The Art of Writing Text Messages that Sell

SMS marketing has the highest open rates of all communication tools at 98%. However, sending text messages and getting customers take action are two different things. The average human’s attention span is only eight seconds, so how can you write outstanding texts that get your audience to not only read, but ultimately make a purchase?

In this article, we will look at what a winning sales text message is and the best practices for writing text messages that actually sell.
These tips will work for all industries, from real estate and staffing to automotive and finance. Read on!

How To Plan for SMS Text Messages that Convert

In order to have an effective SMS marketing strategy, you need to start from a strong foundation. One or two well-written text messages here and there will prevent you from building trust and generating the highest levels of conversion.

Here are two ways to start building a foundation for writing powerful texts:

1. Establish Your Unique Selling Proposition for Your Target Audience

Your USP (unique selling proposition) is the essence of the entire marketing strategy. Before writing any kind of marketing text, make sure you know how your brand solves customers problems and stands out from the crowd. 

Here are a few tips to establish your USP:

1. Focus on your target audience’s pain points
2. Keep your USP short and sweet
3. Use strong words to convey the product’s benefit
4. Think of one thing that makes the product or service stand out from what other businesses in your industry
5. Write a headline that grabs the reader's attention

3. Understand the Product or Service

Before you start crafting marketing text messages, make sure that you thoroughly understand the product or service being offered. If necessary, compare it with similar products and services on the market and understand in detail what makes your offer unique and better than others in the market.

For example, does it solve a common problem in your area? What unique features does it have? How will these features help the user? If you can't explain why your product is valuable, you won't be able to convince others about its value.

The Components of Sales Texts

To get long-term benefits from business text messages, your text message strategy should be based on a few of the most important components. The goal isn't just to talk about your product or service--it’s to make sales! In order to do that, you need to approach customers with understanding and value.

1. Customer Benefit

A vital component of any sales strategy is how the customer benefits. In other words, you must try to answer the question: “What’s in it for the customer?” 

For example, suppose you are writing a sales text for kitchen knives. You could say, "Our knives are made with special stainless steel. " While this sentence contains important information about your product, it doesn’t express how the product ultimately benefits the customer.

Customers do not make purchases based on product descriptions--they buy something for the end result.

In the example above, a better sales text might say, “Special stainless steel keep your knives sharp for years to come.”
Now, we have a benefit: customers will be able to cut things without re-sharpening their knives too often. Just imagine how much work this will save them!

2. Product Benefits

Your selling text should also communicate the benefits of the product. In the example above, the addition of the word “special” instead of just “stainless steel" communicates that this product is different from others.

Keep in mind that in this example, it would be important to clearly explain what “special stainless steel” means to the customer.

3. Storytelling Style

Your sales copy needs to be created in such a way that it matches the situation and the exact person you are approaching. Don’t be too dry or too flowery. It is important to make sure that the text is easily understood by the target audience and that it aligns with your communication goals.

4. Stay Concise

Your text must be clear and understandable to everyone, whether they read your written text once or not. Being concise is the most important component of an effective sales text. The shorter the sales text, the higher its efficiency**.**

5. Grab the Reader’s Attention

Writing a sales text is not only about using good grammar and spelling correctly. It's also about grabbing attention, creating interest, and ultimately encouraging the reader to make a purchase.

The main goal is to grab the reader’s attention and pique their interest. You also want to evoke a response or nudge them in such a way that they get more excited about your product or service.

6. Show Social Proof

Texting is a particularly great place to showcase your happy customers. Include comments from your users and even testimonials that vouch for the quality of your products or services. By using testimonials and case studies within your marketing, you’ll boost confidence in your offerings.

7. Fact-Based

By include relevant facts in your selling text, you’ll show customers that you know what you’re talking about.

For example, if you are selling a social media marketing service, you wouldn’t use an overgeneralized statement like “Social media marketing is important.”

Instead, saying, “There are 4.55 people active on social media.” is much more engaging and relevant.

Including facts and statistics in your sales copy helps you build trust with your audience, which is essential for conversions.

8. Include a Clear Call to Action

When you write a sales text, pay attention to the CTA. Does your text motivate the reader to buy, register, or take an action immediately? If not, it's time to make some changes.

The language should be clear and unambiguous. If you don’t ask, they won’t do it.
Instead of "Click here" or  "Read more," use "Buy now" or "Sign up for a trial account".

3 Examples Of Good Sales Texts

Example 1

Do You Know Enough About Your Travel Destination?

TA Travel App is the only travel app that lets you know what to expect when visiting new countries, right down to interpreting the exact looks on local people's faces as they greet you. From cultural norms to obvious signs of danger, it's the first travel app that does more than just translate the local language or tell you how much a taxi ride will cost (though we can do that too).

Available for IOS and Android devices. 

Download today and start your free demo

Example 2

Are You Ready To Start Smiling?

When you visit us at Smile Dental, your smile is our top priority. Our entire team is dedicated to providing you with the personalized, gentle care that you deserve. Now you can laugh and smile to your heart’s content in public, without worrying about what your smile looks like.

Book an appointment today.

Example 3

Spend Less Time Getting Lost And More Time Enjoying Your Holiday

TA travel app helps you focus on the good parts of travel by ensuring you're taken care of in every step. It's like having a local friend in every city so that whatever happens, there's one less thing to worry about and more time for the journey.

Not convinced? See what our satisfied users are saying:

It is a very useful app for me and my family. TA Travel will always be our first choice no matter where we go. I also love that you can save all your favorite locations so you can access them quickly. Joyce. TX.

Download here.

Writing Formulas for Great Text Messages

1. AIDA

AIDA is a four-step model to help you write copy that actually gets results.

In this formula, start by writing sales copy that attracts the reader’s attention. Provide enough information to make the offer desirable, and drive leads towards the intended action

2. PAS - From the Problem

PAS is a simple formula for persuasive writing. It stands for Problem, Agitate, and Solve.

1. Problem: Identify your reader’s pain point.
2. Agitate: Emphasize the problem so that it gets uncomfortable.
3. Solve: Provide an answer or solution.

The idea behind PAS is to provoke an emotional reaction from your reader. If you can create  a sense of urgency in the readers’ minds, they are more likely to respond to your call to action.

3. ODC

ODC stands for offer, duration, and call to action.

These are three important components of a successful sales text.

• Offer: Your product or service.
• Duration: A time-based motivation to buy.
• CTA: What you say to turn them into a customer

Here’s an example of ODC in action:

Hey (Name),

I just found this cool new app that's free for the next 10 days. It helps you create beautiful images for social media, and it comes with a library of over 5 million high-quality photos & videos you can use anywhere. 

Open a free account here to check it out (link).

4. Giving Hope

This formula can be broken into 3 parts:

• Pain
• Hope
• Solution

When texting with this formula, you craft your message in such a way that resonates with the reader’s pain. You then give the reader a hint of hope by presenting the solution.

5. Before-After

This formula is about making your text message as graphic as possible so the reader can visualize themselves using your product or service. A winning selling text is graphically detailed. When reading or listening to it, the customer can practically see the before and after picture in their mind.

Sales Text Template

Not sure how to start writing text messages that sell? Follow this template and the eight tips below to get started.

1. Headline

Every word in the text message is important, but it’s what comes first that matters most. This is why you should take time to write headlines that immediately grab the readers' attention and make them want to know more. 

Quick tips:

• Keep it short and sweet
• Use active voice and strong verbs
• Use power words

2. Emotions

Emotions influence how effective your marketing materials will be. When writing about your customers’ pain points and solutions, do it in such a way that it resonates with the reader’s struggles.

3. Logic

Convincing your clients begins with addressing a problem and showing them why they need to solve that problem. That's where the "problem pitch" comes in.

The problem pitch is a simple, logical way of laying out why your client or customer needs to take action in order to manage or solve a problem. 

Here's an example of a good problem pitch:

"You know what I hate about my phone? The battery always dies when I'm out somewhere and don't have access to an outlet. It's so frustrating! But this new case solves that problem with a built-in charger. Now I never miss important calls or emails."

4. Facts & Proof

Writing compelling copy is about establishing trust with your customers, and one of the best ways to do this is by showing proof on your web pages.

When buyers are looking for information, they want facts too. You need to provide them with clear proof that your product can meet their needs and solve their problems.

5. Addressing Objections

The best way to handle objections is to address them up front. Put yourself in the buyer's shoes and think about what might hold them back from buying from you. When you address these concerns directly, you’re a lot more likely to receive an influx of sales.

6. Guarantees

Guarantees take the risk off of the customer. Assure potential customers that your product or service will do what you say it will do by offering them a satisfaction or refund guarantee.

7. Limited Time Offers & Options

Create urgency with limited time offers and stock. If the customer thinks there are limited items left in stock, then it’s likely that they will want to purchase quickly before everything is sold out. 

See this example;

As a way of thanking you for being our customer, we'd like to offer you an exclusive 30% discount on your next [product] order. To take advantage of this offer, simply click the link below before 12 midnight and choose one of our fantastic plans.

8. Call to Action

Although CTAs only get a few seconds of your readers' attention, they're essential if you want your texts to convert into sales. This is the last piece of the message that tells the potential client what to do. It is vital you make this part as clear and as concise as possible.

13 Text Message Marketing Best Practices

SMS sales best practices are evolving as more businesses realize the power of the direct and personal connection with their clients. With SMS open rates reaching as high as 98%, business text messages are one of the most effective ways to reach the people that matter to your brand. Discover even more creative ways to use texting for your business in our guide.

But before you send business messages, keep these SMS sales best practices in mind:

1. Study the Product or Service

Before sending business text messages, you need to study and understand the product and service you are writing about. The more you know about what you're selling, the more confident you'll be in communicating with your customers. 

2. Define the Target Audience

The key to any successful SMS sales campaign is the target audience. If you're sending messages to people who aren't interested in your product or service, your campaign will inevitably fail. That’s why it’s crucial to understand your audience.

3. Capture Attention

Craft content that captures attention. Remember, you only have 160 characters,  so your message should be specific and actionable. I.e.; "Get 20% off shoes today only" or "Reminder: Your order ships today."

You can also use keywords like “free,” “new,” “sale,” and “discount” in your pages to capture your customers’ attention.

4. Trust, Objection, and Call to Action

Your SMS marketing campaign should focus on three key elements: trust, objection, and call to action.

Trust

The best businesses are built on trust. In order to do that, be honest, concise, and upfront in all SMS messages. Build trust by offering value and encouraging authentic conversations--instead of only asking for sales.

Objection

Anticipate objections is a good practice in all marketing mediums. The way you address these objections in your sales pitch could mean the difference between having and losing a customer.

CTA

Having a strong CTA is very important when making sales pitches via text message marketing campaigns. The reader has to be clear on what you want them to do at the end of the text. 

5. Always Get Permission

When it comes to sending SMS messages, the number-one rule is to always get permission. Consumers are increasingly protective of their mobile phone numbers, and they're quick to blacklist companies that send texts they do not want. 

Even if you have good relationships with your customers, ensure that you have an opt-in feature before you start building your list. Create an irresistible offer to encourage consumers to sign up for your campaign.

6. Use an SMS Sales Tool

Using an SMS sales tool can save you time and make your messaging more effective. A good tool will let you personalize your messages so that they feel more natural and less like marketing spam. This is especially important for SMS marketing, where space is limited.

An SMS tool like Smarter Contact integrates with your CRM so that communications are automatically saved and so that you can keep track of your leads as they move through the sales funnel. 

7. The Power of Storytelling

Sales is an art of storytelling. Tell your customer a story where your product features and make them imagine themselves using it. Use storytelling to put ideas in the head of your users.

A message that tells a story or conveys an emotion will be more engaging and memorable than just a message with copy.

Make it personal.

8. The Power of the F

When designing your SMS sales message, you should leverage ‘hot zones’ which are in the shape of an F on your web pages. These ‘hot zones’ happen to be at the top of an article and the middle of the text. Place the most important information here. 

The ‘hot zones’ grab the eyes the most. Crafting your message in these zones gives your pages an intentional design and also ensures that readers go through most of it.

For instance, if you have a picture of your product, put this on the left side. Relevant text information can then go on the right side.

9. Highlight the Value

Another important thing you should do in your SMS sales campaign is to talk about the value of what you’re offering. Why should your customers care about what you have to say? Why does it matter? If you can get that across in your message, you’re likely to push more leads to a sale.

10. Keep it Brief

SMS messages should always be short and sweet, not more than 160 characters. You want to keep them as simple as possible, with one clear call to action and a link to your website to learn more about the product or service being advertised.

11. ​​Get Your Timing Right

One of the most important elements of SMS marketing is timing. Avoid sending SMS messages between 10 pm and 7 am. Your customers are unlikely to make a purchase if you wake them up in the middle of the night.

If you're not sure when your customers are most likely to be receptive to your SMS marketing messages, split test different times of the day and days of the week and compare open rates.

12. Experiment, Analyze, Optimize

It is important to experiment, analyze, and optimize your SMS sales strategy, just as you would with email or social media marketing

Keep track of what works and what doesn't. After all, every SMS aims to convert potential customers in some way. Therefore, if you see a lot of clicks from one message and none from another, try changing it up. 

Analytics are key for every campaign. Comparing variables such as open rates and CTRs against the data rates shows just how effective each message is. 

Once you find what works best, keep using it and updating it over time. Don't be afraid to tweak your texts until they generate consistent conversations--that's how the best SMS campaigns are made.

Conclusion

If you have a business and you're not utilizing SMS marketing, you are missing out on a lot of opportunities. With about 97% of Americans owning a mobile phone, this channel offers an unparalleled opportunity to reach consumers on their preferred devices anywhere in the world. 

For instance, if you run a real estate company, you can use text messaging for real estate to communicate details about viewings, discuss features, and even conclude negotiations. When you promote your products via text message, you can capture attention with a short advertisement and then direct readers to your website for more details.

Start by using the best business text messaging platform, Smarter Contact. This text messaging and relationship-building solution helps businesses engage with their customers in a more meaningful way.

You can send bulk and tailored text messages, schedule limitless campaigns, monitor replies, and much more with Smarter Contact's fully-featured SMS platform--without any technical expertise.

Are you ready to take advantage of SMS marketing to increase your consumer base and expand your company?

Start your free trial today!