A campaign’s conversion rate is something SMS marketers should rightfully be concerned about. A low conversion rate means you need to improve the offer so the recipient has a compelling reason to provide credit card information or make a purchase.  But a transaction won’t happen at all if the user doesn’t first click through to your website via the link within the message.

A low click-through rate (CTR) indicates the user is not engaged enough to click the link that you provide.  The challenge lies in how to motivate the recipient to take that initial step, and with the restriction of using only 160 characters.

As an SMS messaging service provider, Noc Solutions knows how to increase your CTR. First, we advise allocating those critical160 characters as follows:

• 20 characters for personalizing the recipient’s first name
• 21 characters for the link, which should be converted using a URL shortener
• 20 characters for the “Reply STOP to cancel” opt-out to ensure CTIA compliance

That leaves 99 characters including spaces. Here are some best practices to increase your CTR that have worked well for us:

1. Personalize the message by using the recipient’s first name. We are seeing a 6%-12% increase in CTR using this approach.
2. Open with a warm and inviting greeting. Rather than just “Hi,” openings such as “Welcome back,” “Happy Friday,” or “Congratulations!” have shown to greatly increase CTR.
3. Know your customer. Think like a consumer psychologist to determine what triggers your customers’ mindset to take action.

Here is a sample SMS marketing message targeted to a customer who has indicated an interest in losing weight. Note the use of the above strategies.

“Happy {Friday} {Michelle}. You will look great in your new outfit! Come here {link} to our SmartWeightLoss program! Reply STOP to cancel.”

You’ll want to measure the improved performance of your new ad campaigns, so be sure to use AB split testing.  You can also make small incremental changes to identify the specific keywords that cause your CTR to go up.

Noc Solutions provides SMS messaging services to online/affiliate marketers that collect mobile numbers from the registration process. It is not uncommon for us to see 40% CTR in some campaigns. We have seen over 5000% ROI in strong campaigns that generate leads for our partners, and we’re eager to help your company, too.