How to write persuasive SMS for marketing

“Tomorrow, you may want to persuade somebody to do something. Before you speak, pause and ask yourself: “How can I make this person want to do it?”

Dale Carnegie.

When we initiate a communication, we seek a response from the recipient. As a business, we face the challenge of generating enough interest for users to react to our message.

How can we get the customer interested and willing to accept our proposal?

Robert B. Cialdini, with his six principles, shows us some resources to create persuasive messages.

For example, with the principle of reciprocity, he invites us to offer something in exchange for what we ask for: an additional gift for the purchase, free shipping, discounts, etc.

Using scarcity is also a very effective persuasive resource: last units, only 24 hours, etc…

These are highly effective persuasion techniques that trigger reactions in users.

But in addition to these techniques, there are some recommended guidelines to get the most out of online text messages.

Keys for writing a persuasive SMS

1# Hello Juan vs. Dear customer

Talk to your customer. Behind every phone number, there is a person. Successful communication is conditioned by how you present yourself and talk to your customer. 

It has been proven that personalization increases conversion, and for this reason, it is not the same to address someone by name as it is to call them “customer” or “user.”

In addition, the message must be relevant, offering valuable content related to the recipient’s interests.

A message sent without segmentation is equivalent to the famous saying “selling brooms in the desert.” It is completely useless and has a negative impact on the brand’s image.

There are specific persuasion tactics that help to capture the customer’s attention. This is the case of certain keywords that awake the user from his lethargic state: free, discount…

Once you have captured their attention, remember to live up to those generated expectations.

“Well done is better than well said”

Benjamin Franklin

2# The benefit of the product.

The message must be focused on the customer to cover a specific or relevant need. Beyond the product itself, there is the benefit it brings. This motivates the customer and is the deciding factor for the purchase.

“Don’t tell me how good you make it; tell me how good it makes me when I use it.”

Leo Burnett

3# The Call To Action

They are interested in your proposal, so what now? what do they have to do? Buy, subscribe, share…?

Avoid vagueness such as “If you want to know more details, visit our website.” The user is comfortable and in a hurry, and unless you make it easy for him, he won’t do it. Say exactly what you expect from him. Be clear and direct.

And in this sense, if we are talking about immediacy and clarity, SMS can’t be any more clear. Even more, since you are able to include a short URL in the message, your customer is just one click away from your website, online store, blog, social networks… Easy, simple, and direct.

SMS Marketing is a communication strategy as persuasive as it is effective. In just 160 characters, you can talk to your customer, appeal to their benefit, and make them react with a simple click. Interesting, isn’t it?

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