More than half of United States adults report getting news from social media, and 86% of adults report getting news from their tablet, computer or smartphone. With an increasing reliance on digital devices and websites to provide information, news outlets can significantly benefit from implementing strategies to increase digital outreach. One of the most beneficial ways to accomplish this is through SMS messaging.
Below, you can discover why SMS is so advantageous and how you can leverage best practices to increase news readership.
What Are SMS Messages for News Organizations?
SMS messaging is a great method to reach customers with engaging, targeted messages. Bulk SMS messaging allows you to send texts to a large group of people simultaneously. These services do not require you to compose each message, saving time while increasing your outreach.
News and media sites can significantly benefit from SMS messaging because this strategy sends updates to each reader’s mobile device. The added personalized touch of SMS creates a more meaningful user experience while boosting site engagement.
Benefits of SMS for news outlets messaging include:
- Higher open rates: Subscribers are more likely to engage with personalized SMS messages than generic emails. One study found that around 80% of marketers report SMS messaging performs better than other communication channels. Message delivery speed, preferred device accessibility and personalization contribute to higher engagement and increased open rates.
- Increased brand loyalty: Sending audiences tailored messages that reflect their interests can increase their brand loyalty to you. This strategy can show subscribers that you value and care about them, encouraging them to return to your site more often.
- Supercharged engagement: SMS is a great option for timely messages like news alerts because users are consistently checking their devices and notifications throughout the day. Reaching the right audiences at the right time is easier with texting.
How SMS Can Increase Readership for News
Delivering news to your audience’s fingertips is an excellent way to boost engagement. SMS offers unique opportunities to increase clicks by encouraging immediate audience actions and ensuring readers receive information at critical moments.
SMS can increase news readership through:
- Personalization: Personalization is one of the most significant advantages of news text message alerts. You can segment readers, optimize delivery times, embrace geolocation targeting and deliver content based on reader interests and preferences for maximum engagement.
- Instant reach: SMS messaging creates a clear space for readers to find and engage with your updates. While email inboxes house information from various subscription services, marketplace receipts and business correspondence, SMS messages sit alone in your audience’s text inbox. This instant reach translates to less competition with other news outlets, and the uncrowded space can increase the likelihood of your subscribers seeing and clicking on the message.
- Growing reliance: In our digital age, the reliance on technology continues to multiply. Most people own a mobile device, and recent studies highlight that people open and respond to 95% of text messages within three minutes of receiving them. Embracing SMS messaging sooner rather than later can position your organization to become a reliable source of timely information.
4 Best Practices for Creating News Messaging Blasts
To make the most out of your SMS messaging efforts, consider these best practices for your news blasts:
1. Build a Subscriber List
Begin your SMS initiative by crafting a subscriber list. Offering exclusive content to subscribers and similar incentives can encourage more users to engage with your site and content.
Signing up for your email list should be easy. Request minimal information and rely on subscriber data to inform your approach. Offer multiple ways for your audience to opt-in to your messaging. For example, use QR codes and online forms to increase submissions.
2. Make Your Messages Compelling
Compelling messages are the key to SMS success. These messages should be short and sweet. Aim for 160 characters or less per message. Personalize the content by using subscriber names or referencing their previous actions and interests. For example, you could send a message prompting a reader to check out changes to an upcoming baseball game roster based on the user’s previous search history for a specific team.
Consider the timing of your messages. For example, weather updates will likely be most helpful in the early morning, while celebrity or political news may be more worthwhile to share as soon as stories drop. News messages should create a sense of urgency either by offering breaking news updates or providing incentives for opting into SMS.
3. Segment Your Audience
Audience segmentation is crucial for your SMS strategy. You can separate stories into breaking news, sports segments, traffic alerts, school closings, weather updates, business information or entertainment news. Segmentation allows you to easily create personalized messages to ensure your content resonates with those who receive it.
Consider segmentation based on:
- Interests: Interests can help you craft compelling messages that capture attention. Create segments based on each type of information you provide. For example, tailor different messages for those entertainment news fans than sports lovers.
- Preferences: Allow subscribers to choose their message frequency. While some will love daily updates, others will be satisfied with weekly or monthly alerts. Create segments to determine the frequency and type of content these users want to receive.
- Demographics: Factors like location, gender and age can help you craft compelling messages for each segment. Demographics can also be helpful for sending location or time-based information, like weather updates for specific towns or local government changes.
- Engagement levels: You can also segment your audience by their engagement with your previous messages. Determining who is more likely to click on your alerts can help you tailor content that will drive action more often.
4. Implement Automation
Automation can streamline your messaging efforts and deliver peace of mind. For instance, automated scheduling can ensure audiences receive information at critical times while allowing you to focus more time on other operations.
Leverage automated technologies and SMS templates for streamlined message creation. These tools can also help you access vital insights like performance metrics and contact list growth rates. Either way, you can use automation to inform your decisions or streamline operations to make each SMS message even better for each subscriber.
Send News SMS With CompleteSMS
CompleteSMS has more than 24 years of experience in the SMS industry. Our out-of-the-box solutions empower teams to send SMS messages from their computers to any mobile device. With branch locations in the UK, Australia, Canada and the United States, we have the global messaging capabilities to spread your message and maximize your reach.
Request a demo to discover what we can do for you.
