Are you struggling to determine how often you should be sending SMS messages to your customers? While there is no one-size-fits-all approach, as sending too many messages can lead to customers becoming irritated and potentially unsubscribing from your text campaign while sending too few messages can make customers feel unimportant or forgotten, resulting in dissatisfaction. So, what is the optimal text marketing message frequency?
In this blog, we will discuss the impact of message frequency on unsubscribe rates, the importance of finding the right balance, and the ideal number of messages per month for maximum value while minimizing consumer opt-outs.
Listed below are the customer preferences for receiving text marketing messages:
56% of customers want to hear from companies every other week via messaging.
29% of customers want to hear from companies once every week.
The industry standard is two to six text blasts every month, with one text promotion per week being the best frequency.
According to marketing studies, customers start to become irritated after six messages per month and may decide to unsubscribe from your text campaign.
When it comes to SMS marketing, there is no one method that fits all. Your target demographic and your offers will both be important considerations when choosing your appropriate texting frequency.
Why frequency of sending text marketing messages matter?
Customers who get text marketing messages too frequently become unsubscribed, and unsubscribe rates are important because they have a direct influence on customer lifetime value (CLV).
To gain customers, all marketers must incur a substantial expense. The word CPA (cost per acquisition) is frequently used to refer to expenses like marketing materials and incentives needed to introduce a brand to a customer.
After acquiring a consumer, marketers may also spend to remarket to them. Remarketing always costs less than acquisition because existing customers are already familiar with the brand.
Also, receiving too many messages can exhaust customers, creating a bad customer experience. On the other hand, sending out insufficient communications can make customers feel unimportant, which can result in their discontent.
Another factor that may affect how a brand is seen is the frequency of messages. A corporation can come out as pushy or spammy if it sends out too many messages, while the opposite is true if it sends out too few.
The proper communication frequency can promote consumer engagement and foster closer ties with clients. Customers can be kept informed and interested, for instance, by receiving regular updates on new products, discounts, or pertinent material.
Why too much or too less texting is not recommended? (Case Study)
Jenny, a marketer, decided to conduct an experiment to find out how often businesses should send texts to their customers. She took two customer groups, each with 500K subscribers, and sent them different message frequencies over a 45-day period. The first group received one message every nine days, while the second group received a message every two days, more than a 4X difference in frequency.
Initially, both groups experienced unsubscribes because many customers had already acted on the messages (e.g., purchased with a coupon) and no longer wanted brand updates. However, over time, it became clear that the first group had better retention rates. They retained 96% of their original customers, ending with around 480K on the list. In contrast, the second group retained only 66% of their subscribers, ending with approximately 327.5K on the list.
Why did the second group perform so poorly? They messaged customers too frequently, and the value provided with each message was not sufficient to retain customers’ interest. Essentially, they bombarded their customers with messages, which annoyed them and led to increased unsubscribe rates.
So, what can we learn from Jenny's experiment? When it comes to customer messaging, less is often more. You don't want to send too few messages and risk being forgotten, but you also don't want to overwhelm your subscribers with too many messages. It's essential to find a balance that works for your specific audience and messaging goals.
Additionally, the content of your messages is just as important as their frequency. Make sure your messages offer value to your subscribers and are relevant to their interests. If your customers feel like they're receiving valuable information, they're more likely to stay engaged and less likely to unsubscribe.
Business texting frequency recommendations
Are you communicating with your customers too little or too much? It's a tricky balance to strike, and getting it wrong can have serious consequences. But how can you determine the ideal message frequency and avoid annoying your subscribers?
The frequency of SMS messages sent by marketers has a significant impact on unsubscribe rates.
Unsubscribe rates tend to rise dramatically when marketers send more than 10-15 SMS messages per month.
Sending more than 20 SMS messages per month can increase the risk of seeing unsubscribe rates as high as 60%.
To find their optimal SMS message frequency, marketers should start by sending 4-5 SMS messages per month (1-2 per week).
Marketers can experiment with sending 10 or more SMS messages per month to see if it increases the value, but they should avoid sending more than one message per day if they exceed the 10-12 SMS message mark.
Marketers should provide clear expectations and valuable content to consumers to avoid excessive opt-outs.
Other factors, such as the content of the SMS message and the call to action, also affect the performance of the SMS marketing campaign.
In summary, finding the right message frequency is a delicate balancing act. Sending messages too frequently can lead to increased unsubscribe rates. By sending messages with valuable content and finding the right balance of frequency, you can retain more customers and improve your overall messaging strategy.
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