How to Use Text Abbreviations in Business SMS Marketing Campaigns
Text Marketing can be a tremendously helpful way to communicate promotions, advertise sales, announce events, and new arrivals. The use of text abbreviations in your SMS marketing campaigns can help you stay within the character count limitations while at the same time allowing you to convey as many pertinent message details as possible.
Anyone who has been tasked with the creative for a business SMS campaign understands full well the need to conserve message real estate.
Few tools can be more helpful in accomplishing this goal than through the use of text abbreviations or text message acronyms.
Some of the most common and recognizable business text abbreviations used in personal messaging may still be utilized as text message abbreviations for business text marketing purposes.
SMS Text Abbreviation Examples
| FYI | For Your Information |
| DIY | Do It Yourself |
| FAQ | Frequently Asked Questions |
| ICYMI | In Case You Missed It |
| N/A | Not Applicable or Not Available |
| W/O | Without |
At Text2VIP, we always remind our clients that the longer the abbreviation or acronym, the more difficult it can be to decipher. It’s our suggestion that businesses keep SMS abbreviations short to avoid confusion.
Additional examples of text message abbreviations that are well-understood and frequently used in business text message marketing use cases are…
| TBA | To Be Announced/To Be Decided |
| TIA | Thank You In Advance |
| BTW | By the Way |
| EXP | Expires |
| T’s&C’s | Terms and Conditions |
SMS Text Abbreviation Best Practices
Whenever possible, businesses should limit the use of text abbreviations to no more than 3 per SMS to avoid a business text message from appearing too casual or unprofessional. The last thing your business should do is make the business-consumer relationship AWK! (Awkward -:)
It is always good business etiquette to ensure that the content of your brand’s text marketing efforts is free of anything that could possibly be viewed as profane or in poor taste. This can detract from your brand’s message intent and affect your business’ reputation. This includes but is not limited to, the use of SMS language and text message abbreviations.
Remember that when it comes to text marketing, businesses and brands should always be holding themselves accountable for ‘providing value’. With SMS being the most intimate and immediate form of business marketing out there, one should never lose sight of the fact that the consumer has given your business the much-coveted permission to reach them at any moment’s notice.
With this privilege in mind, it is always best to emphasize value to the consumer. This can, but does not always necessarily require financial value, for example:
Sample Msg: “Can you keep a secret?” This Sat we will open our doors ONE HOUR early (8 am) only for our text club members to see the new products” (exhibit, new arrival, activity sign up etc)
In some instances when you (or your business) have a lot to say, it can be difficult to keep within the carrier limitations of a 160 character SMS. In these situations, the use of MMS (Multimedia Messages) can offer a great solution, with or without (note common abbreviations: w/ or w/out) utilizing common text abbreviations for business messages. Often times, the use of images can help provide a visual description of what the words in your message are conveying.
- No More than 3 Text Abbreviations per SMS
- Free of Anything that Could be Viewed as Profane or In Poor Taste
- Always Provide Value
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