A Birthday SMS That’s Different than the Rest

I’m sorry to have to break the news to you, but you’re going to have to say more than “Happy Birthday!’ when you send a birthday sms. I mean sure, it’s nice that someone’s taken the time to send a text message rather than send an e-mail, tweet it, or post it on your wall. But if you’re already going through the effort of taking out your phone to type up this message, then you may as well add an extra sentence or two! Even a short additional line asking how the recipient is or how their day has been will make a difference. Out of all of the bland messages, wishing someone a happy birthday can become so habitual that it could seem like you don’t care when you send it—even more so than not saying anything at all!

Now, what you want to say in your text is entirely up to you, but do note that since you’re sending them a more personal message than an online message, they’ll be more inclined to respond. The only response you’ll get to a simple “happy birthday” is “thanks”, unless they’re nice enough to ask about how you are—and then you’ll really look like the bad guy to not have done it first! There are a couple of different ways in making that congratulatory text special, and you should also try to keep in mind that different people will require different messages. Who would have known sending a text would be so complicated?

What to Say in Your Birthday SMS

Since today’s mobile technology is becoming more widely adopted, you’re much luckier than the people a decade ago who actually had to come up with an elaborately-written happy birthday sms in fewer than 64 characters. Back then, it was easier to just make a phone call since tapping out a message would take far too long. If you’re too young to remember the standard candy bar phone, avid texters possessed some amazing talents with their thumbs. Picture messages are becoming increasingly common. If the reason you’re sending a text rather than delivering a card is distance or a busy schedule, then you could take a picture of yourself with your smartphone—possibly even holding up a sign wishing them a happy birthday—and send them an SMS instead!

Additionally, thanks to secure online payment methods, you could even send a gift via SMS—and I don’t just mean an emoticon of a cake. SMS gift vouchers are becoming all the rage; simply order it from a salon or a deal website like GroupOn, and they’ll have something to look forward to in spite of your absence. If you don’t want to go through the hassle of finding a voucher, then you could also gift Amazon or iTunes credit; if that wasn’t enough, then there’s also a variety of gift cards you could send by phone! Basically, regardless of whether you can be there in person or did not have time to purchase a gift, there’s always a way to fix your errors, as long as they aren’t typos or those embarrassing autocorrect changes that sometimes slip through.

Who’s that Birthday SMS for?

Maybe I’m a little biased, but if the tier system should be applied anywhere, then it needs to be when it comes to gifts and messages. If you sent a brief, one-line birthday sms for girlfriend or your mother, then it’s really bad character to send a paragraph to a friend. Granted the friend isn’t terminally ill. Although, if the friend is a life-long friend and you just met your girlfriend a couple of days ago, then that’s a different story. As such, when you have determined the birthday sms for friend, then it should be a quick, fun message to show that you haven’t forgotten their day; you could also add a predictive message on how much fun will be had later.

On the other hand, if you don’t want to celebrate your girlfriend’s birthday without her, then when you’re concocting a birthday sms for a girlfriend, it should contain some sort of message of how much you care about her. You could maybe even add an element of surprise for all of the romantic, lovely things you’ll do for her later. There isn’t really anything wrong with making it appear like you value someone more than the person you’re intimate with, but it could send across the wrong message if that text is discovered. In an era where gossip is the highlight and the entertainment of the bulk of the population, a snowball situation should be avoided—especially when it could reach your management! Maybe I’m being a little dramatic, but that’s my two cents: The last thing you’re going to want is to find out that you’ve made someone upset over a silly birthday sms, what a pointless catastrophe that would be! Practice safe texting out there folks, or better yet…make a phone call!

written by Ashley, birthday July 24th