Why Businesses Shouldn’t Ignore SMS Marketing

Our phones are a vital part of our daily lives – whether it’s messaging friends, checking social media, sending emails, watching videos, finding directions, listening to music, playing games or a host of other functions.

Our smart phones have overtaken television when it comes to the amount of time we spend on them and it seems their use is only set to rise further as they become a great part of our lives. It’s impossible to ignore the phone and so it shouldn’t be ignored as a marketing opportunity. You should always aim to catch your customers where they are and, most likely, they’ll be on their phone.

But, besides reaching customers where they are most likely to be, how else can you benefit from SMS marketing?

It’s Good To Text
People prefer receiving text messages to an email fired into their inbox or a leaflet stuffed through their door. Unlike the other two, an SMS is not seen as being such a throwaway commodity – it’s not a natural reaction to simply delete it. From a businesses point of view this is your chance to address a customer directly and personally. You can find a tone and a voice that your audience appreciates and use it effectively. The recipient will welcome a message that shows you know and understand their tastes – especially if it contains a juicy offer or early news of a new product or service. For this reason, texts work not only to drum up business
but also to make your customers feel wanted and encourage them to stay loyal.

Targeted
The personal nature of a text also means your marketing campaign is guaranteed to be reaching the right people. Not only can you target a set group of people but you can also aim to get in contact with them at the most effective time of the day. Think about when your customers are most likely to be searching for your product. They’re not going to book a holiday during the morning rush hour, for example.

Flexible
SMS marketing is an effective way of tackling a number of different marketing goals. Want to announce a new product or service? Text your customers, send them a link to more details and get the word out there. Want to boost custom? Sent out a coupon or voucher code and get your loyal followers to part with their cash. Want feedback on your business? Launch a mobile survey, which also allows you to send questions based on the replies you get, making for an effective and valuable experience.

Cost
An SMS campaign can be a really cost effective way of reaching a large number of people in double-quick time. Global Messaging packages start from just 2.4p per text message and can see hundreds or thousands of messages going out in a flash. The speed and cost make it a financially sensible option – especially compared to the time and cost of printing and delivering the same amount of messages!

Traceable
An SMS campaign can be monitored and effectively analysed by Global Messaging, with rich data to be pored over. You can also track feedback with mobile surveys – getting vital insight into your campaigns that help you greater understand your target market and shape future marketing messages.

Wearable
If you think SMS is important now, wait until wearable tech takes off. With the Apple Watch blazing the trail, devices on our wrist will soon be buzzing to give us a preview of our text messages – making it easier and more effective than ever to reach customers.