may arise and be quick to respond to them. Ignoring feedback, much like delayed sales follow-ups, can tarnish your sender reputation. Address complaints, remove complainers from your list, and use their feedback to improve your messaging strategy.

Avoiding the dreaded spam folder not only ensures your messages are seen but also helps you build a positive reputation and maintain a strong connection with your subscribers. 

Unsolicited Messages and Opt-In Forms

The key to addressing unsolicited messages lies in implementing proper opt-in forms. These forms allow recipients to provide their consent to receive your messages voluntarily.

This consent is not only a courteous approach but also a legal requirement in many regions. Complying with anti-spam regulations is essential to maintain a positive relationship with your audience and avoid potential legal repercussions.

By opting-in, your customers are giving you a clear signal that they want to learn more or stay engaged with your brand. Therefore, making this process as easy and transparent as possible is crucial.

Also, it's wise to offer choices in frequency and type of messages to give your recipients more control over the messaging they receive. Finally, always provide an easy opt-out option to maintain respect for your customers' boundaries and choices.

Lengthy Messages or Attachments

When sending messages via text blasts, keeping it short and sweet works best. Mobile carriers often impose limitations on message length, which means that sending lengthy messages can lead to messages being split or cut off. Additionally, large file attachments can have a negative impact on message deliverability.

To circumvent these issues, optimize your message content, keeping it concise and to the point. For sharing longer or multimedia content, consider alternative methods such as providing links or using multimedia messaging services (MMS).

By addressing these issues with message content, you can enhance the effectiveness of your SMS marketing efforts and ensure that your messages not only reach your audience but also engage them in a meaningful way.

Preparing Your Contact List

Before you embark on a successful text blast, be sure to lay the groundwork by preparing your contact list. An accurate and well-organized list can make a world of difference in the effectiveness of your campaign.

• Keep It Up-to-Date and Accurate: Start by ensuring your contact list is up-to-date and accurate. Remove any outdated or incorrect entries, including inactive or unsubscribed numbers. It's crucial to maintain a clean list to avoid sending messages to the wrong recipients or violating regulations.
• Organize into Relevant Groups: Once you've cleaned up your contact list, consider organizing it into relevant groups or segments. This step involves categorizing your contacts based on demographics, preferences, or any other criteria that make sense for your campaign. For example, you might have separate groups for loyal customers, new leads, or subscribers interested in different product categories.

In this way, you can send more targeted and personalized messages, increasing the relevance of your text blasts and, ultimately, improving your response rates. Plus, it allows you to avoid sending messages that may not resonate with certain segments, minimizing the risk of opt-outs or irritation.

Keeping it up-to-date and organized ensures that you're sending the right messages to the right people, increasing the chances of a positive response and a successful campaign.

Technical Considerations for Text Blasts

When it comes to executing successful text blasts, technical factors can either be your best friend or your worst foe. Among these considerations, one major hurdle to overcome is the compatibility between mobile phones and carriers.

Mobile Phones and Carrier Compatibility Issues

Compatibility issues between mobile phones and carriers can throw a wrench into the smooth delivery of your SMS messages. These problems can result in delays or, in some cases, complete failures in reaching your intended recipients.

Compatibility issues include:

• Network Problems: Sometimes, mobile phones and carrier networks just don't play nice. This can lead to delays in message transmission, especially in areas with poor network coverage. Messages may get stuck in transit, frustrating both you and your recipients.
• Technical Difficulties: Technical glitches can occasionally cause SMS messages to behave unpredictably. These issues may be on the carrier's end, your messaging platform, or even the recipient's device.
• Carrier Outages: Carrier outages can be a nightmare for any SMS marketer. When a carrier experiences technical difficulties or goes offline, it can disrupt the entire delivery chain, leading to message failures.

Navigating these compatibility issues requires vigilance and a robust technical infrastructure. Maintaining regular monitoring of your chosen carriers and messaging platform, as well as being prepared to troubleshoot any issues that arise, will help you mitigate these challenges.

After all, your goal is to reach your audience effectively, and technical hurdles shouldn't stand in your way.

Wrapping Up

It's crucial to acknowledge and address challenges that may arise with text message blasting. Additionally, this age-old strategy requires a more innovative solution, which is now available through conversational text messaging.

With an AI text automation tool, you can provide a more personalized customer experience with accurate human-like conversations while maximizing the efficiency of responding to leads immediately and connecting them with sales effectively.

A robust tool can also help you navigate the complexities of message fatigue, opt-out rates, relevance, and timing, ensuring that your SMS marketing strategies remain impactful and well-received by your audience.

With the right approach and the ideal tool, you can leverage the underrated charm of text messaging for your business and keep your audience engaged and satisfied.