Fashionista style reporter Mekita Rivas was surprised when she got a text from “Lucy” 23 days before Christmas. It contained a promo code, an offer for 50% off, and a link to the website. Over the next three weeks, Mekita received 14 more texts from Lucy, and a primer on worst texting practices.

To help in your next campaign, we’ll go through some of the mistakes this beauty brand made in the three weeks leading up to the holidays.

Don’t Invade

Rivas reported that she the texts felt invasive. She had given the brand her phone number while making an order, but she hadn’t realized they were going to use it to hound her. Instead, make it clear when a customer gives you a number that they are opting in to messaging communications from the brand.

Don’t Force It

Rivas didn’t really want the offers, but she had no choice. She had no way to opt out until message #9. To Rivas “The fact that this option wasn’t explicitly spelled out from the very beginning frustrated me more than the texts themselves.” Whenever you text customers, make it clear that they are in control, and can stop receiving messages at any time.

Don’t Just Sell

Another turn off for Rivas was the constant sales push that the brand took throughout all the text messages. Brands are better off creating value messages for their customers, rather than constantly selling in their approach.

Don’t Overdo It

Even during the holiday season, when consumers are in the throes of shopping, brands need to limit the number of messages they send out to the customers. While there is no magic formula, texting more than twice a week is sure to make many customers opt out of your messaging campaign.

Texting Done Right

Rivas reports that brands who understand messaging are finding success. Cariuma, a sneaker brand, finds that texts generate clickthrough rates that dwarf email, and conversion rates are twice as good as email. While they don’t claim to have found the perfect balance, they try not to overwhelm their customers with excessive messages, and are cognizant that they are entering an area that is usually reserved for friends and family. Mejuri, a Toronto-based brand known for their fine jewelry, uses texts to alert customers when items they want are back in stock, or to answer questions. However, the only text customers who have opted in, and each message they send has a specific purpose. The brand considers texting to be extremely successful.

Talk to the texting professionals at MessageWhiz to ensure that your campaigns follow best practices. We provide results-based, optimized sms solutions for retail.