In the last few days, I have received various fundraising and appointment reminder SMSs from my doctor’s office. Even I usually get text messages from Delta Air Lines for their online customer support, and companies like Amazon typically send text messages to update me about shipping. Many times, Google sends me SMS for user authentication, and even I have received many spam messages from random numbers. But the strange thing is that I hardly remember any brand sending me an attractive sales or marketing message. Ummm… I have shared my number with them countless times to download free resources while doing checkout and even request free demos.

People think that sales and marketing texts are not effective. It’s the intuition that most people have. They feel if sales and marketing messages are effective, then why are all brands not sending them? Right? Ummm… Wrong!! Completely!!

The reality is that people read SMSs more often and respond to them quickly compared to other marketing communication mediums. Still not convinced?

Let me share some key statistics of SMS marketing with you.

Key SMS Marketing Statistics

1. Approximately 9 people out of 10 read the SMSs they receive within the first 3 minutes.
2. The open and response rate for text messages is 98% and 45%, respectively. For email marketing, these rates are 20% and 6%.
3. People respond to text messages within approximately 90 seconds, whereas for email, this time is 90 minutes.
4. After the initial contact, if you text them, then the conversion rate might increase by approximately 113%.
5. More than 87% of consumers prefer texting to receive order confirmation, shipping updates, and reminders.

Countless studies like these show that SMS marketing provides businesses with high conversion and click-through rates.  

Text messaging is easy to set up and convenient. Besides, it is a low-cost and low-risk marketing communication channel.

In this article, I have tried to give you all the reasons why businesses should consider SMS marketing to skyrocket for their growth and success. So, without further ado, let’s get started.

Before I explain to you what benefits SMS marketing can provide your business, let me first brief you on what SMS marketing is.

What is SMS Marketing?

Have you watched three dots in the messaging app window? I am sure you have watched those while eagerly waiting for a response. If the answer to this question is YES, you are already aware of SMS.

If not, read on.

The full form of SMS is a short message service. It is a text-only message of up to 160 characters. When you send a media-rich message, it is called MMS.

Now, let’s understand it from the business perspective.

SMS marketing is a digital marketing strategy that is used to engage consumers and produce sales through text messaging. Brands and organizations can use SMS marketing to run their promotion campaigns, send updates about shipping, share time-sensitive information, ask for feedback, etc.

The SMS marketing strategy is easy to implement and provides a high ROI. Besides all these, the most important thing is that consumers love it.

The Advantages Of SMS Marketing

Text message marketing offers various benefits. Therefore, if you are confused about whether or not to include it in your SMS marketing plan, read this article thoroughly.

1.     Direct Communication

SMS marketing is one of the most immediate marketing communication channels with high open and response rates. Direct communication can encourage consumers to make an immediate purchase. In addition to this, direct communication helps in establishing long-lasting relationships between business and their customers.

2.     Instant Delivery

The best thing about SMS marketing is that even people who don’t have a smartphone or are not technically sound can also send and receive messages. This feature makes SMS marketing the most effective and accessible tool for delivering promotional messages to customers. Besides, text messages usually get delivered within 10 seconds, so if any business wants to share time-sensitive information, then they can also send it. Its instant deliverability makes it a worthy marketing investment.

3.     High Open Rate

A higher open rate makes any marketing campaign more effective. With SMS marketing, businesses don’t have to spend time writing a great subject line that attracts consumers to read and open the text message. Just one buzz is more than enough to encourage consumers to open the text message.

4.     Improved Conversion Rate

Generally, SMS offers a higher conversion rate due to the simplicity of the message. The SMS contains short texts without a lot of links and images. Even CTA is clear in the message. So, it will encourage receivers to open it and take some action.

5.     Highly Customizable

SMS marketing is one of the most personal communication channels than others. This is because the SMS sent by businesses directly gets delivered to the customer’s mobile phone. So businesses can use casual and friendly language while conveying your message. It will help them build long-lasting personal relationships with the customer. Besides, businesses can even customize their message to create a personal feel.

6.     Brand Awareness

By implementing an SMS campaign effectively, businesses can increase brand awareness and attract and engage customers during the buying process. By sending consistent messages, brands can stay on top of the consumer’s mind as customers usually check their text messages multiple times during the day.

When businesses/brands send personal, consistent, reliable messages, they can easily win customer’s trust and loyalty. And when customers are engaged with the brand, they will be more likely to recommend your brand’s service/product to their friends. It will ultimately expand brand awareness.

7.     Instant Feedback from Consumers

Businesses can do surveys and polls through SMS and get instant responses from consumers. In addition to this, when brands want to get feedback for their products/services, they can run SMS marketing campaigns. Such campaigns can help them learn more about market trends and better understand their consumers’ preferences.

8.     Affordable

When you compare text message marketing with other marketing solutions, you will be surprised to know that SMS marketing is cost-effective. It offers a high open and response rate and can provide high ROI. That’s why SMS marketing is an inexpensive marketing solution.

9.     Easy-To-Implement

SMS marketing is simple. Let me explain to you in brief. SMS marketing is permission-based. As your consumers have opted in to receive your text message, you can easily track how well your SMS campaign is performing. You can track, manage, and optimize performance. You can even use SMS marketing platforms to automate and schedule your text marketing campaign.

10.  No Spam Filters

With SMS marketing, you don’t have to worry about your messages going into the spam folder. This is because your consumers have already opted in to receive messages from your brand. So your SMS will not accidentally land in the spam folder.

Most Common Ways To Use SMS Marketing Texts

Here are various scenarios in which businesses can use SMS marketing.

•       Businesses can welcome their new subscribers or consumers through personalized text. There is a high chance that consumers will open it.
•       Text marketing is legal, but only if brands/businesses follow the rules established by the TCPA. So, whenever new consumer subscribers opt-in to receive messages, businesses should send them disclosure messages. They should include how many messages consumers can expect to receive, links to the terms and conditions, information regarding how to opt-out from receiving text messages, etc.
•       Whenever businesses want to send any alert messages regarding flash sales, discount offers, or limited inventory, they can run an SMS marketing campaign.
•       Have you ever ordered online? If yes, you will receive an order and shipping confirmation through SMS once your order is confirmed. Businesses can use this method to communicate this important information.
•       Do you have any time-sensitive information or news about limited-edition product releases? Use SMS to convey it to your consumers, and you can expect a quick response from your customers.
•       I am confident enough that implementing SMS drip campaigns can provide you with high ROI. As these campaigns have higher open and click-through rates, there is a high chance that they will perform better.
•       Businesses can use text messages throughout the customer lifecycle to provide pre and pro-sale support and build long-lasting customer relationships.

What are the Best Practices For SMS Marketing?

I have observed that many brands/businesses do not follow the best practices for SMS marketing. So, in this section, I have highlighted a few rules that you, as a business owner, should not break.

•       Don’t send messages to people who have not opted in.
•       Always include the opt-out option in your message.
•       Make sure you identify yourself in each SMS. It is because certain subscribers might not have added you to their contact list.
•       Go for personalized messages and segment your audience based on your customer’s preferences.
•       Use proper grammar and check spelling before sending messages.
•       Your text message should be short, crisp, and concise with proper CTA.
•       Send text messages at the right time along with area code so you can easily optimize and A/B test messages.   

Are You Ready To Implement SMS Marketing?

Hopefully, the above discussion has made you realize that these days, consumers prefer text messages to connect with businesses. Text message marketing is powerful and in high demand by marketers and retailers because of its benefits and relevancy. It offers consumers a greater user experience and serves as a productive engagement vehicle than other marketing methods. As a business owner or marketer, you can pack your SMS campaign with surprises, rewards, and convenience to earn consumer loyalty. It will result in constant engagement and revenue.

That’s it for today, but before I wrap up this conversation, I want to ask you one last question – Are you ready to include text marketing as a must-have ingredient in your marketing toolkit?

Hopefully, this article has convinced you to do it!!

Happy Texting!!