Businesses don’t need to learn text abbreviations.
Do they?
Wait a sec, do they?!
Well, actually, yes. Learning a few common text abbreviations allows businesses to save time, connect with customers more personally, and appear more modern and approachable.
Text abbreviations can help businesses to stay relevant and engaging with their communications.
Appropriate use of popular abbreviations can help a business to connect with diverse audiences, adapt to evolving trends, and maintain a competitive edge in the ever-evolving digital landscape.
On the other hand, ignoring text abbreviations may result in missed opportunities to connect with customers.
This article shares the top abbreviations you need to learn to up your messaging game.
What are texting abbreviations?
Text abbreviations are shortened versions of common words or phrases—the most popular one might be “LOL” (or laugh out loud). They help users save time and stick to the character limit when sending text messages.
When used in SMS campaigns , texting abbreviations help businesses keep their messages short without losing the intended meaning.
Learning text acronyms is important for marketers who want to keep up with today’s bite-sized communication style. Using popular abbreviations in their SMSs makes it easier for brands to engage and build thriving customer relationships.
Text abbreviations for business text messages
The text abbreviation list below contains the popular text acronyms you can use in your business communication:
- ACCT – account
- ACK – acknowledge
- API – Application Programming Interface
- ASAP – as soon as possible
- AOV – average order value
- B2B – business to business
- B2C – business to consumer
- BD – business development
- BOGO – buy one get one free
- CEO – Chief Executive Officer
- CFO – Chief Financial Officer
- COO – Chief Operating Officer
- CRM – customer relationship management
- CTA – call to action
- CX – customer experience
- EOD – end of day
- EOW – end of week
- EPS – earnings per share
- ETA – estimated time of arrival
- FAQ – frequently asked questions
- FF – Follow Friday
- FYI – for your information
- GA – Google Analytics
- GDPR – General Data Protection Regulation
- HQ – headquarters
- HR – human resources
- HTH – hope this helps
- IPO – Initial Public Offering
- KPI – key performance indicator
- MoM – month over month
- MRR – monthly recurring revenue
- N/A – not applicable
- NDA – non-disclosure agreement
- NGO – non-governmental organization
- NFS — not for sale
- NP – no problem
- OOO – out of office
- OTP – one time password
- P2P – peer to peer
- POC – point of contact; proof of concept
- POS – point of sale
- PR – public relations
- R&D – Research and Development
- RFI – Request for Information
- RFP – Request for Proposal
- ROI – return on investment
- SaaS – Software as a Service
- SLA – service level agreement
- SMB – small and medium-sized business
- SME – subject matter expert
- T&C – terms and conditions
- TBA – to be announced
- TBC – to be confirmed
- TBD – to be determined
- TIA – thanks in advance
- TOS – terms of service
- UI – user interface
- UX – user experience
- VFM – value for money
- VPN – virtual private network
- WFH – work from home
- YoY – year over year
Marketing-related text abbreviations
Marketers across all levels should be familiar with the following abbreviations in texting:
- AMA – ask me anything
- CLV – customer lifetime value
- CMS – content management system
- CPC – cost per click
- CPM – cost per mille (thousand)
- CR – conversion rate
- CRM – customer relationship management
- CTA – call to action
- CTR – click-through rate
- DM – direct message
- ELI5 – explain like I’m 5
- FB – Facebook
- FBF – Flashback Friday
- FF – Follow Friday
- FOMO – fear of missing out
- HMU – hit me up
- IG – Instagram
- IM – instant message
- LI – LinkedIn
- MFW – my feeling when
- OOTD – outfit of the day
- OP – original post
- PM – private message
- PPC – pay-per-click
- PSA — public service announcement
- QOTD – quote of the day
- RT – retweet
- SEM – Search Engine Marketing
- SEO – Search Engine Optimization
- SMP – social media platform
- PSA – public service announcement
- TBT – Throwback Thursday
- TCPA – Telephone Consumer Protection Act
- TIL – today I learned
- UGC – user-generated content
- VIP – very important person
- WOM – Word Of Mouth
- YT – YouTube
Common text abbreviations
Here are the most common abbreviations used in normal text conversations:
- ABT – about
- AFAIK – as far as I know
- AFK – away from keyboard
- AKA – also known as
- B4 – before
- BC – because
- BFD – big freaking deal
- BOGO – buy one get one
- BRB – be right back
- BRT – be right there
- BTS – behind the scenes
- BTW – by the way
- BYOB – bring your own beer
- DAE – does anyone else?
- DIY – do it yourself
- FOMO – fear of missing out
- FAV – favorite
- FTFY – fixed that for you
- FTW – for the win
- FUBAR – f***** up beyond all recognition
- FWIW – for what it’s worth
- FYI – for your information
- GG – good game
- GTG/G2G – got to go
- H8 – hate
- HBD – Happy birthday
- HMU – hit me up
- ICYMI – in case you missed it
- IDC – I don’t care
- IDGAF – I don’t give a f***
- IDK – I don’t know
- IKR – I know right
- ILY – I love you
- IMHO – in my humble opinion
- IMO – in my opinion
- IMU – I miss you
- IOU – I owe you
- IRL – in real life
- ISO – in search of
- JK – just kidding
- K – OK
- IYKWIM – if you know what I mean
- IYKYK – if you know you know
- JIC – just in case
- JK – just kidding
- JW – just wondering
- LMAO – laughing my a** off
- LMK – let me know
- LOL – laugh out loud
- MYOB – mind your own business
- NBD – no big deal
- NGL – not gonna lie
- NVM – never mind
- OG – original gangster
- OMG – Oh my God (Gosh)
- OMW – on my way
- PDA – public display of affection
- POV – point of view
- RN – right now
- ROFL – rolling on the floor laughing
- SMH – shaking my head
- SNAFU – situation normal, all f***** up
- STFU – shut the f*** up
- SUS – suspicious
- TBA – to be announced
- TBD – to be decided
- TBF – to be frank
- TBH – to be honest
- TGIF – thank goodness it’s Friday
- TL;DR – too long, didn’t read
- TLC: tender loving care
- TMI – too much information
- TTYL – talk to you later
- TTYS – talk to you soon
- TW – trigger warning
- TY – thank you
- W/E – whatever
- W/O – without
- WTF – what the f***
- WTH – what the h***
- WYD – what are you doing?
- WYSIWYG – what you see is what you get
- YOLO – you only live once
How to use text abbreviations
Check out these examples and tips on using text abbreviations in your business and marketing SMS:
Example 1: Sharing a discount
“Visit ABC Clothing Store ASAP for a great deal! 20% off any clothing item when you show this text.”
Example 2: Announcing a sale
“PSA: Our back-to-school sale starts TODAY! 50% off all books and stationery. Shop now here 👉 kidsbookstore.com/back-to-school “
Example 3: Promoting a new product
“Our long-awaited video game console is now available on pre-order. Place your order ASAP for a 20% discount. Only available to VIP members.”
Example 4: Customer service
“Thank you for contacting Omnisend. Your request has been lodged and a customer agent will contact you before EOD.”
Example 5: Text alerts
“TGIF! Celebrate the start of the weekend at our cheese shop. Show this text at the counter for 20% off our artisanal cheeses.”
Example 6: Order updates
“ Greetings, John. Your package, Order No. 12345 has been dispatched. ETA is 5.00 pm.”
Example 7: Appointment reminders
“Hi, Grace! Your dentist appointment is today at 2:15 pm. LMK if you need to reschedule.”
Example 8: Internal communication
“Hi, Anna. We have a meeting with our B2B clients today. Prepare their acct reports and LMK when you’re done.”
Example 9: Postponing an event
“We’ve had to postpone our training event because of bad weather. A new event day is TBD, and we’ll let you know ASAP.”
Example 10: Celebrating loyal customers
“HBD! Celebrate your big day with 30% off your next order. Use the code HBD001 at checkout.”
These simple examples show how to incorporate abbreviations in your texts to save character count while maintaining professionalism. You can simplify your texting efforts further by using an SMS program with pre-built SMS templates that already feature text abbreviations.
To spice things up, you can add a GIF in the text message to communicate your feelings visually.
Let’s now go over tips for texting in a business environment using text abbreviations.
1. Understand your audience
The key to successfully using text abbreviations in a business setting is to understand your audience. This will help you know which acronyms to use and how to use them effectively.
B4 using texting abbreviations in your marketing messages, ask yourself:
- Do my target users use text abbreviations regularly?
- Do they know what the popular abbreviations mean?
- Do they like abbreviations in the messages they receive?
- Are my target users young or old?
2. Don’t overuse abbreviations
You don’t want to use too many abbreviations in one message as this could hinder readability. Check this example, “ Sup, our fav customer. ICYMI, our summer sale is on. Shop ASAP for 10% off RN.”
An SMS like this is confusing and can easily miss the intended message.
3. Don’t forget to personalize
Text abbreviations allow you to save on the character count, This means you have more space to personalize the text message to your recipient.
According to Twilio SendGrid’s 2022 report, 20% of SMS recipients say that irrelevant messages are their biggest turnoff.
To boost engagement, personalize the message even if you use abbreviations to cut the character count. You can achieve this by:
- Collecting relevant customer data during the signup process
- Segmenting your audience into different groups to help you send targeted automated text messages
- Addressing the recipient by name
- Incorporating a clear CTA in the SMS
4. Be creative, but remain professional
You can get as creative as possible with your text abbreviations without being unprofessional. For example, avoid abbreviations for swear words in your professional messages.
5. Keep it simple
Don’t make it hard for your recipient to understand the acronyms in your text messages. Stick to the standard abbreviations in texting that you’re sure your audience understands.
Wrap up
Using text abbreviations in your business and marketing messages allows you to speak casually with your recipients. Used authentically, it also helps to position you as a modern and forward-thinking brand.
Hopefully, our text abbreviation list has shown you the popular acronyms you can use in your messages to save time.