Businesses large and small, across industries, are discovering the wide array of benefits to using business texting. According to smallbiztrends.com, 69% of consumers across all age groups want to receive text communications from businesses. In fact, that number increases to 75% of consumers under the age of 44!
Business texting can be used for many different purposes including:
- Appointment reminders
- Deals and promotions
- Loyalty programs
- Customer experience surveys
- Lead engagement
If you have already started your business texting strategy, let us help you craft your messages more effectively with these sample text messages to customers!
12 Sample Text Messages Your Business Can Send to Customers
- Appointment reminders
Sending customers carefully crafted appointment reminders can save your business money by cutting down on cancellations and no-shows. In fact, less than 5% of scheduled appointments are cancelled after the customer receives a text reminder.
When writing appointment reminders, there are a few things to remember:
- Your business never wants to sound pushy (this is a good tip for all business texts). Appointment reminders should be gentle, but informative.
- Include a sense of urgency!
- Allow customers to text you back. Automate your text messages to include responses to confirmed appointments, cancelled appointments and frequently asked questions.
Here are a couple sample appointment reminders to send via text:
- Hi Fran! This is a reminder of your appointment with Dr. Glasses on 7/25 at 10am. Please reply ‘yes’ to confirm, or ‘no’ to cancel. Thanks!
- Regina, we’re just dropping in to remind you of your cut & color appt. at Fancy Hair on 1/31 at 2pm. Please reply promptly with ‘CONFIRM’ or ‘CANCEL.’
If your customer confirms their appointment, reply with a quick thank you message or additional instructions they may need, such as your address. If they cancel, however, text them back with instructions on how to reschedule. Allow customers the option to use text to reschedule or direct them to your website.
Example:
- Sorry you won’t be able to make your appointment! Would you like to reschedule? Reply with ‘YES’ or ‘NO.’
- OK, we understand! To reschedule this appointment, please visit our website at www.businesssite.com.
- Coupons and Promotions
Another effective way to use business texting is by offering text subscribers exclusive coupons and promotions. 83% of consumers say that coupons actually drive their behavior when making purchases, including making purchases sooner and buying more than they would have otherwise.
Advertising the potential for exclusive deals is a great way to build up your subscriber list, but then you have to live up to your promise!
However, make sure that you are including any relevant info, such as expiration dates, in your messages. Customers will inevitably become frustrated at any hidden restrictions; nobody likes to feel like they’ve been bamboozled!
Sample texts:
- Hi Tracy! We were just thinking about how much we value you. Present this msg at the register to get 10% off your next purchase at JustShoes- on us!
- Hello there! We have an exclusive offer just for YOU! Visit Diner Food before 8/12/20 for a FREE dessert with the purchase of 2 entrees when you show this text.
- Loyalty Programs
One of the benefits of business texting is the ability to build brand loyalty through a rewards or loyalty program. 51% of consumers say that they want exclusive offers based on their brand loyalty, according to Inmar. Start using business texting to give the people what they want!
You can track customer purchases with their phone numbers; eventually they should be able to redeem their purchase points for a free item or offer. This will keep customers coming back to your business, as well as reward them for their loyal patronage.
Check out these sample text messages to members of your loyalty program:
- Welcome to ‘Star Show’ at Brand Athletics! You’ve earned 13 points towards your next reward. You can start redeeming select items for FREE with 100 points.
- Woohoo! You’ve made 10 purchases at Coffee Yum! Enjoy your next coffee & bakery item on us when you present this message.
One thing you will want to be mindful of when working out the terms of your loyalty program is how you plan to track offer redemptions. After all, you don’t want people presenting the same message multiple times for free items. Make sure your employees have a way to track loyalty redemptions, so that customers can begin earning points again from zero.
- Customer Experience Surveys
In order to know how your business is serving its customers (and where there might be room for improvement), you will need to find ways to gauge customer experiences. If customers have agreed to text communication with your business, you can ask them to complete a survey via SMS. Some businesses effectively conduct short surveys from start to finish via text while others choose to text customers a link that will redirect them to a web survey.
Here are a couple examples of both:
- Hi Judd! Would you mind completing a quick survey about your recent experience with us? How was it on a scale of 1-5? (1=the worst, 5=the best)
You can send a series of texts to complete a quick survey once they have agreed to participate using a scale system to answer each question. The downside to this method is that you probably don’t want to ask more than 2-5 short questions. After that, customers will most likely begin to lose interest.
If you would like to conduct a more in-depth survey, try:
- Jerry, thanks so much for visiting us at Cafe Blue. Please complete our survey to tell us about your experience and receive your special offer! www.survey-blue.com
If your business is asking people to take time out of their day to provide valuable feedback, offering them a reward at the end can be a powerful incentive and a great way to thank them. Pro tip: a reward in the form of a coupon, for instance, will encourage people to come back to make another purchase.
- Lead Engagement
Collecting phone numbers and allowing people to opt-in to text communications from your business can be a great way to engage leads. This will help your business stay top-of-mind with potential customers in the hopes of eventually converting them to brand loyalists and advocates.
Of course, you will want to consider text frequency in any type of campaign, but it is especially important when engaging leads. They didn’t give you their phone number so you can spam them with incessant messages, after all. You want to “court” these potential customers. Make your business seem available, but not desperate. Spamming text inboxes will only lead to customers hitting that “Unsubscribe” button.
Here are some sample text messages to engage leads:
- Hi Walt! Thanks for attending the open house at 137 Wallace Dr. today. If you have more questions, please do not hesitate to text me! – Mary Realtorberg
- Sharon, I have a new listing for a property I think you would like. Would you like me to text you some pictures and open house info? – Phil Sellington
Make sure that you are available to have a conversation when engaging leads! If you are offering information to potential customers, you also need to be prompt in answering questions and providing more resources before that lead runs cold.
— Successfully utilizing business texting can take some practice, but hopefully these sample text messages to customers make your process just a bit easier. Try these strategies out for your next campaign to find out what works best for your business!
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