Did you know that the average American checks their phone 96 times a day? With most people checking their phones before they even get out of bed, SMS marketing is gaining prominence as a successful and cost-effective method of engaging with customers and generating revenue.
In this article, we’ll take you through everything you need to know about SMS marketing, including how it works and the benefits it offers. Could this simple advertising method be the future of mobile commerce?
SMS stands for Short Message Service — more commonly known as texting. SMS marketing is the process of using text messages to send transactional or promotional campaigns to customers or subscribers. These messages are delivered almost instantly and have one of the best open rates of all brand communications.
Many marketers use SMS as one aspect of a multi-channel marketing strategy. It’s effective, scalable, and cost-effective too. It can be used to make users aware of discounts, special offers, coupons, or surveys. It’s also incredibly easy to track in terms of engagement and open rates.
In a competitive market, getting your business’s services or products in front of the right people can be difficult. With overflowing inboxes and social media saturated with ads, people hardly take notice of the majority of marketing campaigns.
That’s where SMS comes in. This is a simple but effective way of reaching your customers. If you’re not sure how the process works, here are a few pointers. For this process to be effective, you should always:
SMS is an effective way of getting your message in front of the customer, but you should always make sure you have their permission to send them texts. While SMS messages have a high open rate, this won’t matter if your messages are going out to people who don’t want to receive them. Further, many countries required opt-in for data protection reasons.
Email is usually only checked a few times a day, and many people don’t have notifications on their smartphone for emails. However, most people have text notifications and respond to them almost immediately. Customers are unlikely to want to receive marketing messages at odd hours, so make sure your messages are timed to go out in normal working hours rather than early morning or late at night.
Ecommerce marketing is great because there are so many channels you can use to attract business. Use SMS messaging alongside other approaches to build relationships. Ensure there’s consistency across all channels, and use SMS marketing for smaller pieces of information and email for more detail.
Finally, as with all advertising channels, you should make it clear who the message is from. You don’t want to send a promotional offer or code out to customers without them knowing which brand it’s for!
Aim to make your texts as concise as possible. People will open and read your messages, but they don’t want to have to read lots of information to find out what it’s about or why it’s of value to them.
SMS marketing can offer your business a number of benefits, including increased conversions, better engagement, and increased revenue and sales. Here are just a few of the main rewards of using SMS marketing.
Given that the average American checks their phone 96 times a day, SMS marketing offers easy engagement with your target audience. And, as 50% of internet use is conducted through a mobile device, it’s critical for businesses to focus on mobile-friendly marketing.
The amount you’ll pay for SMS marketing depends on the provider you use and how many messages you send. The average price ranges from $30 to $300, but this covers thousands of text messages. And, because the majority of those messages are opened by the customers, you’re successfully reaching consumers for a tiny cost.
The open rate for SMS marketing messages is 98%, compared to just a 20% open rate for email message campaigns. This makes SMS a powerful way of getting brand engagement. Higher open rates lead to more conversions, which can increase your ROI quickly.
SMS messages are opened quickly, and they’re also most likely to get a response quickly. In fact, 90% of SMS texts are read within 3 minutes. This makes it a great choice for sending out limited-time coupon offers or making customers aware of flash sales.
Text messaging is a great way to build customer loyalty. It provides the perfect channel to offer your subscribers valuable information and offers, which in turn helps build your personal connection with the customer. Consider using SMS to make customers aware of limited-time deals and sales, as well as information about your brand such as new product ranges.
As e–commerce continues to grow at an impressive rate, companies need to rise to the challenge of competing in a crowded market. SMS marketing will no doubt continue to evolve into one of the most powerful tools for marketing and customer interaction.
Incorporating texts into your marketing strategy offers many benefits. While most people can access their email via smartphone, most don’t open and read emails as quickly and regularly as text messages.
Overall, SMS marketing should be a fundamental element of any mobile commerce marketing strategy. Not only does it have better engagement and a larger reach than other forms of marketing, but it also helps you nurture direct and personal communication with customers.
SMS messaging is easy to implement and track, so why not add it to your marketing toolkit today?
