SMS Marketing to Sellers Has Changed...Enter 10DLC

First, before we deep dive into the suggestions that I made to increase client success with SMS, let's cover the changes that have taken place with SMS up to this point. One of the biggest changes with text so far has been greater restrictions on the volume of messages that can be sent in a 24 hour period. Prior to February of 2021 you could send virtually an unlimited amount of texts to sellers without much concern and not much thought had to go into the content of the messaging. Yep, it was the wild wild west of marketing and investors profited BIG TIME from SMS during that time. Since then, greater restrictions have been put into place and 10DLC A2P was born. In a nut shell, 10DLC is a service that the major phone carriers have implemented that helps to protect people from unwanted spam, while allowing businesses to better connect with their customers.

The Slow Death of SMS Marketing in 2022? Not Quite...

You might be saying at this point, "Wow that sounds extreme...is texting dead in 2022?", not quite. As long as you follow the 5 steps I am going to share below, you too can profit from SMS marketing to sellers, but only if you follow the steps below to a tee. While others have totally given up on texting, our FlipTEAM community continues to prosper and convert leads to deals by leveraging this ridiculously low-cost method of outreach (you can learn more how we do it in this video).

The benefit of being part of our TeamBuilder community is access to our Inner Circle Elite group where we share the latest rules, regulations, how you can pivot as a real estate investor and set yourself up to profit in today's ever changing market. I would like to share an example of how I was able to help one of our members overcome texting obstacles with the recent changes and set them up for success. Not too long ago, one of our members in the FlipTEAM community was struggling with SMS and after reviewing their messages, I made several suggestions that helped significantly in two main areas:

1. Their delivery rate (how many messages sent actually make it to the seller's phone) and...
2. Their response rate (how many sellers respond to the messages received on their phone)

There are 5 Steps to sending SMS Successfully in 2022...

Step 1: Don't Introduce Yourself As a New Person

I can't tell you word for word what to say due to text regulations, but I can tell you how to structure your message to ensure as many get delivered as possible. In your messaging, you want to make it seem like you already know the person, so I would stay away from appearing to introduce yourself for the first time. This tells the carriers that you do not know this person and is sending an unsolicited marketing text; as a result, the carriers filter your texts and the sellers never receive them. For best results, it is important to include your first name, company name and add Opt-Out text at the end of every single message, until the seller responds.

Step 2: Don't Mention The Property Address

Don't mention the property address in the first message. Keep the focus on getting the Seller to respond, first. Once they respond, then you can ask them whatever you would like.

Step 3: Avoid Words That Brand You As a Solicitor

I would not say things like "offer", "buy", "purchasing", basically anything that signals to the carriers that you are sending a marketing message. Instead, I would rethink the purpose behind a text message - to get the seller's attention and open the conversation. The purpose is not to qualify on the first message - the main objective is to get a response!

Step 4: Removing Phone Numbers From Messaging

Remove phone numbers from your messaging and encouraging people to call you back, as that is a BIG indicator to the carriers that you are sending a marketing message and screams SPAM to the seller. If you think about it, including a phone number in a message is just plain weird. Do you include a number to call you back when sending a text to a friend or family? Umm...no you would come off as a weirdo.

The first thought here is why include a number to call you back when I should just be able to call you back from the number you texted me on. Right? I have never understood why people do this, but they are shooting themselves in the foot every time. With FlipTEAM you can set a call forwarding number, so when someone tries to call you back, you can send the call to any number you would like, giving you flexibility and coming off more like a real person - not a machine.

Step 5: Watch What You Say...Don't State The Obvious

Don't say call or text me - that's a given. They are going to call you back or text you back if you send the right message.

In Summary

If you follow the steps above you can become wildly successful with SMS marketing. The cool thing is SMS is just ONE of the methods we provide within your FlipTEAM subscription! We also offer Ringless Voicemail, SMS follow up sequences, call scripts for outbound dialing, automated email sequences and soon will be launching a direct mail integration to automate that too! In short, no Seller will go untouched and no lead will be left behind, enabling you to capture more opportunity and close more deals. In short, if you want to reach more sellers and cut through the clutter in a competitive market, then you need FlipTEAM in your marketing arsenal! I'd like to invite you to check out a free webclass I am hosting this week where you can learn more about FlipTEAM and how it can work for you! Get access here: http://www.instantdealsecrets.com and prosper!