How to Write Great Copy in 160 Characters

Posted by admin on May 01, 2009
Author: 
MobileActive
Abstract: 
A quick guide on writing effective text messages in persuasion and advocacy campaigns.
Location

Be clear about your goals

In order to write effective copy for your text message campaign, keep two goals in mind that all social marketing messaging should achieve to be successful:

  • It should generate more new supporters or constituents in new areas or
  • It should generate more activities (actions, donations, etc) from existing supporters

Messages are determined by the goal that you want to achieve. For example, you'd communicate differently if you want to generate new supporters than if you'd want to stimulate a specific activity, such as making a phone call or a donation.

Trying to accomplish both goals in your message is hard and may make the point blur.

So, it's important that you articulate the goal of the mobile campaign clearly before writing any messages.

Strategic Considerations

Before designing a mobile social marketing campaign using SMS, consider:

  • Who is the message addressed to? (new or existing supporters?)
  • What response is required? (Is there an action that you want constituents to perform?)
  • What is the message? (What is the core point that you want to get across?)

The Spike Effect

Most text messages are acted upon within 20 minutes of receipt. Mobile is at its best when it demands immediate attention and requires an easily acted-upon action.

Examples include:

  • 'Call now'
  • 'Turn your TV on now to see...'
  • 'Show up in 30 minutes and bring a poster'
  • 'Sign the petition now by texting back...'
  • 'Forward to a friend now'
  • 'Donate now to support...'
  • Remember to come tonight...

The Content: Creating a Great Message

A social marketing text message must be

  • understood
  • remembered
  • acted upon

SMS is challenging in this regard. With a limit of 160 characters you have to think very clearly about how to phrase your message. If there is a call to action it should be kept simple and concise.

Some tips:

  • Think like your constituent.
  • Make your point in as few words as possible without missing out on any important information.
  • Talk less about features, and more about benefits! Describe VERY briefly the WHAT, then three magic words: "which means that" and the action or benefit - for a directly simple, effective and positive message.
  • You need one short sentence about why you are texting right now: Time is running out to pass the anti-deforestation bill! (this is 57 characters)
  • A new launch, an event, an urgent action, a success are all great message points for a text message.
  • The action should be very clear: Make a call now to your Congress person at 555-555-5555 to pass bill #555. Call now and thanks! (97 characters)
  • Calls to action might be: Make a call, sign up, forward to a friend, reply yes/no, sign the petition, etc.
  • If you want your supporters to make a call, include the phone number TO call -- you are sending the message to their phone, after all!
  • Do not use insider terms or abbreviations that a normal person may not understand.
  • Test, test, test. If you have a large-enough mobile list, test different messages with a small subset and compare responses to see which is more effective before sending the final message out to your entire list.
  • Let me say that again: Test, test, test. Remember the point from above about being 'understood'? Many text messages we see are incomprehensible to anyone but an insider. Make sure the recipient understands you by testing the message before sending out!
  • And of course, be sure to follow the mobile marketing guidelines - never send to anyone who has not explicitly opted in to your mobile list. For the detailed guidelines on how to market via mobile, see the guidelines of the Mobile Marketing Association.

Abbreviations: No, no!

  • Do not use abbreviations unless you know that your audience understands exactly what they mean. Do not assume that your supporters do!
  • Many older users who are increasingly using text messages may not understand or like cute abbreviations, so be very weary of using them, as tempting as that may be to save space.

Technical Considerations

  • There are occasionally restrictions on the special characters that some networks and systems support. For example, when sending Unicode characters, most providers will limit the characters to 69.
  • Although the number of characters is limited to 160, it is possible to spread a single message across multiple messages. You could deliver a 320-character message, which would simply arrive as two messages. This is done through a process called concatenation. The majority of commercial products support concatenation, either by default, or as a special setting.

However, while concatenation is possible, it is not advisable. It enables you to write far longer messages, but for the recipient there may be an inconvenience and cost in reading two messages (which arrive as two separate SMS messages). Content may also be confusing when there is a delay and the second message arrives first. Try to avoid them!

In sum: Have fun writing your copy, and let us know how it worked!

How to Write Great Copy in 160 Characters data sheet 8914 Views
Author: 
MobileActive
Abstract: 
A quick guide on writing effective text messages in persuasion and advocacy campaigns.
Location

Be clear about your goals

In order to write effective copy for your text message campaign, keep two goals in mind that all social marketing messaging should achieve to be successful:

  • It should generate more new supporters or constituents in new areas or
  • It should generate more activities (actions, donations, etc) from existing supporters

Messages are determined by the goal that you want to achieve. For example, you'd communicate differently if you want to generate new supporters than if you'd want to stimulate a specific activity, such as making a phone call or a donation.

Trying to accomplish both goals in your message is hard and may make the point blur.

So, it's important that you articulate the goal of the mobile campaign clearly before writing any messages.

Strategic Considerations

Before designing a mobile social marketing campaign using SMS, consider:

  • Who is the message addressed to? (new or existing supporters?)
  • What response is required? (Is there an action that you want constituents to perform?)
  • What is the message? (What is the core point that you want to get across?)

The Spike Effect

Most text messages are acted upon within 20 minutes of receipt. Mobile is at its best when it demands immediate attention and requires an easily acted-upon action.

Examples include:

  • 'Call now'
  • 'Turn your TV on now to see...'
  • 'Show up in 30 minutes and bring a poster'
  • 'Sign the petition now by texting back...'
  • 'Forward to a friend now'
  • 'Donate now to support...'
  • Remember to come tonight...

The Content: Creating a Great Message

A social marketing text message must be

  • understood
  • remembered
  • acted upon

SMS is challenging in this regard. With a limit of 160 characters you have to think very clearly about how to phrase your message. If there is a call to action it should be kept simple and concise.

Some tips:

  • Think like your constituent.
  • Make your point in as few words as possible without missing out on any important information.
  • Talk less about features, and more about benefits! Describe VERY briefly the WHAT, then three magic words: "which means that" and the action or benefit - for a directly simple, effective and positive message.
  • You need one short sentence about why you are texting right now: Time is running out to pass the anti-deforestation bill! (this is 57 characters)
  • A new launch, an event, an urgent action, a success are all great message points for a text message.
  • The action should be very clear: Make a call now to your Congress person at 555-555-5555 to pass bill #555. Call now and thanks! (97 characters)
  • Calls to action might be: Make a call, sign up, forward to a friend, reply yes/no, sign the petition, etc.
  • If you want your supporters to make a call, include the phone number TO call -- you are sending the message to their phone, after all!
  • Do not use insider terms or abbreviations that a normal person may not understand.
  • Test, test, test. If you have a large-enough mobile list, test different messages with a small subset and compare responses to see which is more effective before sending the final message out to your entire list.
  • Let me say that again: Test, test, test. Remember the point from above about being 'understood'? Many text messages we see are incomprehensible to anyone but an insider. Make sure the recipient understands you by testing the message before sending out!
  • And of course, be sure to follow the mobile marketing guidelines - never send to anyone who has not explicitly opted in to your mobile list. For the detailed guidelines on how to market via mobile, see the guidelines of the Mobile Marketing Association.

Abbreviations: No, no!

  • Do not use abbreviations unless you know that your audience understands exactly what they mean. Do not assume that your supporters do!
  • Many older users who are increasingly using text messages may not understand or like cute abbreviations, so be very weary of using them, as tempting as that may be to save space.

Technical Considerations

  • There are occasionally restrictions on the special characters that some networks and systems support. For example, when sending Unicode characters, most providers will limit the characters to 69.
  • Although the number of characters is limited to 160, it is possible to spread a single message across multiple messages. You could deliver a 320-character message, which would simply arrive as two messages. This is done through a process called concatenation. The majority of commercial products support concatenation, either by default, or as a special setting.

However, while concatenation is possible, it is not advisable. It enables you to write far longer messages, but for the recipient there may be an inconvenience and cost in reading two messages (which arrive as two separate SMS messages). Content may also be confusing when there is a delay and the second message arrives first. Try to avoid them!

In sum: Have fun writing your copy, and let us know how it worked!


2 SMSs is more than 320 characters

Thanks for a nice piece. In South Africa if you send a double-SMS it has to be less than 320 characters as the networks use some to concatenate the 2 SMSs. Here it's 7 characters, I think. It's worth bearing in mind that some older phones will receive the double-SMS as 2 separate ones; ideally one should aim to have a 'logical' break between the 2 SMSs so that those with old phones at least don't get words broken across the 2 SMss.

Our testing of 'textese' (shortened txt-speak) here has shown that it is not universal and is used more for IM chatting than SMSs. We try to avoid using it.

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