Of all the mobile marketing channels–SMS, MMS, banner ads, mobile websites, mobile video ads, mobile apps, and a couple of others–SMS is the least graphic-intensive. In fact, the completely text-based format of SMS offers marketers many benefits, including reducing both creative development time and resources needed to execute a campaign. Despite its simplicity, however, the SMS platform does still require marketers to make strategic creative decisions. Here’s a guide to shaping and designing the creative for your SMS marketing campaign.

SMS Message Options

Knowing the requirements, restrictions, and capabilities of SMS technology is essential to designing an SMS campaign. The 160-character limitation, for example, favors marketers with sharp copywriting skills–those who can write very economically but clearly motivate as well in just a few words.

Another example is compliance: rules about short codes and SMS messaging on different carriers (e.g., the requirement to add “MSG & DATA RATES MAY APPLY”) could also influence your design decisions, which is why working with a mobile agency who can guide you through the design process is really helpful. See below for the design elements for text message marketing.

Elements of an SMS Campaign

1. The Keyword: The word that users text in to the shortcode needs to be memorable, easy to type, and also relevant to your brand. It’s just a short word (usually 8-characters or less), but choosing that keyword (or keywords) can be one of the most parts of the creative picture for your SMS campaign.

2. Short Code: In many cases, because of the costs and timing involved, you’ll use a leased, random 5-digit short code that’s shared with other companies and that you can use for the length of your campaign. One strategic decision you have, though, is whether to procure a dedicated or vanity short code (e.g., BRANDS) instead of a shared and obscure one (e.g., 53421) for branding purposes. If so, another creative decision you’ll have to make is what the vanity code should be. CHASE and COKE are obvious choices for those brands, but for other companies the translation from brand name to short code may be harder to decide (e.g., Continental Airline’s short code is COCOM and The Weather Channel is CLIMA.).

3. Call To Action: As with other types of campaigns, the CTA is critical. Because there are so few elements of an SMS campaign, however, the call to action be the major factor. It involves the keyword and short code mentioned above (“Text KEYWORD to SHORTCODE”)–and should also include the benefit/value. Why should the consumer execute the CTA?

Therefore, another creative decision you’ll have to make is what to include as your value proposition in the call to action. “Text KEYWORD to SHORTCODE for a free trial” is not as strong as “Text KEYWORD to SHORTCODE for free music downloads”. The challenge for SMS campaign copywriters is to encourage action in just that one imperative sentence.

Considerations for the CTA include time-sensitivity (do you need to include words like “now” or “ending soon” to motivate your audience to take action?) and offer/value (are you communicating the best compelling–and obvious–reason for the consumer to interact with you?).

4. Supporting Media: This is the print, digital, or audio advertisement that invites the users to text the keyword in. The choice of media type, placement, and creative for that media placement (e.g., outdoor billboard or TV spot) will influence the success of the SMS marketing campaign more than anything else. The creative choices and options for other/mass media are many and varied and will require knowledgeable execution, naturally.

However, the extent with which SMS is integrated as an enhancement channel for those other media will determine the campaign’s success. For best results, the SMS call to action needs to be obviously and continuously displayed in the ads–a dedicated area on the TV ad, for example, that has the SMS call to action.

5. Message Flow: What happens when the user responds? Creative word choices for the call to action (keyword, short code, and offer) are just the first part of the equation.

After the user responds, you’ll need to send back a message in 160 characters or less, and that wordsmithing also needs to be considered. The reply message offers another opportunity to add some personality to your SMS messages, however short they are. You can say “thanks, dude” if it’s appropriate to your brand–but use carefully.

It’s helpful to create an SMS campaign message flow chart in Excel or other spreadsheet program, which contains a sort of script step-by-step of what should happen for each stage of the process, from the CTA displayed on the media, to the user texting in the response, to the system sending a reply with a link to the mobile website, etc. This can help you get a better feel for the elements needed and how to best select them.

A company’s mobile advertising and marketing success will often depend upon the person (or people) running the program. While general marketing knowledge and skills are essential qualifications for the job, the task of managing an ongoing SMS marketing or other mobile program also requires some additional, unique talents.

Whether you’re looking for a mobile marketing agency to handle your program for you or are considering having a dedicated in-house mobile marketing executive, below are the skills and experience that should be considered in your search for the best candidates. (The requirements below can even help you when developing an actual job description — for internal promotion or hiring a new employee — or seeking a new mobile agency of record.)

Strong Marketing Knowledge and Skills

Mobile marketing requires a similar skill set as other types of marketing. SMS marketing, for example, can be a key type of direct marketing, and therefore involves consumer behavior strategy, data measurement, consumer segmentation, and copywriting: use mobile analytics to understand your customers’ mobile habits and preferences, segment your SMS marketing customer lists, and create targeted text messages for those customer groups.

The mobile channel helps marketers achieve all sorts of broad marketing goals, including brand awareness and increased sales. Mobile marketers need to understand how consumers are influenced by different types of ads, what makes certain calls to action more effective than others, and how to measure the performance of a marketing campaign against its goals.

Fundamentally, mobile marketers need overall marketing strategy acumen.

• Ask the individual/agency: what are their general marketing skills and experiences?

Familiarity with Web Marketing and Technology

Mobile marketers also have a lot in common with digital or interactive marketers, which is why online marketing executives are often assigned the responsibility for mobile initiatives and the budget for mobile is frequently taken from the overall interactive budget.

To be sure, mobile marketers need some understanding of rich media and dynamic ads — the more tech-savvy and the greater the understanding of landing pages, Web metrics, in-game ads, video ads, and other rich media, the better. Consumers are increasingly becoming more mobile and also more media-focused and Internet-dependent than ever before.

• Ask the individual/agency: what online marketing background do they have? What new challenges do they think mobile advertising presents compared to traditional online advertising?

Understanding of Mobile’s Unique Characteristics

On the other hand, SMS marketing should not be confused with email marketing, and mobile banner ads should not necessarily be approached the same way as other display ads.

Mobile marketers need a firm understanding of SMS character limitations and strengths (such as its immediacy, high viral potential, and geo-location capabilities). There are also different protocols and laws involved with SMS marketing and mobile marketing, which your mobile chief will need to become familiar with.

• Ask the individual/agency: how do they see mobile marketing’s role in the overall marketing strategy? What specific mobile marketing background do they have? What are their thoughts on SMS marketing, mobile display ads, mobile video, and other subsets of mobile advertising?

Attention to Matters of Privacy

Mobile may be the most private, highly guarded space for consumers. For this reason, mobile marketers should be aware of — or at least ready to quickly learn — the opt-in and opt-out requirements for mobile campaigns and best practices in mobile marketing consumer privacy protection.

• Ask the individual/agency: how familiar are they with mobile privacy issues and opt-in/opt-out processes? Can they help your organization comply with all necessary regulations?

Enthusiasm, Flexibility, and Willingness to Learn

For mobile programs to work, they need as much internal (and high level) support as possible. Having on staff a dedicated mobile marketing executive — and/or contracting an external mobile marketing agency — signals how strongly the organization feels about mobile marketing. Mobile marketers and agencies who meet that responsibility with genuine enthusiasm about the mobile space will be the most effective.

The mobile industry is rapidly evolving and will continue to do so at incredible rates. While the best mobile agencies and staff members will need to have strong marketing skills and be tech savvy, being able to adapt to the changing landscape will also ensure your mobile program keeps up with consumers’ needs on the go.

• Ask the individual/agency: how do they feel about recent mobile trends and the future of mobile?

There are many examples of SMS marketing campaigns that were successful at least partially because of their text message marketing coupons or offers. These single campaigns offer great benchmarking opportunities and examples for executing single SMS marketing campaigns, but how do you develop an ongoing SMS marketing coupon program? And is it worth the trouble? Below are a few considerations for developing your mobile coupon program.

Why You Should Develop a Mobile Coupon Strategy

Everyone loves a good deal, particularly an exclusive one. By offering mobile coupons exclusively and regularly to your mobile subscriber list, you increase affinity for your brand.

An SMS marketing coupon program can also provide loyalty information and customer data you might not find elsewhere. For example, which types of coupons were most attractive to your customers? When did the majority of your customers redeem your coupons? Where (or at which outlets) did your customers shop the most? An SMS coupon program can immediately give you greater insight into what motivates your core customers.

Text Message Marketing Frequency

How often should you send SMS marketing messages to your customers? This answer will depend on how often your opt-in subscribers want to receive your messages. If you capture such information in your mobile marketing list sign-up forms or do customer surveys, you’ll get a good idea of how frequently you should send your SMS messages and offers.

If you’re not sure, aim for a couple of times a month — weekly works well — but not more than 4 times a month unless your subscribers indicate they want to hear from you more often. It’s hard to come up with a new reason to text your customer more than once a week, and hard for your customers to believe there’s a reason for you to do so.

Types of Text Message Marketing Offers

Many SMS marketing subscribers, however, do want regular messages, particularly if you’re sending them valuable offers.

Vary the type of coupons you send: from premium free products with no purchase necessary … to buy-one-get-one-free offers … to free products (of lower value) with higher spending requirements. This offer variation may keep subscribers engaged. Customers may be more willing to accept weekly text message marketing messages when there’s a chance they’ll periodically get premium or high-value offers. By contrast, if you’re sending the same type of offer every week, you may suffer a higher opt-out rate than normal.

When to Send SMS Marketing Coupons

Also keep in mind seasonality and the periods when your customers are most likely to shop. Text messages sent between 6 and 9 p.m. have a higher likelihood of being opened by workers. More text message offers may be redeemed by college students outside of finals week. Entertainment and leisure SMS offers are best kept towards the end of the week (before Sunday, though, naturally).

On Demand Coupon Delivery

An on demand coupon system lets the user request an instant coupon code by texting a keyword in to your short code. This is particularly useful for short-term marketing campaigns where you want to add a mobile component or a mobile call to action to other media, rather than use mobile marketing on its own.

While interactive, on demand SMS marketing coupons encourage users to try your products/services, these types of campaigns — with one-off coupons — don’t develop long-term customer relationships … unless you build in a mobile marketing list subscription component.

With every mobile coupon you send or every mobile coupon redeemed, ask the user if he or she wants to sign up for additional offers. The worst that can happen is that the user doesn’t want to do so (nothing gained, nothing lost). But the best outcome is you’ve added another valuable customer to re-market to — one whom you’ve already gained valuable information about: he or she is a mobile customer, interested in your product category, and likely to respond to mobile offers.

Encourage Viral Activity

SMS marketing has a high viral potential. Like email, text messages can be forwarded with just a couple of clicks, and if the offer is strong enough or the message very personal and resonant, your customers can be your best advocates.

All offers should therefore encourage recipients to share the offer or message with their friends. Many successful companies use word of mouth or social media tactics with SMS marketing — e.g., forward this message to a friend for a chance to win an iPad [or other high-value item]. Even without the incentive, though, including a social prompt will make it more likely that your SMS marketing coupon program gains wider adoption.