The modern world of business communication is going through a complete overhaul. Communication that used to take hours, days, or even weeks, can be done in mere seconds, and from devices with phone numbers that you keep in your pocket. It’s never been easier or more convenient to communicate with different recipients within a business, which creates increased unity and clarity through the company. 

One of the foremost ways that communication has increased is through texting and text marketing. This revolution, which began in 1992, paved the way for faster communication between people in almost every single circumstance in life. No matter who you are, texting allows you to reach others in a way that was unheard of. And that power is inside of your pocket! 

One incredible thing that texting offers to people is a new ease in developing interpersonal relationships. That means that text message marketing platforms are something that businesses can take advantage of in countless different ways, both internally and externally. 

One way that texting varies from other modes of communication is its seeming informality. It’s typically used for low priority, casual communication, so it can sometimes be thought of as unprofessional in a work setting. 

However, with the right usage, texting can be one of the most effective and efficient ways to communicate within the business world. Here is how to text in business efficiently. 

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Why Texting Works in Business

Most forms of communication tend to require thought and effort to get right. Emailing, calling, and face-to-face communication all require different kinds of interactions that are sometimes inconvenient or time-consuming. 

The beauty of texting is it can bedone from anywhere, at any time, with anyone. It’s often the quickest way to divulge information, discuss problems, and determine solutions to customer experience issues. 

It also introduces a higher level of personal interaction, due to the generally high speed at which people communicate. While other mediums of communication take hours, days, or weeks to respond to, responding to a text is as simple as typing a message and hitting send. 

This makes texting a highly effective way to create genuine relationships with colleagues and professional connections. 

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Should You Use a Text, an Email, or a Call?

One way to increase the effectiveness of a text message is knowing when to use it, as opposed to another medium of communication. In the business world, for example, emailing appointment reminders or calling customer support are both effective at divulging different types of messages to people. 

Emailing is best used when communicating a larger message, or when connecting multiple people on the same thread. People can include more information in a single message while still staying efficient and effective. 

A phone call is great when there is too much information to be discussed through text, or when a two-way dialogue is needed. While texting excels at creating dialogue as well, sometimes phone calls are more suitable to communicate more thoughts and ideas in a shorter amount of time. However, phone calls are only between two people, and are thus less effective for group conversations. 

While these different types of communication have their advantages, texting can still be a huge part of the interaction. For example, sending a text message to set up a time to call on the phone, or to remind the person on the other end to check their email from you, are both ways of using texting in a work setting. 

Community provides countless tools that can enable this kind of auxiliary communication. If you ever send out an email or important social media post, you can send out a specific text to the Clusters of people who receive those messages. Doubling up on marketing messages ensures higher visibility, and can make communication much more effective and useful. 

Texting increases the speed and efficiency of communication in the business world.With SMS marketing, you can send marketing messages from your business phone numbers to your Community subscribers. Of course, you'll need their permission and consent to use this communication method. You'll also have to remember there is an etiquette to using a business text messaging service.

With business texting services, you can offer promotions, a free trial, or other marketing incentives designed to trigger customer engagement and spur purchases. 

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How to Text Efficiently

A large part of texting efficiently is based on knowing how to communicate through smartphones or an internet connection. Generally speaking, the best practices of texting are just like any other communication medium, they’re just used more informally. Here are some general guidelines on communicating with SMS messages. 

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Respond Quickly

One of the common mistakes made in texting is not responding quickly enough. 

Whenever you get a business SMS text message, make it a priority to respond as quickly as possible. The biggest advantage texting provides is a streamlined and direct way of communicating quickly, so make use of that benefit!

If speed isn’t a priority, send an email instead. However, if you are trying to get information as soon as possible, make sure that you’re doing your part by also responding as quickly as possible. 

When texts are sent at the right time, it can be a lot easier for you to respond to them quickly, which makes the communication feel better. Community provides the ability to schedule text messages for those perfect times, so communication can be as effective and efficient as possible. 

That sets the tone for communication and makes that communication happen quickly and efficiently. 

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Communicate Clearly

Texting has developed a culture of being very informal, leaving room for miscommunication to arise. When communicating in a professional setting, text in a way that feels and looks professional. 

Sadly, that may mean leaving the “LOL” out of your text message, but intentionally making texting formal can make a big difference. 

Different styles of texting can easily lead to miscommunication. So be sure to communicate directly, so your messages can be clearly understood, and avoid any potential misunderstandings. 

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Be Concise

One of the best things about texting is that you can do it in small, concise pieces. The amount of time and effort that it takes to compose and send a text vs. what a text has the potential to communicate is incredible. 

Make use of texts that are short and to the point. If you have a lot of information or detail to divulge, use an email. But when it comes to discussing the bare minimum details, texting is incredibly efficient.

When texting, make it a goal to communicate the most important information in as little space as possible. If it only takes 100 characters to communicate the whole message, then only use 100 characters. 

At the same time, different kinds of people might find different kinds of language more effective and concise. Community’s ability to communicate using demographic filters can allow Leaders to use the best language for every group of people. This feature from Community helps you communicate with all of your customer bases as efficiently as possible. 

The ability to be direct and efficient is one important and beneficial aspect of texting. 

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Why Efficiency Matters in Business Texting

It is very easy to over-communicate in business. This leads to overwhelming and inefficient communication that tends to confuse more than clarify. Avoiding this confusion is why texting is so important; it is fantastic at creating communication that says what it means, and nothing more. That clarity is the very essence of what efficiency is all about, especially in communication.

Efficient communication helps companies to become unified, and can even boost the level of efficiency within your company itself. The faster communication happens, the quicker your business makes the decisions and takes the actions needed. 

With consumers and communities outside of your business, texting creates genuine interpersonal relationships, as well as communicates important information effectively. 

Many people see email as a giant source of spam and overlook it when they can. Texting is a much more effective way for businesses to communicate with their customers and clients. 

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Why Community Matters

Community was founded with the belief that texting is the most effective way to cultivate genuine relationships in the modern world. 

People aren’t numbers or statistics; they are real human beings seeking interaction with the world. Your company can take the lead and make the first move creating genuine interaction and communication with people who truly care — and want to listen. 

Community provides a new way to market to and engage with Communities and audiences, founded on the simple concept of 1:1 relationship building. While most mass texting mediums focus on mass one-way communication, Community cultivates relationships. 

Gone are the days of sending endless amounts of spam text messages, hoping to break through the noise of everything else happening on people’s phones. Community is here to create genuine conversations and outreach by providing tools to simultaneously expand your reach and make it more specific, such as Clustering, Demographic Filtering, and Scheduled Texting. 

Become a Community Leader today, and start connecting with the people who genuinely care about who you are and what you do! 

Sources:

A Brief History of Text Messaging | Mobivity

The Five Golden Rules Of Communication | Forbes

How and Why to Become More Concise When Speaking | Cool Communicator