Discover Your Text Voice – More ?, More Sales
Text is informal and emoji-strewn. It’s a place where inside jokes. memes, and GIFs proliferate, where punctuation (and spllling) is optional, and where you connect to everyone important in your life, from your boss to your partner to your twelve year old. That’s why it can be so tough for retailers to get the tone right. But the good news is that it doesn’t require a steep learning curve. It just requires developing a text voice that fits your brand.
Cultivating a text voice establishes your authority, keeps you top of mind for consumers, and helps you stand out on their phones. This can translate into sales. Here, some tips to keep in mind as you develop a text voice that works to connect with customers.
Remember: Writing a Text Kindles a Relationship
You likely have several text threads going on with friends and family members at the same time. Sometimes, the texts are to share essential information. But other times, it’s to share a joke, check in to see how people are feeling, and share good wishes. A text relationship between a business and a customer can act in a similar way. Share information related to your industry (did you know today is National Donut Day?), check in on how they’re feeling (hoping all our customers are staying safe during the current wildfire season), and ask for their opinions with surveys and contests. Just don't overdo it because text's incredible engagement comes with some responsibility and thoughtfulness on your part.
It’s also important to have a way to incorporate 1-on-1 Chat to allow customers to engage with you. Encourage them to ask questions or share pictures to become part of your social media feed. That way, even if they don’t have an immediate need for your business now, you’ll be top of mind when they do.
Shake Things Up
A text takes only seconds to read. But if you send the same-old promotional texts time after time, or share information customers likely already know, they aren’t necessarily going to take the step to read beyond the preview. Worse yet, they'll opt out of your list altogether. That’s why it’s important to deliver information and opportunities your customer base will want to receive. You can also make promotions fun and exciting by dropping “Easter eggs” into your messages like, "Free gift with purchase for anyone who comes into the store and says ‘Unicorn’ at check out".
Keep It Brief
One of the reason's text is so effective is because of its phenomenal convenience compared to phone calls and even emails. Have a little fun, share some information, an image, or a link, then sew it up and send.
Know — and Write — to Your Market
In general, the “rules” of writing for text aren’t as formal as other mediums. This is especially true when it comes to punctuation, slang, and emojis. Punctuation, in particular, can be read differently on text. A period can seem unfriendly, a comma can be too uptight. The trick is to write the way you communicate, which may be in a way that would have gotten you a B from your high school English teacher, instead of an A .
Emojis are also native to text speak, and should be used in business text to be relatable. But emojis can also be fraught — before you use an emoji, consider researching it online to make sure you’re 💯 that you’re using it correctly, in context.
But it’s also important to use common sense and consider your market. For example, older customers may be less familiar with emojis. High-end retailers may also want to use emojis and slang sparingly.
A/B Test Your Texts
Discovering your text voice is a process that will need redefining. Does your audience respond to a playful tone or does it prefer when your brand acts in a voice of authority? A/B testing is an essential tool to help you refine your voice and home in on the message you want to send. Instead of trying to establish your brand’s voice now, consider it an evolving work in progress. The more texts you send and the more engagement you receive, the more organic and relatable the voice will become for your audience.
Let Us Help You Get Started
We have both text message templates and MMS picture templates available for use when composing a message. And they're designed to fit a number of popular use cases from engaging customers to streamlining operations. Feel free to start with one of our template messages – {COMPANY NAME}: Black Friday DEALS start now 📣! Ready. Set. Go. {URL} – and change it up to make it your own!
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