Why Text Message Marketing is the Most Effective Marketing Tool in your Arsenal

September 21, 2018 Posted by Pocketstop in Text Message Marketing - M360 Social Share

It has been shown that 98% of adults aged 18 to 29 in the US own a device capable of receiving a text message. In fact, 90% of business leads would rather receive a text message than a phone call. Fifty per cent of consumers prefer SMS support as opposed to a phone call, 64% of consumers perceive SMS communications from businesses in a positive light. The average response time for a text message is just 90 seconds and 75% of millennials would rather communicate with businesses via SMS.

All of the above statistics were reported in 2018 meaning that all of them suggest that text message marketing is paramount as a viable alternative to other marketing methods on offer in the current business climate.

The purpose of stating all this is to outline various benefits of text message marketing and reasons why your business should be using it and harnessing its power with regards to marketing and communications.

So, now that we have hard statistics that outline the demand, expectations and trust around SMS as a marketing tool, let’s take a look at the benefits and reasons why businesses should be using a text message marketing solution.

Texting Is A Communication Method That Is Adaptable Across Markets

One of the reasons SMS marketing is so effective is that it’s suited to B2C and B2B audiences. It can be used by commercial brands, for internal communications by businesses, and it is also appropriate for third-sector and public-sector companies. SMS marketing is also versatile across industries, from retail to healthcare, and can be used for a range of communications. The adaptability of SMS marketing also means that if you’re looking to move into a new market or a new sector with your brand, you already have a developed channel you can use to target your customers.

SMS Has A Fantastic Open Rate That Delivers Measurable Results and ROI

The statistics about SMS marketing are incredible and really highlight the full opportunity the channel represents when reaching and communicating with customers. Research suggests that 98% of SMS messages are opened, making it even more successful than email marketing. Most people send and receive text messages every day and have been doing so for a number of years, so opening and responding to your message should come as almost second nature to the people you’re sending your communications to. The average click-through rate for SMS messaging is 19% and as most people have set their phones to alert them once a message is received, you can feel optimistic about the speed in which your message is opened, and hopefully clicked.

SMS Marketing Is Trackable

Most service providers will offer simple delivery reporting to check your messages have successfully been sent. If you’re looking for more intelligent tracking, the top players in SMS marketing will not only tell you when your messages have been sent successfully, but will also provide you with details on who, what and when links have been clicked ensuring you get the most from your campaigns.

Text Messages Are Intimate

With so many texts being exchanged every day, you’d think a large number would be impersonal spam that gets ignored. You’d be wrong. Unlike any other media, every text message is considered important. Why? Almost every text is sent to or from a close friend or family member. More than any other channel of communication, text messaging is personal and intimate.

In fact, text messaging is the most frequently used medium for personal written communications for adults under 35. Unlike direct mail or emails, the SMS field isn’t oversaturated with advertising. This translates into unprecedented visibility for your marketing message, as virtually every text message is eagerly read.

Text Messages Are Often Sent To A Pre-Involved Audience

Most advertisements are ignored because most people aren’t interested in their message. But since people opt in to receive your texts, your marketing content is guaranteed to reach an audience genuinely interested in your message.

A 2009 study by Opus Research found that opt-in SMS marketing results in more targeted promotions and, in turn, more effective results. Similarly, Forrester analyst Nate Elliot writes that when text message marketing is targeted well, “users stop thinking of it as marketing and start thinking of it as content, or a service.” When you use text message marketing to have customers opt in to your SMS list, you’re doing more than marketing: You’re sparking an ongoing relationship with an audience that is interested in your message and responsive to your business.

SMS Marketing Is A Great Tool For Targeted And Measurable Lead Generation via Keywords

Keywords are easy to set-up as an SMS shortcode and can be anything from your brand name to a memorable word. Advertise your keyword on your website, printed media or in your store, allowing customers to opt-in to your mailing list. E.g. Text SMS to 82228 for exciting news and special offers! Not only does this provide you with lots of new contacts to communicate with but it also generates an instant lead with little effort required from you or your customer.

SMS Marketing Is Time Efficient

Another huge advantage of using SMS marketing is that it can be almost instantaneous to draw up and send out a campaign. You don’t have to spend time designing and amending an SMS messaging campaign, once you’ve worked out your message and the people you want to send it to, you simply need to construct the text – which takes the same amount of time it would to type a text out on your own phone. You can use SMS messaging to react almost instantaneously to company information as it breaks, offering customers information about deals and discounts as soon as they’re agreed.

This really is an exciting and relevant time to be harnessing the power of SMS marketing for almost all businesses. With the ongoing rise of mobile tech and the emergence of proximity marketing solutions, SMS marketing is a valuable asset to your marketing arsenal.

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