SMART phones are becoming so popular that even your Gran’s probably got one. This means more people are able to download apps, but for SMS, it means that messages are collected in conversations, in other words, grouped together when sent from the same number.
It’s important to balance the absentee messages with positive news, or what we call ‘High5’ messages. If you send regular newsletters by email, but only absentee messages by SMS, your “yo-yo” members (those who often become absent) will find their SMS conversation from you full of absent reminders (see below). This bad news thread can cause negative vibes, making them check the value of their membership.
At the very least, you need to update your absentee SMS content monthly. In addition, it’s even better to send positive messages out to your members too. These are simple to set-up, and as well as balancing out the SMS conversation thread on your members’ phones, they can be very motivational. Positive messages make members seek out interactions to say thank-you, talk about the message in your club, or share with friends outside the club. You could even get some referrals without asking!
We also recommend opening the SMS channel early in the membership journey, e.g. with a congratulations message at the end of month one. It gives members the choice to opt-out of SMS (hardly anyone does) and is a nice simple interaction to let members know you’re ‘thinking’ of them. Other good news messages include membership anniversaries, challenge winners/completions, or just random acts of kindness (a free coffee).
So, the answer is you want the good news AND the bad news – try to mix them up, and you’ll find they’re both really effective at getting your members to stick around.
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