SMS and text message marketing is more than a way to communicate with customers; it gives you immediate access to their personal device that's always in hand. Research shows that the average consumer sends at least 72 messages per day, making texting a low barrier of entry for marketers. Americans also check their phones once every 10 minutes, or 96 times per day, giving you ample opportunity to reach your target market.

Are you ready to try SMS text message marketing or amplify your campaign? Here's what to know about how it works and why it's beneficial for your business.

1) Instant Deliverability

‍

Instant deliverability is among the most impressive aspects of text message marketing. Email marketing takes up to 90-minutes for a customer to receive it, open it, and read it. It may take longer to see any click-through rates. Keep in mind that many promotional emails end up in the spam folder that customers will never see. 

Meanwhile, a promotional text message takes a few seconds to a minute to land in someone's smartphone, open, and read. Beyond the peace of mind of knowing your SMS marketing messages were delivered promptly, it also saves time in your business. You can review the data right away and make tweaks to your campaign in real-time. 

‍

2) High Open Rates

‍

Instant deliverability is impressive, but it still requires action to turn into an effective campaign. SMS marketing enjoys open rates of 99% compared with around a 28% open rate for marketing emails. 

Considering the average American spends up to 23 hours a week on her phone, including texting, it makes sense their device is always within reach. Consumers are already conditioned to immediately check their text alerts and open them with little to no delay. 

‍

3) Impressive Conversions

‍

The average SMS marketing conversion rate is usually around 29% depending on your campaign and industry. The rates for other marketing channels just don't compare. For example, the average conversion rate for PPC is 2.35%, and the average conversion rate for Google Ads is 3.75%.

However, this doesn't mean all marketing campaigns are created equally. If you're trying to acquire new customers with a broad reach, PPC may be a good choice for you. SMS marketing is best for directly marketing to your customers and nurturing those relationships into upsells.

‍

4) Use of Convenient Short Codes

‍

Shortcodes are easy to use for both businesses and customers. Because they're only 5 or 6 digits, they're easier to remember than a phone number. For example, if someone wants to opt into your text message promotions for your bike accessory eCommerce store, they could text a keyword code like CYCLE. When receiving your message, the customer will see the shortcode as the "from" number. 

Customers also recognize that a shortcode is from a business or organization and not from a friend. There's less risk they'll feel spammed, provided you follow the required opt-in and opt-out protocols. Shortcode messages are also rapidly delivered. Marketers can send hundreds of messages per second to their list of customers. Other marketing methods, like email, can take hours to send to a long list of users. 

‍

5) Inexpensive Marketing Campaigns

‍

SMS and text message marketing is relatively inexpensive, especially when compared to social media ads and PPC campaigns. When you're using PPC and social media advertising, you're relying on the algorithms of third-party platforms and their often opaque bidding system. You don't always know how much you'll spend on a campaign to get a handful of clicks, let alone conversions. 

SMS marketing is more reliable. You know the costs upfront based on your list size, how many texts you want to send, and shortcode options. It's simple to adjust your marketing budget as needed without any big surprises in your bank account.

6) One-on-One Communication Capabilities

‍

Research shows that nearly 93% of consumers want to communicate via text message, yet less than a third of consumers report getting text messages from them. People already use text messaging as a personal form of communication with friends and family. They're less likely to use email for the same individual and intimate conversation.

The built-in communication preference for consumers opens the door for businesses to talk with their customers one-on-one. You can respond to their requests, help problem-solve in real-time, and leave the line of communication open for follow-up questions and updates.  

‍

7) No Technical Knowledge Required

‍

Unlike other online marketing methods, SMS and text message marketing don't require any specialized technical knowledge. Your texting software is intuitive to set up to get started on your campaigns. Email marketing has evolved and is easier to use than in its early days. However, it still requires technical expertise to design the email templates and work with the data and how it triggers your messages. 

SMS marketing also doesn't require technical expertise from your customers. They don't need to white label your email address or double opt-in to your list to ensure your messages drop into their smartphones.

‍

8) Easy to Integrate Into Other Marketing Channels

‍

There's no reason to pick and choose if you've discovered a specific digital marketing channel is working for you, but you're debating whether to expand your efforts to SMS and texting. You can do both as part of a broader multi-channel marketing effort. You may discover PPC is working to attract new customers, but SMS text messaging is helping retain them and keeps them buying your latest products and services. 

‍

9) Lower Spam Potential

‍

Consumers have become hyper-vigilant against email spam, scams, and phishing schemes. The mistrust also extends to businesses they’re already loyal to, as it's now commonplace for email scams to resemble communication from legitimate companies. You may see an awkwardly worded email with a Netflix logo asking you to click through and pay your bill. It makes sense your own customers may automatically delete your emails without bothering to click through if they suspect spam. 

The other issue with email marketing is the spam folder. Consumers may use Google tabs and increase the settings on their spam folder to capture fraudulent emails before they land in their inbox. Unfortunately, promotional emails are frequently flagged as spam before the customer ever gets a chance to engage with your message.

‍

10) Marketing Flexibility

‍

SMS and text message marketing is also an incredibly flexible method to reach customers. Whether you want to send out texts about a sale, promotion, update, or appointment reminder, you can turn to SMS texting to cover all of your marketing needs. 

Email and other channels don't enjoy the same level of flexibility. After all, who wants to receive email reminders about a haircut or to get their oil changed? They're unlikely to pay much attention to it, whereas a text is instantly delivered and a straightforward tool for communication and engagement. 

‍

Final Thoughts

‍

SMS and text message marketing is instantaneous, effective, and simple for both businesses and consumers to use. Unlike email, your messages are also more likely to get seen, clicked, and lead to the conversions you’re looking for. The barrier to entry and cost is also reasonable, making it an easy choice for companies to take the next step.

‍

Are you ready to get started with SMS and text message marketing for your business? Contact us today.