5 Things NOT to Do in Text Message Marketing
Communication is a crucial element in marketing. This is especially true for medical practices looking to attract repeat and new patients. The majority of medical practices are likely emailing or calling patients regularly. However, a successful medical practice should also be texting prospects. Why?
There are two main reasons why you should text your patients:
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It increases your chances of getting in touch with the prospect.
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You’ll have an advantage over competitors who only call and email.
Facts and statistics show that text message marketing can give you a leg-up on your competition. Open rates for SMS are as high as 98%, while the open rate on an email averages 21.33%. This means that people open almost all of the texts they receive but only open about one-fifth of their emails. Therefore, texting clients significantly increases the chance of your message being seen by the prospective lead.
If you rely solely on calls and emails, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to gain an advantage over competitors. Since most practices don’t currently use texting as a regular form of communication, you’ll be more likely to get ahold of a prospect before your competitors.
That being said, there are protocols that you should follow when implementing text message marketing. Texting prospective patients isn’t the same as texting your family and friends. There are a few things that you should never do. Below, we detail these things to help you avoid common mistakes marketers make when implementing text message marketing.
5 Things You Should NEVER Do in Text Marketing
1. Don’t send long paragraphs without spacing.
Long paragraphs are difficult to read and turn people off. Keep it short and simple. Add links to pages if you have more info to share. Break up longer messages with spacing and separate any links or calls to action from the main message.
2. Don’t use too many emojis.
Read your demographic. Studies show one or two may help increase engagement, but the overuse of emojis loses credibility and authority for the practice. Emojis can also annoy certain demographics in your targeted area.
3. Don’t forget to state your name or your medspa’s name at the beginning of the text.
This ensures that leads know where the text is coming from and don’t think it is unwanted spam. Example: Hi, Jenny! This is Sue at Luxurious Medspa.
4. Don’t send multiple texts that have the exact same message.
This is annoying and of no value to the lead. It leads to high opt-out rates and being flagged as spam with phone carriers. Texts should have valuable information such as appointment booking assistance, limited-time promotions, helpful information about the service, before and after photos of the procedure, links to financing or online booking, and a reminder of a deadline for sales and promotions. Include only relevant information, and always remember to keep the message concise and to the point.
5. Don’t text too frequently.
Texting multiple times per day or every day can be annoying and cause clients to opt out of text message marketing. We recommend spacing out text automation. A text can be a great reminder to the lead to connect with you and book an appointment. Try timing your text messages in the following way:
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Text the lead every day for the first 2-3 days.
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After that, space the text messages out with a few days or weeks in between touchpoints.
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You could also send out reminders or promotions on a monthly basis.
Executive Director of Client Experience, Vania Jenny says “A medical practice that utilizes text message communication is much more likely to get in touch with a lead. The more methods of communication you use, the higher the chances of getting a reply. “
MedStar Media strongly encourages our clients to text their patients to improve lead generation. We are happy to provide more insight into the dos and don’ts of text message marketing and how to make the most of your client communication. Click here to learn more about our services and how we can improve lead generation for your med spa.
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Sources:
“44 Mind-Blowing SMS Marketing and Texting Statistics .” SlickText, 12 Aug. 2022, https://www.slicktext.com/blog/2018/11/44-mind-blowing-sms-marketing-and-texting-statistics/?utm_term=.
“Email Open Rate: Statistics & 17 Best Practices (2022 Guide).” Mailmunch, 22 July 2022, https://www.mailmunch.com/blog/email-open-rate#what-is-the-average-email-open-rate.
