There is nothing about the mobile space that makes me as mad as abbreviations that might as well be written in gibberish, messages that don’t tell me who they are from, and 1 am wake-up calls due to thoughtless text message delivery. I’ve come up with these “Rules of Thumb” (do you get it? You use your thumbs to text!) to help you avoid my pet peeves:
Rule 1: Tweens r not ur only audience
By now, u should’ve recognized that tweens r not ur only audience. Don’t send txts w/ mobile slang that only ur 13 yr old son/daughter would understand. Remember that moms, dads, bosses, college grads, & just about every1 in between represent a lrg % of ur mobile database. Ur end users will give u many thx for sending msgs they can actually read. If u find urself spending endless hrs trying 2 abbreviate a word just so it will fit in ur msg, then it’s prob not a gr8 word choice. Instead of forcing words 2b something they r not, try using abbreviations that work.
Now, take a better look at the paragraph you just read. Did you even realize you were reading “text talk”? This is a perfect example of how abbreviations should be used.
Rule 2: Identify yourself
Another thing that drives me absolutely crazy is when I receive a message with no company name. How in the world am I supposed to know who this is sending me a message if it doesn’t tell me who it’s from?
The standard reaction to this issue is, “Why can’t we just change the shortcode to a custom word? This way, when the message arrives in the end user’s inbox, it says the sender’s name, instead of the 5 (or 6) digit shortcode phone number.” I cannot tell you how many times this question comes up. Think about what you are asking me. A shortcode is a phone number, plain and simple. Did your mom’s name magically come up the very first time she called you on your new cell phone? No, it didn’t. I am willing to bet that you had to manually edit her name and number in your contacts. Look at the shortcode just as you would any other phone number.
Here is a solution that I think will solve both these issues. Always make sure to begin your messages with your “COMPANY NAME:”. More and more frequently, I have seen this format used, and I think it really works. Instead of trying to squeeze your company name in the middle of the message text, where it is bound to get lost amongst all the other words, just put it at the beginning. This way, your COMPANY NAME is the first thing the end user will see when they open the message, which brings me to my next point. CAPITAL LETTERS have a lot more impact than you would ever think. When you look at this paragraph, what stands out? The answer is obvious (that being said, use sparingly).
Rule 3: Timing is everything
And finally, on to my last rant. Do not send text messages to your database in the middle of the night. There is nothing worse than being woken up from a deep slumber only to find that 1 new text message has arrived in my inbox. To make matters worse, the constant “beep, beep” message alerter will not stop until I open that lonely, unread text. I think to myself, what can be this important? And then it dawns on me, oh yes, Little Town Movie Theatre just wanted to let me know that I can get, “FREE nachos with the purchase of any regular-sized slurpee.” Really, 3 am?
One of the greatest benefits of text is that it is controlled by you. Take advantage of this, and send your messages at a suitable time. If you are a restaurant that specializes in lunch, then you should probably send out your texts in the late morning, just as people are beginning to get hungry. Timing is everything, and the last thing you want to do is to annoy or irritate your consumer.
I know that these points may seem small and trivial to you, but let me tell you, you will see a world of difference if you take that extra minute to pay attention to details like this. It’s easy … there are three simple rules that will increase your effectiveness. Your end users will be happier, and you will see better results instantly!
