You have developed what you believe to be an all-encompassing marketing approach using all effective channels to promote your business, generate traffic and leads, and then convert. Is there anything left to do? Well, have you thought about using text message (SMS) marketing in order to further enhance your marketing approach? It may seem old school, but there are a number of benefits to this particular approach: here are five.
It’s instant
That’s right, text message marketing is about the fastest form of marketing there is. It may arrive in a similar timeframe to an email, but quite simply, people check their SMSs before they usually check their emails, and everyone has a cell phone these days close by, so this is perhaps the quickest way you have of getting to your potential customer. And better still, due to its limited nature (a certain number of words), it won’t take months of planning to execute either.
“Clients often complain about the limiting nature of using SMS messaging, but I love to help them see the light in that, this is the very point: the beauty is that there are no bells and whistles with SMSs and they can make your point succinctly without investing time and money on long-conceived plans of action. As long as you have spent a modicum of time thinking it through, just send it!” explains Pete Yashov, a marketing manager at Writinity and Lastminutewriting.
It’s cost-effective
These days it is possible to send bulk SMSs for incredibly competitive prices. In fact, depending on the type of contract you have with your mobile operator, or the type of software you engage, this may even be performed at no extra cost to your business at all. And as already alluded to, there is a limit to how much creative investment you will need to make, which really assists in keeping the costs down too.
It reaches everybody
Granted, in this technological age, a lot of people have access to multiple channels, and there are many ways in which you can reach your audience. However, the fact is that mobile messaging has the capacity to reach even those who have very limited means because a cell phone is often the first option people pursue when looking to upgrade their technological equipment. Furthermore, it doesn’t matter if there is a 2G or 3G connection either, as SMSs will get through. These messages can be deployed globally and have the ability to reach almost anyone: that is one incredible advantage to utilize.
“In marketing terms we talk about open rates, meaning if people actually open the message they are receiving from you. With email, for example, there are means by which people can filter out the messages they are not interested in it, from sophisticated junk mail filters to simply glancing at the subject heading and deciding it’s not worth clicking on. With SMSs, it doesn’t work that way as you pretty much have to open the message before you even realize if you want to read it or not – a close to a 100% open rate is a dream in marketing terms, and that is what text message/SMS marketing can offer,” enthuses Bethany O’Neill, a business and marketing blogger at Draftbeyond and Researchpapersuk.
You can target SMSs
If you are in the habit of segmenting your audience (which is best practice these days), then SMSs are easily targeted, which is great news for any marketer. Once you understand each segment of your audience, you can tailor and then deliver the perfect SMS which can dramatically increase the chances of a person engaging with your business. So, to get this straight, not only do SMSs have a global reach, but you can also fine-tune them to fir the recipient at the same time – that’s valuable.
And remember that text message marketing has to be an opt-in service – you cannot send SMSs to someone who has not expressly agreed to it beforehand, so the chances are engagement rates are dramatically increased because this is a person who has already agreed at some point to engage with your business. This fact, along with the benefit of being able to tailor the message they receive, acts in raising future engagement, not to mention any future conversion.
SMSs work as part of a multi-channel approach
Another beauty of text message/SMS marketing is that it can complement the existing channels by which you use to engage with your audience. If you have updated your site, or want to draw attention to a special offer that is available to mobile users, for example, SMSs are the perfect means of driving people to those places with direct links. Further, leverage your marketing campaigns by fully utilizing these unique benefits that text message/SMS marketing possesses.
