Are you using text messaging to connect with your customers? Should you be? Yes, you should.
Studies have shown that consumers prefer email and SMS (Short Message Service) text messaging to receive updates from a brand. We’ll look at the data that supports this and how your company can take advantage of this powerful marketing channel.
Reach Your Audience Where They Are
Almost every American owns a mobile phone. Mobile phone usage, mobile website traffic, and mobile app usage are all rising. The phone is always on them or near them, so why not leverage that fact to connect with them?
SMS is great for reminders, offer notifications, transactional confirmations, and, most importantly, personalization. People want to feel like businesses care and are communicating directly to them. The mobile phone is a personal device, so connecting with your customers should feel personal. Including variable information such as first name and birthdays can foster that personal connection and make the interaction more memorable.
SMS Marketing Numbers You Should Know
The case for adding SMS to your marketing strategy can be made by simply looking at the data. No other channel shares the high engagement and response rate with text messaging. Here are a few:
- ~100% of people read all their text messages [EZTexting]
- 98% of SMS messages get opened. [Gartner]
- 95% of text messages are read and responded to within 3 minutes of being received [SMS comparison]
- 90% of customers prefer text messages over direct phone calls [SMS comparison]
- 48% of consumers prefer direct communication from brands via SMS text message [SMS comparison]
The numbers speak for themselves. Utilizing best practices and including SMS in a multi-channel marketing campaign can dramatically boost performance.
New phone, who dis?
It’s a business you agreed to receive texts from.
The fact that SMS is opt-in means your audience is engaged and wants to hear from you.
Almost 50 million customers chose to opt-in to receive text messages from businesses in 2020
[SMS comparison]
We’ve all received unwanted text messages, but ultimately the spam rate is low compared to telemarketing and email. While the numbers have risen steadily over the last few years, spamming text messages has a higher cost per message than the other methods. The cost barrier means SMS will remain a trusted source for communicating with your actual customers for the foreseeable future.
How to Get Started with SMS Marketing
To bulk send messages, you’ll need an SMS Gateway Provider. Choosing the right provider depends on the size of your audience, your goals, and your method of workflow integration. SMS Gateway Providers such as ClickSend, Twilio, and BulkSMS offer an API to integrate into your CRM. These may be overkill for many small businesses, so we’re excited about Campaign Monitor’s announcement of SMS capability. Campaign Monitor’s intuitive email platform now makes it just as easy to send out SMS messages. It’s an excellent option for SMBs just getting started.
SMS Marketing Is a No-Brainer
Whether you’re promoting a sale, sending event reminders, or providing shipping updates, SMS marketing is a powerful tool that consumers are open to receiving. There is no silver bullet when it comes to marketing, but adding text messaging to your marketing arsenal will certainly close the gap more traditional methods leave behind.
