How to Write and Send Professional Text Messages

While texting is used as a casual form of communication between friends and family, businesses must remain professional when they use this channel to communicate with customers. Although text messages are shorter than emails, it's still possible to maintain a professional tone with a more limited character count.

In addition to writing in the right tone, businesses also need to be professional when it comes to sending texts. Just because texting allows businesses to reach their audience at any time, doesn’t mean they should. The way you handle business communication, including via SMS, reflects how others perceive your brand.

To help businesses maintain a positive reputation while texting, this guide will cover how to write professional texts and how to send them.

Jump right to:

• 11 Tips to Write Professional Text Messages
• 5 Professional Text Message Examples
• How to Send Professional Text Messages

11 Tips to Write Professional Text Messages

In this section, we’ll cover how to write professional texts. While a standard text message only contains 160 characters, there are strategies businesses can use to achieve a professional tone, even with limited words. These tips will emphasize what businesses should include vs. what they should avoid if they want to craft effective professional text messages. 

• Be clear and concise. Your messages should be short and to the point. Texting is built for short back-and-forth messaging. This makes it important to focus on one topic at a time and ensure your audience understands your message’s purpose.
  
  
• Be warm, friendly, and human. Text messages can’t convey tone the way that in-person conversations do. Take extra care to ensure your messaging feels natural and light-hearted. This is especially important in the age of artificial intelligence, where humans crave real connections and writing.
  
  
• Use correct grammar. While texting is a more casual form of messaging, it's still crucial to maintain proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation. You should proofread your text messages before sending them to your customers.  
  
  
• Avoid unfamiliar terms. Ensure your messages are free from slang, jargon, and abbreviations that aren’t common knowledge to your audience. Using these terms are unnecessary and may cause confusion.
  
  
• Avoid ALL CAPS or excessive emojis. Don’t distract from the content of your text messages by adding unnecessary style changes. Sometimes writing in all caps can signal that you’re yelling at your audience. Avoid all caps or using too many emojis as this may come off as unprofessional.
  
  
• Craft an effective opening. The first few words of your text are your hook. As a result, craft a compelling introduction that captures attention from the jump. For example, you could start a promotional text with the words: Sale Alert!
  
  
• Personalize messages. Your audience is more likely to engage with your message if it is crafted specifically for them. Use customer data to tailor messages to include relevant content and address your customers by first name. 
  
  
• Use a CTA. Every good marketing text includes an effective call-to-action (CTA). A CTA tells your audience what step to take next, whether it is browsing your website, booking an appointment, or confirming a demo. 
  
  
• Introduce your organization. Chances are your customers don’t have your business texting number saved. As a result, be sure to mention your organization’s name in your message to ensure your audience knows where the text is from.
  
  
• Use and test links. Initiate customer engagement by providing links to landing pages or insightful content from your brand. Make sure to test these links beforehand to make sure they work properly. SMS links can help you drive visitors to the right page.
  
  
• Proofread messages. It’s always important to proofread your messages before sending them. Make sure your messages are free from spelling or grammatical errors, and read them out loud to ensure they convey a warm and friendly tone. 

5 Professional Text Message Examples

Here are professional text examples to give you a better understanding of what a professional text should look like. 

Professional SMS Marketing Message

Here is an example of a professional SMS marketing message. This text is free from jargon, personalized to the recipient, introduces the brand name, and includes a clear CTA. It also is compelling because it offers customers a discount on their next purchase.

Hi Elena! Precious Jewels has a special discount just for you! Use code ‘PRECIOUS10’ at check-out to receive 10% off your next purchase. Shop now: https://preciousjewels.com/shop 

Professional Appointment Reminder Text

Businesses use texts to send customers appointment reminders, appointment confirmations, and payment reminders. When sending these business text messages, it’s important to keep the tips we shared above in mind. The professional appointment reminder text below includes the organization name, addresses the customer by name, and uses appreciation to provide a warm and friendly tone. 

Hi Chris! Don’t forget that your appointment with Dr. Turner at 3 p.m. tomorrow! Thanks for trusting Turner Clinic. Please call if you need to reschedule. We look forward to seeing you!

Professional Event Reminder Text

Let’s take a look at a professional event reminder text. This message includes the recipient's first name, an intriguing opening, and a clear CTA. You can also see that the text doesn’t include any jargon or unfamiliar abbreviations.

Hi James! You won’t want to miss our annual tech marketing conference next week! We’ve got some exciting panelists this year. Check out the schedule and RSVP here: https://techmark.co/conference

Professional Review Request Text

Another common business texting use case is requesting online reviews from customers. In the example below, you’ll see how to do this in a professional manner. This review request text addresses the recipient by first name, conveys a warm and friendly tone, and invites a response.

Hi Margaret! We hope you thoroughly enjoyed your stay at Regal Resort. We love to hear feedback from our guests! How would you rate your stay on a scale from 1 (low) to 5 (high)? 

Professional Customer Service SMS Example

Another common way businesses use SMS is to enhance customer service. You can use a text to answer customer inquiries, solve problems, and offer proactive support. In the example below, you’ll see a professional customer service SMS exchange. This is a professional text because it addresses the customer by their first name, conveys a friendly tone, and uses clear and concise language.

How to Send Professional Text Messages: Tips and Considerations

Now that you know how to craft professional texts, these tips will show you how to send a professional text message. Here are the practices you should follow to send business texts successfully. 

• Choose a reliable SMS platform. Research SMS platforms before sending text messages to ensure you use a secure platform that provides the right offerings for your business. You’ll want to choose an SMS platform that complies with TCPA requirements and has the features you need for business texting. For example, you should know if you need two-way SMS, automated messages, or bulk texting.

• Ensure contacts have opted in. Your recipients must opt in before you can send them any texts. This is a requirement from the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), and failing to comply will result in legal consequences. For more information on how to abide by TCPA standards, check out our essential TCPA compliance checklist.

• Let contacts opt out. In addition to ensuring your contacts have opted in, you must also provide them with a clear method to opt out. For example, if customers no longer wish to receive messages, they should be able to  opt out by texting ‘STOP’ or ‘END.’ Compliant SMS platforms will automatically unsubscribe contacts who reply to messages with these terms. 

• Segment your contact list. There’s nothing more frustrating than receiving irrelevant messages. Improve your professional texting campaigns by grouping your target customers based on interests, behaviors, and demographics. To learn more about segmenting strategies, take a look at our blog on how to segment your contact list.

• Ensure the right contact list is selected. Before you send a text message, ensure that you have selected the right contact list. SMS platforms allow you to have multiple contact lists, and it’s important to double-check that you are reaching the right audience. This ensures the right people are getting your tailored message.

• Consider timing. Nobody wants to get business-related texts on their day off or right before bed. To be mindful of your recipients, try to send texts during work hours. It’s also important to avoid sending promotional texts during marketing quiet hours, which is before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. Pay attention to time zone differences as well, especially if you have customers spanning multiple geographic areas. 

• Consider frequency. Don’t annoy or overwhelm your audience with too many text messages. This will increase your opt-out rate significantly. As a result, be strategic with how many texts you send per week and month. As a general rule of thumb, don’t send text messages more than twice a week.

• Know when to call or email. There are some cases where texting is not the best type of communication. If your message needs to be said rather than written, make a phone call instead of sending a text. For longer messages or complex issues, send an email instead of a text. 

• Make response expectations clear. To create a seamless texting experience, it’s important to provide clear communication to your audience. This includes being clear about whether you will reply to text inquiries, how customers can reach out if you don’t monitor texts, and how long it will take to get a response. If you are using an auto responder, provide your customers with a direct number they can contact for more immediate assistance. 
  
  

Send Professional Text Messages That Customers Love with Mozeo

Your text messages reflect your brand reputation, so it’s important to write and send professional texts. Now that you know how to write and send a professional text message, it’s time to select an SMS platform.

Mozeo has everything you need to make SMS messaging a revenue and customer satisfaction driver for your business. Take advantage of Mozeo’s robust inbox, mass texting capabilities,  and inbox sorting features. Plus, Mozeo allows businesses to send 300-character messages, ensuring businesses can get their message and tone across.

Try Mozeo for free today to boost your SMS strategy and grow your business.