What is one tip you wish you knew sooner when it comes to texting leads?

It is important to make sure that your text messages are clear and concise when you are communicating with potential leads. One tip that may be helpful is to use acronyms sparingly and make sure that the recipient knows what they mean. Additionally, be sure to proofread your messages before you send them in order to avoid any potential miscommunications. When texting leads, it is important to remember that brevity is key. However, this does not mean that you should sacrifice the quality of your content.

Segmenting lists and personalizing text messages is one of the biggest determinates of a successful texting campaign. You want messages that target different types of customers, from age groups, interests, and where they are on the customer decision journey. This will allow you to make a more impactful impact if you can meet each customer where they are and offer a strong call to action based on that information.

Using SMS templates when texting leads will save you tons of time and energy, and they can be just as effective as non-templated texts if you use them correctly. To get the best results, try personalizing your SMS templates with your customer's first name; your texting platform should have SMS templates that show you how to use this feature. Make sure you have a bunch of SMS templates that can be used in different situations. For example, have a template that starts with "Happy Monday!" that you only use for texts sent on Monday. This small bit of personalization will increase the chances that your text will be read and answered by your lead.

Running A/B tests on your SMS campaigns quickly determines which messages and promotions work with new leads and which miss their mark. And with SMS, you can test your message content (including emojis, GIFs, and CTAs) or send times to gain insight into your audience behavior and use that information to optimize your campaign messaging. You can also test various types of campaigns, including personalized messaging and introductory deals. But be sure to test one aspect of your message at a time to get the most accurate data results.

According to statistics, text messages are less likely to be left unread than emails, making them ideal for communication with law firm clients. But I wish I knew about setting up a Google Voice Account sooner, so I could have exchanged text messages and calls with more clients without giving out my personal number. Google Voice service is free and comes with the added benefit of the option to email transcriptions of text and voice mails, which are particularly useful in my practice.

Your text subscribers aren’t going to have much interest in your texts unless there’s something in it for them. Even though you may have given them perks for signing up, you still need to provide value with every text, or else they will unsubscribe. So you must include a call to action in every text campaign. Ideally, this should be an offer they can’t refuse like a flash sale or a special discount.

Carriers understand dodgy URLs as spammy communication if there have been no previous text messages sent. Shortened URLs that don’t specify a domain name and use lots of numbers are a stronger indicator of potential spam because people can’t see where the link will take them, using branded links that are visible is much more advisable.

If you’re dealing with international leads, you need to be incredibly mindful of what time it is there when you’re sending out SMS messages. More people keep their SMS notifications on than their email during off-hours, with 77% of people leaving their notifications on at night, meaning you’re more likely to disturb and irritate them at an inopportune time. When you organize your SMS lead inbox, make a note of every prospect’s time zone and send your messages throughout their day, not yours, for your best shot at conversion.

When texting was first introduced as a marketing tool, I was eager to utilize this method because I saw it as having endless possibilities, however, looking back, I wish I also recognized the importance of timing. Leads will provide signals as to their interests by response times or lack thereof, and recognizing those can be the difference between a conversion or rejection. Sending no more than two texts between responses, making initial contact post sign-up after a few days rather than instantaneously, and recognizing whether the lead should continue to be pursued, are all critical aspects of being a responsible marketer that took me some trial and error to learn. Had I known these critical factors earlier, I would have saved a great deal of time and effort, and had the savvy to be able to direct customers who were on the fence to conversions.

One amazing tip I wish I knew sooner when it came to texting leads is to be patient and don't over text them. When a potential lead appears and you have the chance to reach out to them and talk it can be very exciting and promising! If you are especially lucky enough to get this lead's phone number, it can be like a dream come true. It's always important to not let this excitement go overboard and reflect upon your communication. Sometimes a person may get too excited and bombard the recipient with a bunch of notifications and messages that may get annoying especially if that person is anxiously waiting on an important answer. Over-texting can give the impression that you are impatient, excessive, or overly demanding, which is bound to make a lead uncomfortable and stop the conversation. Make sure to stay patient, always be professional, and keep your cool when sending and receiving texts from your leads.

When I was first starting out in business, I was forced to wear many hats, thus I tried to save time by repackaging my emails to my texting leads, and I wish I knew sooner, that method was ineffective. Email and SMS messaging both have distinct advantages, however, they are tailored to their medium, and are completely inappropriate for the other, making it a poor choice to try to simply transfer the exact same message. Email is appropriate for longer messaging, meaning that people who derive value out its content are willing to read and consider them in their purchasing decisions. In addition, there is generally little urgency attached to them. In sending longer email messages to my texting leads, they were almost immediately discarded through loss of interest and no call to action. Though it was in an effort to consolidate time, had I known emails did not translate well to SMS, I would have spent the time to create better texts.

I wish I knew that texts have a much higher open rate than emails. Research shows that texts have an average open rate of 98% (as opposed to 20% for emails). Had I known this, I would have begun investing more of our efforts in phone communication sooner. I’ve seen a higher return on investment for our marketing efforts since moving in this direction.

Establish a relationship with the lead before texting them. Since texts are immediate and prominent on mobile devices, customers may feel bombarded if you send a text as soon as they subscribe. If a potential lead shows interest in your brand, consider reaching out through emails. Schedule a call if they want more in-depth information. Texting is a tool you can use more effectively once you’ve built a connection and cultivated trust with the lead.

Including your name every time you start a new SMS conversation helps boost your response rate. Always introduce yourself by name, even if you’re reaching out to a repeat prospect again. Many leads practice “inbox zero” in their SMS folders, regularly deleting conversations. Add a simple SMS signature at the end of any lead-building texts, signing off with your first name and the company’s name. If it’s the first time you’re reaching out, explain how you got the lead’s number. Using tact here is essential to ensure you don’t alienate the lead before the conversation gets off the ground.

SMS text marketing is a fantastic way to reach your target audiences, but only use this type of ad sparingly. A lot of customers tend to dislike receiving too many promo texts especially as people are always opening them. The open rates are always higher using SMS, but try not to overdo it and spam your customers.

Engagement is the best way to use texting leads to use texting in a way that is smart for your customers and makes an easy yes or no response to increasing engagement. You have to be careful to send at the right frequency so as to not annoy your customers.

When you start texting leads, I think the biggest desire is often to get in as much relevant information as possible. However, that can sometimes cause your messages to be filled with jargon, or be overwhelming to a reader. Instead of just spamming a prospect with a long text message that lists everything important about your product, I often find that introducing yourself, your company, and asking if it's a good time to chat is a good place to start. Asking first is courteous, and can open the door for you and your prospect to have an engaging conversation. Too much information in a text message can cause you to send a long message that gets ignored or left on red. Sayin "Hi, this is Kyle from Lift Vault. I was wondering if you had time to chat?" prompts the prospect to answer a question, entering a much more productive back and forth that should serve you better through the sales conversation.

One tip I wish I knew sooner when it comes to texting leads is to keep the messages short and sweet. I used to think that I needed to write long, detailed messages in order to get my point across, but I quickly learned that most people prefer shorter texts that are easy to read and understand. Now, I make sure to keep my messages brief and to the point, and I've found that my response rates have increased significantly as a result.

When texting a customer, always avoid the mass text. Meaning, you want to personalize your texts to avoid your customers feeling spammed and instantly deleting the text thread. Call your customers by their name, ask them specifically about any past purchases they've made, and continue to make suggestions according to what you've previously learned about them. If they're a new or potential customer, ask them questions about their style or their needs in order to gauge how you can best serve them.

Texting leads should be short and sweet, not as long as an email. Make sure that it is about 2-3 sentences or less, nothing more. If it is a longer text, send it as an email instead. SMS marketing should only be used as a quick way to engage a lead not the main way.