Published on June 7th, 2018 | by Sunit Nandi

Is Text Message Marketing Right For Your Business?

Marketers constantly talk about how mobile is the future of communication with customers. After all, virtually every consumer today carries a smartphone around with them 24/7. Still, text marketing for business has yet to catch on globally to the extent that social media and email campaigns have. And it’s because many marketers don’t understand how exactly texting can benefit them. So, to help you avoid missing out on major growth opportunities, here is how text marketing can help your business and why you should implement it right away:

8 Benefits of Text Marketing

1. It’s Instant

There’s no need to endure long wait times to get a text message campaign up and running. There’s no drawn out meeting with the design team and your programmers. You can simply queue up a text right away and send it out to whoever you need to on your customer list. A bulk SMS text using an SMS gateway like Jook SMS doesn’t take any longer than sending a single text to one person on your contact list.

2. Mobile Friendly

Being mobile friendly is no longer a luxury for businesses. It is a must if you want to capture attention in today’s competitive digital world. Luckily, being mobile friendly via texting is much easier than redesigning your entire website to be responsive.

3. Consumers Love It

SMS plays right into the wants of the modern customer. They are already using their phones every day. You can even leverage this fact to get higher open rates and engagement on your other platforms like email; a follow up text message increases email open rates by as much as 30%. This is big, because you can’t sell to someone who doesn’t read your marketing message in the first place.

4. Direct

When you have gatekeepers to your communication with customers, it can cause problems. You hear about this every day when Google releases a new SEO algorithm that wipes certain companies’ sites off the first page overnight, or when Facebook decides to throttle your organic posts and decide what you’re allowed to mention in your advertisements. With text, you’re communicating directly with your list, no gatekeepers and arbitrary rules to overcome.

5. Low Cost or Free

Marketing costs can get out of control if you’re not careful. However, the cost of text message marketing is often very low, if not free. It’s a way to communicate with the masses without breaking your budget.

6. Simple

When consumers have to download a special app or switch to a new technology, their engagement drops off. This isn’t the case with texting. It’s so simple that every age group you’re targeting can use it without trouble.

7. Trackable

Don’t throw dollars away on marketing that you can’t track. Use text messaging to know exactly which messages drove calls, sales, or texts. That way, you can refine your campaigns to be more profitable and enjoy higher conversions.

8. Millennials

It’s no secret that millennials are tech-savvy. But as much as they love social media, they still text a great deal. In fact, they actually prefer texting over other forms of communication.

Text Message Marketing Guidelines

Get Them to Opt In

You can’t engage in text message direct marketing without permission. Instead, you need to get them to opt in because many providers charge users (even for incoming texts). The opt-in process is quite simple. Send them a quick text such as: “Want to get updates on our latest promotions? Text YAYPROMO to 12345 now!” Once they respond with the code, you’re good to go.

Keep It Short and Sweet

Remember that texting is short-form. Don’t send long-winded paragraphs that go on for ages. It won’t hold their attention for long, and you’ll miss out on the biggest benefit of texting – short and sweet info that packs a punch. You can always link to your website for more details if you need to elaborate.

Make it Interactive

The more engagement you can get the better. Instead of sending a text such as “We’re holding a special event this weekend on Saturday from 8-5,” include a call to action such as “Come in to your showroom this Saturday from 8-5 for the chance to win a free car!” The call to action and specific benefit will get greater engagement. For a bonus step, make them text something back like “YES” to confirm they received the message or are interested.

In today’s world, marketing technology evolves faster than ever before. And if you want to dominate your industry, you need to stay on top of the latest trends. So take note of the many benefits that marketing by text message can have for your brand. Then, craft a plan to put texting to work for you and your business goals today.

Tags: business, marketing, right, text message

About the Author

Sunit Nandi I'm the leader of Techno FAQ. Also an engineering college student with immense interest in science and technology. Other interests include literature, coin collecting, gardening and photography. Always wish to live life like there's no tomorrow.