SMS text messaging offers marketers many advantages over other advertising vehicle. First, SMS messages have a 98% open rate — five times higher than for email. That means that nearly everyone who receives your text message will take a look at it.

And that means they’re more likely to react to it. Marketing studies show that coupons distributed by SMS are redeemed eight times more often than those sent in emails.

However, SMS messaging has its own challenges. Here are some tips to help you write the most effective SMS text messages.

Know your audience

Identify who they are, what they know about you, what they like and what they need that you can fulfill.

Know your purpose

Why you are sending a text message? What business or organizational goal are you trying to achieve? You need to state this clearly so you can draft the message that will help you achieve it.

Personalize the message

Personalized target marketing is SMS messaging’s greatest strength. When possible, use the recipient’s name. Send a message that matches each recipient’s interests and needs.

Give them value

What’s in it for the reader? Your message has to give them a reason to keep reading and to react.

Call to action

The message has to contain information, but it also has to tell the reader what to do next. Give them a concrete action, such as opting into a subscription, downloading a file, following a link, redeeming a coupon or registering for an event.

Keep it short and simple

SMS limits text messages to 160 characters, so every word and every character has to count. If your message is too complex for 160 characters, send a link to a web page or a download — but this means the text has to deliver a compelling reason to follow the link.

Put your name on it

If your message doesn’t make it clear who it’s from, your recipients might think it’s spam or malware and delete it. In the next blog, we’ll look at some tips for the most effective wording.