Since mobile marketing is at the core of my expertise, and we help clients to be as effective as possible with text messaging, I feel that I can offer three simple guidelines regarding “Text Etiquette.”
First, is your message appropriate to send by text? Hirings & firings, serious business discussions, romantic spats and breakups, and even marriage proposals are best handled in face-to-face encounters. Personal texts shouldn’t be sent during work hours and for the most part work-related texts shouldn’t be sent after hours unless an urgent situation is developing. Sending texts to employees after hours may make your employees feel as though they are on an electronic leash. If it is an emergency situation, then the text is most welcome, but don’t text if it is routine communication that is best handled during office hours.
Second, always consider your target audience i.e., the recipient of your text message and ask are they in a time in place where they will want to receive your message? Are they in a place where they can respond to your message? Is your message critical enough that you need a rapid response? Make it clear that a reply is not always needed. The last thing you want to do is to put someone in the position of having to text you repeatedly while they are in the company of other people, at a social event or a private club. Let them know they can respond to your text message with a phone call.
Third, is your message important enough to text? If you text what is only ordinary and mundane, you will lose your audience, and they might even take your messages for granted and ignore them. Your text message should be important enough to either benefit or inform your recipient. –-KK
