If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve signed up for a business texting service but don’t know what to write in your first message to your customers. Well, we’re here to assist! Textline has helped dozens of businesses craft and send their first text messages.
In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about texting someone for the first time professionally, including how to properly introduce yourself and get the timing right.
Table of contents:
- 7 tips for texting someone for the first time professionally
- 5 examples of how to text someone for the first time
<h2 id="Tips">7 tips for texting someone for the first time professionally</h2>
The first message you send to your customers matters. The text will start the conversation, set the tone, and leave a positive or negative impression. Keep the following tips in mind to kick off your professional texting journey on a positive note.
Ensure you have customers opt-in first
The most crucial component of compliant business text messaging is ensuring you have consent to text your customers. If you do not obtain consent first, you violate the Telephone Consumer Protection Act and risk alienating customers. In reality, texting is a personal channel, and getting an unsolicited message from a brand on that channel feels like a violation.
To ensure you’re set up for success, request an SMS opt-in from your contacts using a website form fill, text-to-join keyword, or incorporate it into your online booking process.
👀 Take a peek at a few SMS opt-in examples for compliant campaigns if you want inspiration for different ways to collect consent.
Start with a polite greeting
You want to maintain a positive and professional tone when texting from your business. A simple greeting, like you do in a standard email, goes a long way in improving this initial introduction text message. Here are some polite greeting ideas:
- Hi, [Name]
- Hi there!
- Good morning, [Name]
- Good afternoon, [Name]
Many texting platforms, including Textline, enable you to automatically pull in a contact’s first name into your texts.
Introduce yourself
When crafting your first business text, whether it’s going to a large group or an individual, be sure to introduce yourself or your business. This introduction via text is helpful because customers likely won’t know your business texting number by heart. When you introduce yourself, customers will know who sent the message and not write it off as spam.
You may wonder exactly how to introduce yourself over text. Our advice? Don’t overcomplicate it! You can introduce yourself simply by stating your name if you work directly with customers, or you can introduce your business as a whole.
Here’s a quick example of how to introduce yourself or your business.
State your texting purpose
Remember as a business, you’re not just texting customers for fun. You’re trying to reach them with an important message. As a result, it’s imperative to state your texting purpose in a short and concise way.
In stating your purpose, you get straight to the point about why you’re reaching out on the channel. This also helps you build trust and make it clear that they can reply back to you.
Here are a few examples of quickly stating your purpose for the text.
- I’m reaching out to confirm your appointment.
- I’m contacting you regarding your inquiry.
- I’m following up on my email.
- I’m reaching out to let you know your order has shipped.
- I’m confirming receipt of your application.
Make action steps clear
When texting, make the action you want customers to take crystal clear. This is most commonly referred to as including a call to action (CTA). To help you make this desired action step clear, ask yourself what the ideal steps would be after a customer gets this initial text. For example, do you expect a response, or do you want them to make a purchase, start a free trial, or submit an application?
Here’s an example of a good first text that clarifies the action step.
Stick to business hours
We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention timing considerations for your first text. While the best time to send a text depends on factors such as your reason for texting, message content, and industry, it’s important to stick to business hours when communicating with customers. No one wants to wake up to a business text on their personal phone or be bothered past working hours. As a result, your best bet is to stick to sending messages between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in each customer’s time zone.
No need to mention your SMS provider
Textline customers often ask us if they need to mention that they’re using our platform to text. When you’re writing your first text, there’s no need to mention that you’re using an SMS provider. Your texting number is just another channel for your customers to reach you on.
Texting is meant to give you a direct way to have two-way conversations with your customers. Mentioning the platform you’re using to text may just confuse them.
You can simply let customers know you have a new direct line monitored by your team where they can contact you.
<h2 id="Examples">5 examples of how to professionally text someone for the first time</h2>
Now that you have the core tips and tricks, let’s put them into action. Here are several examples of good first text messages for different business scenarios.
First message to new customer
It’s a big deal when you sign on a new customer. In this scenario, in your first text, give them a friendly welcome, an option to set up a meeting, or just a way to get in touch with you.
In the example below, a software company representative introduces herself and welcomes the new customer. Notice the warm and friendly tone used in the message.
First message to sales lead
Remember, you can’t cold text your leads. That means when you’re texting a sales lead for the first time, it’s likely in response to an inbound text or website inquiry about your service. Here’s an example of how you can handle a first message to a sales lead. The example below is from a property management firm.
First message to new subscriber
One of the most common first messages to customers will be thanking them for subscribing to your SMS program. There are several ways to officially welcome new SMS subscribers, but one of the most effective is to provide value up front, such as a discount or freebie.
In the example below, you’ll see a retailer welcome an SMS marketing subscriber to its program and offer a coupon code to use in stores.
First message to new employee
Many businesses use SMS to communicate with their employees. When you first text an employee, it will likely be right after they join or sign their offer letter. In this scenario, you want to introduce yourself and make them feel welcome as a new team member.
First message to job applicant
Many recruiters and hiring managers use SMS to improve communication and scheduling coordination with job applicants. Often, businesses will request consent to text their clients in the application submission form.
In this first message scenario, it’s best to introduce yourself and get right to the point about scheduling an interview. In the example below, you’ll see it in action.
Ready to send your first business text? Textline can help
Texting offers an impressive 98 percent open rate — the highest of almost any business communication channel — so it’s no surprise you want to start texting your customers. You might have added texting to contact a new lead, confirm appointments, or follow up with customers. Business texting tools like Textline help you text more efficiently and protect your business from the risks of texting from a personal device.
If you’re looking for an impressive business SMS platform, Textline is the right choice. It’s easy to use and looks like your phone’s native SMS inbox but with powerful features that enable you to text at scale, keep your personal phone number private, and message from any web browser.
Want to see it in action? Request a demo from our expert team today.
