With the Christmas season well and truly upon us, businesses have begun to address advertising tactics through the likes of SMS to engage audiences and further promote their brand.

SMS is proving to be a great platform to help marketers reach and engage hard-to-find audiences. Due to the personal nature of communicating with consumers on their mobile phones, marketers need to get smart about the medium and how to tap its potential to not only push information to consumers, but to spark a conversation with them. So, thanks to infamous American Advertising Creative Director, William Bernbach, here are the things you need to remember about SMS Advertising:

1. Go to the essence of the product. State the product’s essence in the simplest terms of its basic advantage. The hardest part is stating this both tangibly and memorably.

2. Make your product an actor, not a prop. This makes for an extremely effective method of getting your product remembered. The provocative element in your advertising is also the element that sells your product. This is also difficult to execute, but by firmly establishing from the outset ‘who’ your target audience is, it will become a breeze.

3. Your advert must have vitality. This liveliness is sometimes called the ‘personality’. When advertising has a personality, it is persuasively different; you must first fight and look for a ‘point of difference’ in your advertising.    

4. Tell the truth. You essentially want to be known as being the most credible brand available to consumers. To effectively do this, you must be 100% honest with your audiences. By being truthful, not only are you able to move merchandise, but people will also trust you.                                                                  

5. Be relevant. A wonderfully creative execution will get the big ‘So What’ if it is not meaningful to a customers life, family, business etc. Always opt for an ad that is relevant over one that’s exciting and irrelevant. Think about seasonal changes and trends that could affect this.     

6. Be simple, but not simple minded. After all, who has the time or the desire to listen to advertising? Keep in mind that a text message is supposed to be short and sweet; your ad should play on this.                                                 

7. Last but not least, stand out. If your advertising goes unnoticed, everything will be wasted. With the up and coming holiday season, individualized advertising is considered a must. Think how your brand will be able to stay in the minds of consumers during their spending sprees.