Text abbreviations have been around almost as long as texting, and we see them throughout our personal texts, instant messages, and social media. They’re a way to get the message across quickly without losing meaning.
While some text abbreviations may not be suitable for business, not using some abbreviations in your business texts can be costly. Because SMS text messages have 160-character limits, smartly implemented text abbreviations can help your company send concise messages without losing clarity.
How are Text Abbreviations Useful for Businesses?
Text abbreviations can benefit businesses in several ways. Here are some of the most significant ways that abbreviations, or shortened versions of popular words or phrases, can help companies:
- Character Limit Optimization: SMS messages have 160-character limits, and abbreviations help businesses stay within this character count without watering down the message.
- Faster Communication: Abbreviations can save time and get your company’s message across faster.
- Cost Efficiency: Abbreviations can help your business be more concise, streamlining the total messages required. This can reduce bulk SMS campaign costs.
- Audience Relatability: Customers are already used to many common abbreviations, so utilizing them in your SMS marketing can help you foster a more authentic relationship.
- Improved Engagement Rates: Shorter and more direct messages often have higher engagement rates than more verbose ones.
Let’s compare a straightforward example of how abbreviations can streamline your SMS communications. Imagine you’re a service provider (a barber, a nail technician, or a home services provider). You’ve set up automatic text messages for your business to help reduce no-shows by sending appointment confirmation texts.
- Without Abbreviations: “Your appointment is confirmed for tomorrow at 10:00 am. Please reply YES to confirm.”
- With Abbreviations: “Appt cnfrmd: Tmrw @ 10 AM. Reply YES 2 confirm.”
In this example, you can see how the abbreviations streamline the message without losing any meaning. Now, let’s take a look at some of the most common text acronyms and abbreviations you can use for your company’s marketing campaigns.
Common Text Abbreviations for Marketing Campaigns
Conversational Abbreviations in Everyday Texts
- ASAP: As Soon As Possible
- FYI: For Your Information
- BTW: By The Way
- OMW: On My Way
- BRB: Be Right Back
- LOL: Laugh Out Loud
- NBD: No Big Deal
- IMO: In My Opinion
- IMHO: In My Humble Opinion
- IRL: In Real Life
- IDK: I Don’t Know
- NVM: Nevermind
- NGL: Not Gonna Lie
- OMG: Oh My God
- SMH: Shaking My Head
- TTYL: Talk to You Later
- FWIW: For What It’s Worth
- FTW: For The Win
- TMI: Too Much Information
- DIY: Do it Yourself
- IKR: I Know Right
- LMK: Let Me Know
- IDC: I Don’t Care
- NP: No Problem
- THX: Thanks
- TBH: To Be Honest
- AFAIK: As Far As I Know
- POV: Point of View
- HBD: Happy Birthday
- OFC: Of Course
- TBA: To Be Announced
- HMU: Hit Me Up
Business Abbreviations
- ACCT: Account
- API: Application Program Interface
- B2B: Business to Business
- B2C: Business to Consumer
- ROI: Return on Investment
- KPI: Key Performance Indicator
- EOB: End of Business
- EOD: End of Day
- EOM: End of Month
- OOO: Out of Office
- PIN: Personal Identification Number
- ROI: Return on Investment
- SLA: Service Level Agreement
- SMB: Small and Midsized Businesses
- TBD: To Be Determined
- YOY: Year Over Year
- YTD: Year to Date
Marketing Abbreviations
- BOGO: Buy One, Get One
- CTA: Call to Action
- CPC: Cost Per Click
- CPV: Cost Per View
- CRM: Customer Relationship Management
- CR: Conversion Rate
- CRO: Conversion Rate Optimization
- CTR: Click-Through Rate
- PPC: Pay Per Click
- VIP: Very Important Person
No matter how use text abbreviations, it’s important to ensure your CTAs remain clear and actionable. For example: “BOGO Sale is here. Shop now: [LINK]”
Additional Abbreviations for Industry-Specific Communications
Retail and E-Commerce Abbreviations
- EOY: End of Year
- EOFY: End of Financial Year
- CTW: Click to Win
- VIP: Very Important Person
Healthcare Abbreviations
- Rx: Prescription
- Appt: Appointment
- Lab: Laboratory Results
Financial Services Abbreviations
- ACH: Automated Clearing House
- Txn: Transaction
- Acc: Account
Of course, this is far from a comprehensive list of industries that have specific abbreviations. However, let’s illustrate the benefits of utilizing industry-specific abbreviations for your communications. Suppose you’re an e-commerce retailer getting ready for your big end-of-the-year sale.
- Without Abbreviations: “Our end-of-the-year sale is here! Shop now: [LINK]”
- With Abbreviations: “Our EOY sale is here! Shop now [LINK]”
While this may seem like a slight shift, customer attention spans are short, and the more concise the message, the better the response rates will be.
Best Practices for Using Abbreviations in SMS Marketing Campaigns
Using abbreviations in your SMS marketing campaigns can improve your communication. Here are some best practices for using them:
- Stay Clear and Professional: Be sure that your abbreviations help improve clarity and maintain professionalism. Excessive use of slang abbreviations or acronyms that are too informal may cause you to lose credibility with your customers.
- Be Context-Aware: On the other hand, knowing your audience and how to talk with them in a way that resonates is crucial to your success. Therefore, ensure your abbreviations match your brand's and your audience's familiarity level.
- Implement Testing: Using data can be a great way to test the level of abbreviations your company should use. Send A/B messages to your audience and measure their clarity and engagement. Then, once you have a clear winner, you can implement this message across your entire audience.
- Proofread Thoroughly: Even when using abbreviations, it’s crucial to proofread your text messages. One of the biggest things to consider is redundancy, such as saying “PIN number” or “ATM machine.”
- Optimize for Readability: Abbreviations can be helpful, but they can also hinder readability when you utilize too many in a single message. Therefore, limit abbreviations to only a few per message.
In the following message examples, you can see how too many abbreviations may confuse the audience:
🚫 "VIP Person gets 30% off 2day!"
✅ "VIPs: 30% OFF today! RSVP: [Link]"
Real-World Examples of Text Abbreviations in Campaigns
Ready to put all this knowledge to work for your business? Here are a few ways you can incorporate text abbreviations into your messaging:
Promotional Campaigns
- “ICYMI: Our flash sale starts NOW: 50% off sitewide 🛍️ Shop here: [Link]"
- “Save an addtnl 20% off now! Shop here: [Link]"
Appointment Reminders
- “Appt Reminder: Tomorrow @10AM. Reply YES 2 cnfrm"
- “We’ll see you tmrw @ 10AM! Reply YES 2 confm"
Transactional Updates
- “FYI: Order #1234 has shipped!"
- “Your package is coming soon! ETA: Tomorrow @3PM."
Event Invitations
- “VIP Access! Early tix 4 U 🎟️ Secure now: [Link] "
How Sakari Simplifies SMS Marketing with Abbreviations
Sakari is leading the way in SMS marketing. We offer support that helps streamline and elevate your company while helping you build customer relationships. Here are some of the ways Sakari helps to simplify your SMS marketing operations:
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- Built-In Templates: Pre-made templates with abbreviations help you optimize your messaging.
- Automation Capabilities: Streamline the time it takes to create bulk campaigns with smart triggers to automate text messages.
- Analytics Dashboard: Our robust analytics dashboard helps you track performance and refine your messaging in real-time.
- CRM Integrations: Sakari uses a powerful API to natively integrate with the top CRM tools such as HubSpot, ActiveCampaign, and Pipedrive.
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