Language changes constantly. Words change meaning — sometimes, a word can come to mean the opposite of what it once did. Did you know that “resentment” once meant the same thing as “gratitude”? Now, it means the opposite. And consider “snowflake”: at one time, if you called someone a snowflake, you meant they were unique. Now, it describes someone who’s over-sensitive, whose feelings are as delicate as a snowflake on a sunny day.

The same thing happens in text messaging. The meaning of some words shift as language shifts. The rules about what’s considered polite or appropriate are changing, too.

Know the audience

While sending a single message to a group of people makes sense, you don’t necessarily want to send the same message to everyone in your list. For your text messaging campaigns to be effective, segment your SMS text contact lists, and write messages to match the interests and needs of your audience.

Quality control

Too many problems are caused by careless communications errors. Before you hit Send, double-check the message. Send a copy to other people in your organization that you trust. Make sure it has the impact you wanted it to. And then, triple-check for spelling and punctuation — and that it says what you intended.

Keep it simple

You only have 180 characters, so your message has to be short. To make it effective, as well, keep it simple: one message, one idea, one clear call to action.

Keep it clear

Using emojis and abbreviations is tempting — after all, they reduce your character count. But use them only when you can be certain everyone in your target audience knows what they mean.