Marketing has influenced almost every type of digital media, right from Email to Instagram. But there will always be a first, that came before any of them. And that is, the Short Message Service or what we commonly call as SMS.

Although many of today’s marketers don’t like SMS Marketing, it’s still known to be one of the best mediums through which you can grow your clientele list. Many people wonder whether SMS marketing is worth the time and money investment since everything has shifted to the digital space.

So in this article, you’ll be presented with all the information that you need to know about SMS Marketing and whether it should be used for your business. 

How businesses use SMS Marketing services? 

SMS is a texting method which involves the use of fewer words, usually about 160 characters. 

Fun fact: It was developed as a means of communication in the 1980s and is the oldest of all the technological advances for texting. As per a study by SMS Comparison, 9 out of 10 adults still prefer to interact with businesses through SMS, more because this texting method is accessible to literally everyone. 

Usually, marketers use SMS to grow their customer base as well as customer loyalty with the help of quick and short text messages, especially to reach out customers in close vicinity. Marketers do this in many different ways –

Limited Time Sales: This method of SMS Marketing attracts a large number of purchases because of the limited time offer strategy. This strategy is used by brands to carry out immediate sales.

Buzzing Events: Since text messages reach a large number of people, it’s a great way for companies to increase their brand awareness and thus encourage a large attendance for their upcoming events. 

Feedback: Businesses may use this method to help customers voice their opinion about the brand’s products and services or just to simply give the feedback about their purchases and expectations. 

Monthly Specials: This usually encourages customer loyalty with monthly discounts and sales on certain products and services, designated as ‘Specials’.

Discount Link or Codes: If you want your customers to feel that extra special, discount links or codes will induce that feeling in them, for you. These discounts drive customers to purchase due to the fact that a product is being offered at a lower price. 

Now if you’re planning on investing your money in SMS Marketing and don’t know how to do it the right way, don’t worry. This step-by-step article will guide you through all the important aspects of SMS Marketing and how you can make the best use of it.  

Is SMS Marketing right for your business? 

Now for the next big question. Is SMS Marketing the right fit for your business? Well, there is no standard answer to that doubt or question. But before you make that big decision for your business, you need to know the good and the bad sides of it…

Pros of SMS Marketing

High number of Conversions possible through SMS

Some studies have shown that the conversion rate of customers can be as high as 45% with SMS Marketing. Other analysis also show that text marketing can also help businesses earn around $8.11 per message. This is primarily because the click rates are relatively higher in a properly worded SMS.

After all, an average person tends to check his or her phone about 160 times a day. 

SMS is a Money Saver

If you’re a marketer who’s searching for a cost-effective way of marketing your business, then SMS is the way to go. It is considered to be relatively cheaper than other forms of digital marketing. Moreover, given that the average conversion rate is about 29%, it’s a good start to your marketing strategy. 

People usually Read Texts / SMS

Since SMS Marketing is rather a subscription based channel, you’re usually sending texts to those who have opted in or are interested in hearing more from your business. And as spoken about earlier, people are checking their phones almost all the time.

Statistics show that 98% of all texts are opened while 95% of them are responded to, within 3 minutes of a message delivery. So it’s very likely that your text is being read.

For SMS Internet isn’t required

Other forms of marketing require internet for them to function, be it email, social media, video or podcast marketing. But with SMS, this barrier too is lifted. Furthermore, due to it’s very high degree of accessibility, brands can reach a larger target audience, resulting in last mile reach and more conversions. 

Now just like a coin has two sides to it, so does SMS Marketing. It’s also important to know about the drawbacks that can come with SMS Marketing.  

Cons of SMS Marketing

SMS needs to be Short

Well, that is the point of SMS Marketing, isn’t it? Messages won’t make sense if they’re long since the average attention span of an adult is just 8 seconds. Shocking but true. So it’s always important to remember who you are writing the text message for and whether it is simple and easily readable in nature. 

If not, your text messages are going to be a waste. As the usual limit of an SMS is only 160 characters, so it’s best to keep the content short, crisp and to the point.

SMS Content constantly needs to be Updated

With SMS you need to constantly update that contact list with engaging content. Additionally, different Call-to-Actions or CTAs can also help in the conversion process. It is important to keep tweaking the content of your SMS every now and then so that your target audience is still engaged with your business offerings.

As per studies by PostScript, keyword click through rates in the apparel industry were seen at 28.8% while the abandoned cart, follow up SMS, saw a conversion rate of 9.7%. If done the right way, SMS can give you great results.

Your SMS might be identified as Spam

This is every marketers nightmare and so it’s important that you don’t let that happen. Sending too many promotional messages may drive your target audience to simply block you or mark your text ID as spam. So as mentioned earlier, keep your target audience engaged with a variation in CTAs and content.

Final verdict on SMS Marketing

It’s easy to claim that a certain marketing method is highly beneficial and effective for your business or even to claim the extreme opposite of it. However, you won’t know what works and what doesn’t for sure until you try it yourself for your own business needs.

Hence, for SMS Marketing, begin experimenting with different types of content for your target audience, as you research on what best engages your audience and converts them. 

In the end, SMS Marketing will always remain to be one of the oldest forms of marketing, which can be done with the aid of just a mobile phone, and almost everyone has access to it these days. So choose wisely! What do you think about SMS Marketing in today’s world? Is it relevant for you and how?