Sending automated texts is one of the easiest ways to stay in touch with your customers. It’s direct, targeted, and has become a necessity for businesses in every industry. Plus, the service has a low-cost while delivering the best open and click-through rates. With all of these benefits, sending an automated text message to customers still requires a basic understanding of when to send it.
Timing Your Automated Text Message
Automated texts are sent for many different reasons:
- Sales and Promotions
- Welcome Message
- Holidays
- Birthdays / Anniversaries
- Events
- Appointment Scheduling / Reminders
- Confirmations
- Deliveries
- Surveys
Some should be sent during a specific time and day, while others should be sent immediately. The key is to know when to send an automated text message so you increase the possibility of getting a response.
The following categories for sending texts can help you organize the flow of traffic for your inbound marketing efforts:
- Immediate Response
- Delayed Response
- Scheduled Date and Time
Immediate Response
There are only a handful of situations that require a text to be sent with a sense of urgency.
Welcome Texts – It’s critical to welcome every customer that opts-in to receive your texts. Without a pleasant welcome, how will they know if they joined or not? Your customers expect it. Plus, it’s one of the most read texts you’ll send, so you should be prepared to send a series of texts that ask questions about what they want to receive via text. This helps segment your lists.
Confirmations – Appointment and order confirmations serve as a way to ensure that no mistakes were made during the process. They also give the customer a point of reference if they have any questions or need to make a change.
“Thank You!” Texts – The power of expressing your gratitude should not be underestimated. A quick Thank You! lets them know that they are appreciated and valued. It makes them feel happy, and a happy customer becomes a loyal one.
Start sending automated texts.
Delayed Response
A delayed response continues the conversation hours or days after a purchase or exchange takes place. This is a form of quality control for customer service and a way to understand how truly satisfied your customers are. These texts are typically sent after the following interactions:
- Purchase
- Product Return
- Appointment
- Asking a Question/Inquiry
Each of these interactions needs to be assessed for quality. This is an opportunity to answer any questions that may have come up during the interaction and resolve mistakes or errors that occurred.
Batch Texts: Scheduling a Date and Time
The goal determines the best day and time to send each batch of texts. If your customers need to take action, then sending the text earlier in the day gives them enough time throughout their day to respond. For appointment reminders, sending them two-days in advance should reduce last-minute cancellations and provide a window of opportunity for changes.
To get a better response to sales, promotions, events, and holiday greetings, the following days and times will help you decide what the best option is for your campaign.
Weekdays – Morning texts, sent between 8:00 am and 12:00 pm, have the best chance for a response. Early evening is also a good time, between 6:00 pm and 9:00 pm.
Weekends – On Saturday, people tend to be busier after lunch, so sending them between 8:00 am and 12:00 pm should capture their attention. Sundays are unique because the morning hours are quiet, but people turn to their phones in the evening to plan their week. A good time to send texts on Sundays is between 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm.
Holidays – What’s the goal of your text? If it’s to remind them of an event, promotion, or simply wish them a safe holiday, then earlier in the day is best, between 8:00 am and 12:00 pm.
Implement These Best Practices
Organizing your text marketing can be challenging. There are many tasks to coordinate and maintain. Implementing best practices for sending texts can overcome any hurdles while maximizing the return for each campaign. Timing is a significant component of whether a text message will be successful or not.