Text-to-win messages engage customers on a new level. The reality is that people love winning things. When the prize is from a brand they know and love, it’s even more precious.
Think of texting to win as a replacement for a paper raffle entry. When all the texts are received, a random generator will choose the winners. It's just like drawing numbers out of a hat.
Just like with paper entries, there are limitations on prizes and local laws with text-to-win contests. Usually, these are provided in a link at the bottom of the original text message.
Larger brands can giveaway prizes like cars, vacations, and memberships. But your business doesn’t have to be huge to run a great contest! Smaller prizes include iPhones, free dental cleanings, gift cards, or a free product.
In recent years, mobile carriers have implemented several restrictions around these texting contests. Most notably, if you want to use this type of marketing message you will need to use an SMS short code.
You can no longer use a long-code number, like a toll-free number or 10DLC, to run text-to-win contests. Text-to-win contests are only allowed on SMS short codes.
SMS short codes are short five or six-digit phone numbers approved for large-scale text messaging campaigns in the U.S. They are more costly to obtain and require ample campaign vetting to ensure your brand meets the requirements.
Another key consideration is that you will need to have the full terms and conditions outlined for your contest. Ensure you have this ironed out with your legal team.
Whatever their current engagement level is with your brand, it's always great to increase it and be top of mind. These giveaways benefit businesses as it can encourage new customers to sign up for a chance to win, and also re-engage customers who haven’t purchased your product in a while.
Increased engagement not only leads to more sales, but it also drives brand loyalty. In today's competitive marketplace, it's important to build up brand loyalty. Think of a text-to-win contests as a way to find more customers who will come to love your brand if they don't already.
Your business needs a texting software to run the contest. This platform will help you send the text-to-win message at scale and set up a proper keyword.
This means you must apply for a short code and have it approved by mobile carriers.
You can’t blast a text-to-win message to a random list of phone numbers. Instead, you must ensure contacts have opted into getting texts from your business. You can also place physical ads encouraging customers to text you first.
You need to set up a keyword for customers to message in for a proper entry.
Now it’s time to send your text to customers. This text should include a link to a legal statement.
Use a random number generator to choose a winner from your list of entrants. Usually, companies love to post winners on their social media to promote brand loyalty and share the fun! Most marketing platforms also include data and analytics for the campaign. After the contest has run, there's a lot of data to look at and measure.
The first step to any text-to-win contest is finding a text marketing platform for your business. To determine the best fit, ask yourself some questions such as:
Research a text marketing platform, such as Textedly, that will meet your business needs. You’ll want to ensure you sign up for the right pricing plan. Typically, bigger is better when it comes to contests so you don’t run into messaging limits.
Textedly makes it easy to set up a text-to-win contest. You can use our guidance to lease your short code, set up your keywords, and keep track of your entrants.
See for yourself why Textedly is the go-to SMS platform for businesses of all sizes. Hint: We make texting seamless, so you can grow your business and improve customer communication.
