Have you asked yourself, “Why is SMS marketing important?” If so, you’re not alone. Many marketers struggle to understand the importance of this channel, and even when it’s put into a marketing plan, it’s often done in a way that doesn’t produce results. That’s because brands need to understand the best practices of using text message advertising to get the best click-to-open rate.
An effective SMS marketing campaign considers the time of day texts are sent, the frequency at which they’re pushed through, and the value of the content that’s being sent to customers. If you consider these elements, you’ll likely soon achieve positive results from your efforts.
With that in mind, let’s dive a little deeper into the world of SMS marketing.
What is SMS Marketing?
SMS stands for short message service. It’s a form of marketing your brand can use to send promotions to your customers via text message. In other words, SMS marketing is the same as text message marketing.
SMS marketing is essential because it allows you to consistently reach out and contact your customers, ensuring their customer experience is positive and ongoing. And, let’s be honest, everybody has their phones in their hands these days. This means this type of marketing hits people exactly where they are and when they’re most likely to pay attention to your messages.
To put it bluntly – people like being treated like VIPs, and SMS marketing gives people an “in” to your business. This, in turn, allows you to build relationships with the people on your list.
What are the Benefits of SMS Marketing?
Whether you’re looking for B2B marketing ideas or your goal is to target consumers, SMS marketing can offer you a variety of benefits. Here are a few of our favorites:
1. Higher Open Rates than Emails
What is a good click-through rate? Well, it depends on which channel you’re talking about.
People don’t enjoy receiving emails or phone calls as much as they prefer texts. In fact, 85% of customers in 2022 would rather receive a text message than a phone call. Open rates are as high as 98% with SMS marketing, whereas email can perform just as well if you can achieve an open rate that hits 30% or more.
2. Cost-Effectiveness
You don’t have to spend a fortune to text a customer. Even when you’re texting a ton of people, the cost usually isn’t a problem. It’s generally far more affordable to utilize SMS marketing than other marketing channels, such as Facebook ads.
In other words, SMS marketing is a great option for businesses of all shapes, sizes, and industries. This is particularly true if you’re just starting out and looking for ways to boost your brand awareness without spending too much money on a single marketing channel.
3. Mobile-Friendliness
Mobile friendliness is no longer a “nice to have” feature: it’s essential. Your marketing needs to talk to people on the devices they’re using, and because an increasing number of consumers are utilizing their mobile devices to shop, search, and browse, you don’t want to miss out on that kind of exposure.
SMS is a big part of making your company mobile-friendly, and the efforts can contribute to a strong leg of your overall digital marketing strategy.
4. Depth of Reach
Since so many consumers are using their cell phones today, you can expand your target demographic through SMS marketing. Instead of honing in on just one marketing strategy that could potentially only reach a single portion of your demographic, SMS marketing reaches everyone.
As long as your audience has mobile devices and can receive texts, they’ll get to be part of the experience you’re inviting them to.
5. Part of an Overall Digital Marketing Strategy
SMS marketing is rarely a stand-alone component for advertisers. Instead, it’s used alongside other channels, such as email and social media marketing.
How Can You Use SMS Marketing for Your Business?
B2B email marketing is excellent, as is B2C social media marketing (and everything in between). But, if you want to up the ante in your marketing game, add SMS to the mix.
Here are a few thoughts that can help you boost your brand awareness via text message:
- Provide value with exclusive offers
- Run time-limited promotions
- Create alerts for upcoming sales
- Collect feedback
- Send personalized messages using the data you’ve already collected about your customers
- Send timely reminders to encourage bookings, reservations, and appointments
- Encourage reviews and testimonials
Choosing the Best SMS Tool That’ll Work for You
There are a lot of tools on the market that can help you get the word out about your business via SMS marketing. This might be a good time for you to reach out to our team at Zero Gravity Marketing to learn from our experts. We’re here to guide you and help you make the most of your marketing efforts.
