Compared to other modes of digital and online marketing, the intimacy and urgency of text-based message marketing make it more alluring to business marketers. However, these same benefits of it pose the biggest risks too for brands when planning and executing marketing campaigns.
However, if approached strategically and innovatively, marketing can surely bring in many profitable benefits to businesses of all size and sorts. The text for marketing should not only be contextually relevant but also get the viewers engaged and urgently respond to get the desired returns. If not done this way, the pitfalls of SMS marketing may supersede the benefits of it.
Even though acknowledging the disastrous risks of marketing, marketers still believe this medium outperform the other channels and can easily be integrated with other automated marketing tactics. In this article, we will discuss 12 reasons why users are friendlier to SMS marketing over marketing channels.
1. Mobile devices are forming part of individuals
Nowadays, cell phones have become an external organ for many of the individuals. People don’t wish to part with these handy devices which make their life easier even when they sleep. Not just to communicate or kill their boredom, but people look at their smartphone for anything they want. A survey shows that the millennial tends to check their mobile screen at least every five minutes even without an alert.
2. Texting is the most used feature of mobile phones
Still, users spend more time on the messaging app than any other activity. It is also the most frequently accessed tool than others. It is noted that almost 98% of the smartphone users tend to text their contacts at least once weekly. It is also noted that the same percentage of users tend to open and read all messages they get at their inbox. This makes it a perfect medium for employee notifications as well. You can send mass texts to employees and be sure that most of them will actually read the message.
3. 85% of the users prefer text from brands than phone calls or emails
Many consider call as annoying and don’t tend to read e-mails instantly as they are received. So, given a choice, it is noted that the customers prefer more to engage with a brand through SMS messages than voice or mail. The text is still considered to be the less annoying and more personal mode of communication.
4. Users don’t want to download any new app
As we learn more, people don’t want to download a business app to stay connected with any brand only if it not that necessary. Also, each channel comes with a big learning curve, especially for a bit aged customer. But text messaging doesn’t involve any such complexity, and anyone can use it instantly without any additional knowledge and skills. People are used to text messaging by default.
5. There is no need for a smartphone for SMS
Even though smartphones are widespread and every one out of three cell phone users has it, some people still carry simple basic phones. They don’t access the web data, and they also don’t get connected over Wi-Fi. However, apart from calling features, SMS also comes as a default service of any existing mobile phones and everyone using any kind of a phone has access to it. It is true that the basic phone users cannot consume any infographics or links, but still they can read the text.
6. Text messaging will act handy at all stage of the customer’s journey
Marketers can consider mobile text messaging as a tool to be used at different stages of customer relations as for acquisition, sales, service and more. As close and personal communication becomes more important than before, the challenges in offering better customer experiences also increased. Text messages can be effectively used to engage the customers at every stage of their buying journey.
7. Text can be interactive
If they are interested, then customers always opt to initiate the communication. In the case of text message marketing, keywords and shortcodes make this interaction effective and dynamic. Receiving the SMS, opening and reading it, and then considering a response or an action to avail the offered benefits puts the user engaged in an active role.
8. SMS is one-to-one
Usually, marketers would time their campaigns in order to serve the audiences at the right time when they need it. With SMS marketing messages, it is mostly the customers decide their time of interaction. Being considered as a personal mode of communication, marketing takes off all the right customer – right content – at the right time guesswork.
9. Possesses more contextual relevance
Relevance is an essential factor while trying out automated marketing strategies. However, this is very hard to define perfectly, but seemingly closest possible with SMS marketing. Texting provides an opportunity for consumers to demand exactly what they want with minimal effort. Say, for example, if you get a reply for your SMS campaign with a text “ROI” which refers to the financial benefits of your product, you know how to take this communication further and what information to be shared.
10. User surveys are in favor of text
Some researchers are done on the relevancy of consumer communication with various modes, the majority of the users are found to pay more for any service or product that offers text support. They had appositive perception towards the brand which offers mobile messaging over e-mail or other modes of customer support.
11. Click through rates of SMS outperform emails
Even though emailing remains an excellent channel for marketers, SMS is found to have more click-through rates. As the open rate of a text message is naturally higher than e-mails nowadays, there are surely more possibility for click-through too through SMS. More than that, as SMS has a taste of urgency, people tend to click on the links than that on the e-mails, which they may not access at the right time.
12. SMS airs a taste of trust
Compared to e-mails and social media notification, which people pursue as public domains, SMS is considered more personal and airs a natural feeling of trust. Surveys show that people not only tend to open an SMS but also more interested in trying out text offers and coupons that they receive through other channels.
Even though it is one of the oldest modes of content marketing, SMS still remains to be the favorite and most advantageous marketing channel for business. It is also expected to be for many years to come, so it is essential for any business marketer to do thorough research in light of their business goals to devise the most appropriate marketing campaigns.
