Overview
We’ve outlined essential tips to help you optimize your text marketing campaigns, while mitigating risk of spam complaints and deliverability issues. Whether you're new to text marketing or looking to level up your approach, these best practices will help you make the most of your strategy.
Can I include custom links?
You can paste your own link in the body text. We do not yet have our own built in link shortener, nor are we able to track click activity on pasted links (yet).
NOTE: At this time, the “Clicked” metric in campaign reporting only captures clicks on the booking link generated by Blvd (if the business opted to include it) - and does not capture clicks to custom links that were pasted in the text body
For example, if I paste my own link in the text campaign and a client clicks that, I may still show 0 Clicked in campaign metrics. At this time, we can only track clicks on the booking link.
Important: If using a generic link shortener like
URL Shortener - Short URLs & Custom Free Link Shortener | Bitly , ensure that you are using a custom domain to avoid hitting spam filters or encountering deliverability errors.
See Text Blasts FAQ for more commonly asked questions.
Do’s & Dont's of Text Marketing
DO
Create a dedicated phone number to enable text blasts & two-way texting
Collect explicit client consent for text marketing (Marketing Consent FAQ)
Be conscious of send times, choosing a send time that you think will optimize engagement with your audience
Write clear and concise messages; keep it short and sweet
Include your business name to help with recognition
Include your booking link to generate new bookings
Add images & GIFs with eye-catching visuals to catch clients' attention
If you’re using promo/offer codes in your text blasts, be sure to set those up first so they’ll be applicable at checkout in the self booking overlay on your website.
Create thoughtfully targeted campaign segments using the Audience Builder
Use the “Appointment status = is not booked” filter to make sure you’re only targeting clients who don’t already have an upcoming appointment.
Maintain a hygienic client list with up-to-date contact info and valid phone numbers
DON’T
Include modified or shortened links without a custom domain (Learn more)
Include more than one call to action, or more than one URL, per campaign
Include content containing restricted topics and words (i.e. hemp, CBD, etc. see Text Messaging Compliance & Regulations for more details)
Use words or phrases that appear as spam (i.e. 100% free, 100% off, etc.)
Spam your clients with the same message multiple times, or send more than one campaign every several days.
Campaign ideas to boost bookings
One of the most impactful ways to use Text Marketing (Text blasts) is to drive bookings. Check out our plug-and-play audiences and campaign ideas to get started.