The Anatomy of a Good Business Text Message

If you’re like most people, you’ve been writing business emails and making professional phone calls for most of your career. You’ve likely developed shorthands, techniques, and even templates to make your outreach as successful as possible.

Business text messaging is a new frontier for many people. And though 64% of consumers want businesses to reach out by text, many companies don’t know how to get started with business texting.

So, we thought we’d tap our experience working with customers in every industry — from finance and staffing to real estate and education — to breakdown what makes a really good business text message.

1. Your greeting 

Your greeting is the outstretched hand of your text message. It may just be two or three words, but it’s universally important. Sending a text without a greeting is the equivalent of walking into a room of strangers and launching into a conversation without saying hello.

The greeting has a few clear functions:

• Breaks the ice. Greet your contacts warmly!
• Introduces your company. Make sure your contact knows who you are and what your company does.
• Sets the tone of your outreach. Be informal without being overly familiar (go for “Hey” over “Wassup?”). It should also be professional without being stuffy (pick “Hi” over “Greetings”).
• Personalizes your messages. It should state your contact’s name if you know it.

Examples of other good greetings:

• Hi {First Name},
• Hey there —
• Hello! Casey here from TextUs,

2. Your why

When you’re writing emails, you may have a tendency to spend a little time warming your contacts up or introducing yourself before getting to the point.

With text, lengthy messages aren’t just discouraged — they’re not possible. To send a single text, you need to get your entire message under 260 characters.

So, your why comes directly after your greeting and it’s the heart of your message. It lets your contacts know as soon as possible the reason you’re reaching out to them.

Here’s why you need a good why:

• To prove you’re worth their time. Your contacts are as overwhelmed as you are — and as inundated with information that wastes their time. A solid, relevant why will hook their attention — and keep it.
• To set expectations. Give contacts a clear idea why you’re hanging out in their text inbox. Your why sets you apart from spammy texts and personal texts alike.
• To increase the likelihood of getting a response. Text is all about getting to the point – the more straightforward your messages, the more likely you are to hear back from your contacts.

Examples of other good whys:

• Just reaching out to make sure you saw the email I sent this morning about our new case study.
• Wanted to check in and see if you are still looking for a travel nursing position starting in May.
• Are you interested in attending a collaborative conference built for administrators of MFA programs?

3. Your call to action

After your why, a call to action will give your message legs. Without a call to action, your messages are more likely to go unanswered.

A good call to action will:

• Define next steps. Because your contacts are so busy, they need a clear idea of what you need from them. Don’t leave it in the subtext — ask directly what you’d like them to do.
• Provide value. A call to action is often a promise — if your contacts takes the next step, they will get something that’s useful for them: info, a discount, or a resource.
• Get an answer to your questions. Asking a simple yes or no question is the call to action at its most straightforward. It can help you move a relationship along — or let you know that your contact isn’t interested.

If using links, opt for branded shortened ones. It’ll convey trust and increase the likelihood the contact will tap the link

Examples other good calls to action:

• Are you still looking for a new provider?
• Are you interested in attending our conference?
• Reply and let me know when’s best for a quick demo.
• Visit this link on applying to a low-res grad program: xyz.edu/apply

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