Every month I create a swipe file of the most thought-provoking texts to hit my inbox. At a high level, I’m looking for ways to engage my audience and drive conversions without relying on discounts. Often that means I’m bookmarking copy that taps into the zeitgest, or activations that take advantage of the intimate and urgent nature of text as a medium. We have a little of both today.
Today’s newsletter includes:
How brands are tapping into Bridgerton fandom on SMS
An Olympics-inspired idea you can apply all year round
A text-to-buy example worth thinking about
How I created my SMS swipe file (for free)
And for job hunters, new marketing roles posted in the last 24 hours
Let’s get into the 6 ideas I saved in February!
1. Bridgerton
Of course if your brand has a licensed Bridgerton collection, you know what to do. But can you still tap into the fluttering hearts even if you don’t have an official tie-in? JessaKae did it with a relevant, curated landing page. The phrase “Dearest Reader” is also a nice wink and nod. This Thursday, February 26, is the perfect day to jump on this when Season 4, Part 2 drops on Netflix.
2. Powerful First Words
How do you use the first 20 characters of your message? In my crowded inbox, this “STRIPE TEASE” message from Brooklinen reminded me of the power of those first few words.
Likewise the first few words of this message, from Michigan Congresswoman Haley Stevens, got me to open it despite my ineligibility to vote in Michigan.
3. Playlists
A well-curated playlist is a fun brand-builder, and though I have seen a few brands tap into this idea it is used infrequently enough that it still feels fresh. These two examples popped into my inbox right around Valentine’s Day to create the right vibes for kissing and cooking. The playlist idea could be great for brands that promote sleep or wellness too.
4. Hometown love
The Winter Olympics wrapped on Sunday but Maker Wine’s text lingered with me as a way to tap into hometown pride to build a brand. Learning that they are Alysa Liu’s neighbor humanized Maker Wine for me and helped me put a place to the name. It made me think about other ways to incorporate local heroes and big moments from my brands’ hometown into my campaigns all year round.
5. Text to buy
I’ve been noticing a number of brands experimenting with text-to-buy programs. They skip Shopify altogether and allow the subscriber to go from text directly into a checkout flow. Fellow Drops is one brand using this approach and in next month’s newsletter I’ll go into detail on how to set up a program like this.
6. The message is in the MMS
“If I were your Valentine, what would you write on my card? Tell me….. I may answer”, Madonna sent in a handwritten card, via MMS message. The playfulness of this text caught my attention and made me think about how you can use MMS alone to engage your audience in a conversation.
The below example from Altar’d State was another thought-provoking Russian nesting doll version of an MMS, including text bubbles INSIDE a text.
How To Create A Free SMS Swipe File
Visit tinytexts.co
Browse real-time texts from any brand you can think of
Tap the star next to a text to add it to your bookmarks
It’s free
New Marketing Roles
I’m looking out for new marketing roles and sharing as fast as I can. Here are some that were posted in the last 24 hours:
CRM Manager at Thrive Pet Healthcare
Marketing Specialist at Airborne Athletics
CRM Director at Bed Bath Beyond
Follow Tiny Texts on LinkedIn for more SMS ideas, benchmarks and job posts. And if this newsletter was forwarded to you, click here to subscribe!
Thanks for reading and see you next week!
