While no text message marketing campaign is completely devoid of opt-outs, there are common mistakes that can dramatically increase the number of of people who unsubscribe.
According to a study by Hello World, the average opt-out rate for a bulk SMS campaign is only 3.7 percent. If your rate is any higher than that, you may be doing something inadvertently to drive subscribers away. Here are five reasons why customers opt out of SMS marketing:
- Timing. Sending messages at the wrong time can greatly impact opt-out rates. The report found that the rate for opt-outs on messages sent during the week was only 1.8 percent, but that number jumped up to 5.8 percent when messages were sent out on the weekends. Based on this, stick to normal business hours when texting.
- Frequency. Nothing will drive a customer to opt-out quicker than if they feel like they're getting too many messages. Send only the minimum number of messages to retain the overall impact of the campaign.
- Tone and content. Unprofessional messages will likely drive opt-outs. When crafting your message, avoid abbreviations and text speak, as well as industry terms and slang. Also, use humor carefully, as some may be easily offended.
- Irrelevancies. Customers need to feel like the messages they're receiving are relevant or else they'll want to stop getting them. Make sure offers being sent out are current. Add variety to messages to keep people interested.
- Customer service. If your customer service is lacking and causes a bad customer experience, subscribers will no longer want to participate in your SMS marketing campaign. Controlling the customer's experience and ensuring your service is up to industry standards will go a long way towards the success of a campaign.
Swift SMS Gateway has the tools to help organizations launch a strong SMS strategy that will increase customer engagement and expand their marketing potential.
