SMS marketing, also known as Text Message Marketing is one of the easiest and fastest ways of communication. Initially, text messages were used for personal communication. But the digital world and the increasing use of smartphones gave a new dimension to the use of text messages. Text messaging is increasingly used by businesses to reach out to their target audience and retain their existing customers.
What is text message marketing?
Text message marketing refers to sending promotions, advertisements, announcements, and various other information to the customers and subscribers through text message. It is a direct way of communicating with customers. Recently, text messages also include pictures of products and links to business websites so that customers can place an order on their phone with ease.
Why Text Message Marketing?
Though there are different kinds of messaging service, a text message is the one that doesn’t require an internet connection. This makes it more handy. According to research, people check their phones more frequently out of force of habit. This proves that the best medium to communicate with customers is through mobile phones. Studies have proved that messages, whether addressed to individuals or sent through bulk messages, are guaranteed to be read. The benefits obtained through text message marketing are numerous and that makes it the most preferred choice of communication for every business.
Top 5 advantages of text message marketing
Now that you know that text messaging is an effective customer communication method to reach your customers, let’s discuss the top 5 advantages of text message marketing that will help you build a strong customer base and grow your business.
1. Higher open rate
One of the biggest advantages of text message marketing is that 98% of the messages are read. This makes it the most successful communication channel when compared to email, phone calls, or any other marketing strategy. Email can more often land up in the spam folder and marketing fliers can easily be thrown away by customers. Text messages, however, don’t go ignored because of the increasing use of mobile phones. If you need to reach your customers more consistently, use text message marketing.
2. Higher engagement and conversion rate
A text message doesn’t just let you engage with your customers, it also lets them engage with your business. It makes them feel that your business is more accessible and you’re there with them anytime on their phones, inducing them to remember you. You can boost customer engagement through exclusive deals, contests, surveys, polls, and insider information.
This feeling of personal approach and engagement leads to a higher conversion rate. There is more action taken than any other marketing strategy.
3. Cost-effective
The cost of other marketing strategies and advertising programs are increasing year-after-year. There are many paid advertising programs like Google paid ads and Facebook ads where the business owner has to pay for the number of views. This increases the marketing cost of the business.
But after implementing text message marketing companies witness a drastic reduction in their marketing cost while at the same time getting a higher ROI. This makes text message marketing a perfect marketing strategy for all businesses. For startups and small businesses that are looking for ways to start with advertising at a low budget, text message marketing is a great choice.
4. Wider reach
With the increasing usage of mobile phones, reach is definitely one of the most important advantages of text message marketing. There is no need to have an internet connection to receive text messages, just a working mobile phone is enough. Therefore, messages can be instantly delivered to anyone with a mobile phone. A recent survey reported that more than 50% of online traffic was generated through mobile phones. The messages sent directly reach the fingertips of the customers, thus reaching a wide target audience. All these benefits make text message marketing the ideal choice for many businesses.
5. Works with other marketing channels
Another major benefit of text messaging is its potential to integrate with other marketing campaigns. All marketing campaigns must work well together and text messaging is no exception. Though text messaging is a great communication channel all on its own, it has the ability to get integrated with other marketing channels and enhance them. It can get the message straight to customers and acts as a quick and easy way to connect to them. You can use it in social media or email campaigns. For example, you can send a reminder on an unread email to the customer.
To Sum Up
With all these advantages, you can see just how great text marketing can work for your business. The advantages are limitless. If you haven’t started with your text message marketing, now is the right time to start. Enjoy a lower cost and a higher ROI with text message marketing.