Text messaging is a widely preferred communication method, and more text interactions are occurring between consumers and businesses every day. We are sure you have found many prospects who prefer to communicate via text. Here are some best practices for text messaging with those prospects, as well as how to incorporate video to build stronger relationships and create memorable experiences.  Please note that these ideas and info should be secondary to any protocols and policies your organization has in place related to text messaging.  

First, it is important to know that many phones separate text messages from "Known Senders" and "Unknown Senders" into different lists, and may also hide inline video previews from unknown senders.  If your recipient has saved your contact info on their phone, your messages will show up in their "Known Senders" and have a much better chance of being viewed and for video previews to show up directly in your text conversation with them. 

There are a few ways to get someone to save your contact information on their phone.  You can ask them to manually add it (not the most convenient), you can text them your contact card from your phone (see instructions for how to do this via iPhone or Android below), or have them scan a QR code (e.g. on a business card) that links to one of your SalesMail videos, where they can easily tap the 'Contact Card' button below your video to download your contact info.  

How to share contact record on iPhone (steps may be slightly different depending on phone version):

1. Go to the Contacts app on your iPhone and create a new contact record with your name, title, phone number, organization name, website, address, and any other contact info you want to be able to share.  You can even add your photo to make it even more personalized and memorable!  Save the contact record.

2. When you are ready to send your contact info to someone, simply go to your Contacts app, navigate to your contact record and click on it. This will open your contact record you created.

3. Scroll down below the contact record and click 'Share Contact'. 

4. Choose 'Messages' from the share screen. Type in the cell number of the person you want to send it to, or start typing their name if you have already saved their contact info on your own phone.  

5.  Then press within the body of the text message so you can type in a quick, friendly note such as: "Hi Janet!  This is Corey at the Lucedale Community.  Please save this contact to your phone so you'll have my info and my name will show up when I call or message you.  Please reach out anytime!"

 

How to share contact record on Android phones (steps may be slightly different depending on the phone brand/version):

1. Go to the Contacts app on your Android and create a new contact record with your name, title, phone number, organization name, website, address, and any other contact info you want to be able to share.  You can even add your photo to make it even more personalized and memorable!  Save the contact record.

2. When you are ready to send your contact to someone, simply go to your Contacts app, navigate to your contact record and click on it.  This will open the contact record you created.

3. Click the 'Share' button at the bottom of the screen and select 'Share as file', or if there is no share button click the three vertical dots and select 'Share'.

4. Choose 'Messages' from the share screen.  Select a contact you want to send it to or enter a cell number and then click done.  

5.  Before hitting send, type in a quick, friendly note such as: "Hi <recipient's first name>!  This is <your first name> at <organization name>.  Please save my contact to your phone so you'll have my info and my name will pop up when I call or text you.  Please reply so I know I sent this to the right number.  Thanks!"  By asking them to reply, you establish two-way communication between you and your recipient.  This helps establish you as a known, trusted sender and makes it more likely their phone will allow them to see video/image previews when you text them in the future.  

Sending a SalesMail video, such as an personal introduction to put a face-to-the-name, is easy!  Instructions to send a SalesMail video via your iPhone, Android, or from a text tool such as your CRM, are listed below.

1. Go to the SalesMail app on your phone. 

2. Either record a new SalesMail video, approve, and hit 'Share' or navigate to a Favorite SalesMail video and go to the details page by clicking the small green box to the bottom right of it and then hit 'Share'. 

3. Choose your text message app from the share screen.

4. This opens a text message draft with a link to your video.  Type your recipient's phone number (or search for their name if you already have them stored as a contact) in the To box.  

5. Send the text message.

1. If you haven't already recorded a video to send, use either your mobile SalesMail app or Desktop SalesMail Portal to record and save a video.

2. On your computer, navigate to your online texting tool.

3. Start creating a text message using that tool. 

4. Open the Desktop SalesMail Portal and go to 'My Results'.

5. Click the green mail icon to the right of the video you want to send.

6. Click the 'Share via Text' button to copy the link to the SalesMail video.

7. Go back to your text tool and paste the SalesMail video link into the message.  

8. Once your text message is ready, send it.