Posted by Shivali Anand
December 24, 2021 | 5-minute read (951 words)
Due to the pandemic, customers have been staying home more, with their phones as their primary means of communication. This has precipitated a renaissance for text message-based marketing strategies.
Text messaging is used by businesses of all types to achieve various goals. According to a survey by SimpleTexting , 61.8 % of consumers opted in to receive texts from businesses in 2021. Meanwhile, 78% of those surveyed said checking, sending and replying to texts was the No. 1 activity they engage in on their smartphones daily.
We've developed a summary of the benefits and drawbacks of text-based marketing to assist you in deciding whether to allocate time and money to the approach.
Advantages of text message-based marketing
As technology evolves and client preferences shift, text message marketing is increasingly prevalent. Here are some advantages.
- High conversion rate
According to some sources, text message marketing campaigns may have up to 45% conversion rates. In a survey, 85% of respondents stated they would rather receive a text message than a phone call or an email.
- High response rate
Text messages have an average open rate of as high as 98% versus 20% of emails, according to Campaign Monitor , which also reports it takes an average of 90 seconds for individuals to respond to a text message.
- Budget-friendly
Text-based marketing is a comparatively low-cost and simple-to-implement solution compared to other marketing activities. Because of the high open and response rates, SMS marketing can deliver a high return on investment; as a result, SMS marketing is a cost-effective solution for any organization.
- Customizable
It's a good idea to include tailored content in your SMS marketing strategy: Personalized content outperforms static content by 42%. Sending text messages to customers at the optimal time based on previous interactions can improve your marketing results. You can also target text message subscribers based on location or proximity to specific stores.
- Effortless performance tracking and optimization
Reports are available on most SMS marketing systems, making it simple to track campaign results. These platforms may also be used to track the effectiveness of your advertising.
- Increases customer loyalty
SMS is one of the considerable influential and engaging marketing platforms available. Customer engagement may be boosted with SMS call-to-action alternatives. Customers may read, engage with and act on SMS messages using these devices. You can provide a link to a website with further information about an event or a video. Answering customer support issues and providing order confirmations for online transactions may be done with texts.
- Instantly reaches customers
When you send a text message, it is immediately delivered. Using the platform for sales, event-related promotions and mobile coupons is an excellent approach to increase visitors. You can also use text message-based marketing to establish a database of engaged consumers and prospects, which you can leverage to boost customer loyalty and turn leads into sales.
- Makes more customized experiences
Customers can get a more tailored experience with text messaging than with social media marketing tools. A text campaign may achieve a greater response rate while providing a better customer experience by sending only relevant messages.
- Trustworthy
Text marketing is a very dependable technique of communication, since marketing messages may reach the target recipient almost instantaneously. It is also a low-cost, highly adaptable marketing medium that helps businesses grow their contact database and conduct engaging campaigns with a high return on investment.
- Boosts brand awareness
SMS marketing is a powerful tool for increasing event attendance, brand exposure and attracting a larger audience. It can also build client loyalty by providing weekly or monthly rewards.
Disadvantages of text message-based marketing
Text marketing, like any other method of communication, has its drawbacks. Here are some of the downsides.
- Insufficient contacts list
Grow your list through text-to-win, coupon offers or contests to ramp up your list of interested customers.
- Requires continual monitoring
Your text marketing plan needs to be monitored on an ongoing basis for optimization.
- Must be short
Customers generally avoid long business text messages with more than a few phrases.
- Restrictions on content
Long messages that split across multiple texts can be expensive for the business and frustrating for recipients. You may face a restriction of 160 characters per message. Rather than use animation or images, focus on writing high-quality content.
How to get more from text message marketing
The technique of providing special offers and information to clients who have agreed to receive text messages from you is also known as SMS marketing. Businesses may use this method to promote their brand and boost engagement and sales by sending messages to prospects and consumers.
Here are several hacks to help you boost the outcomes of your text messaging push:
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- Encourage new sign-ups or visits to your online or physical businesses by offering coupons, discounts or rewards.
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- Plan a sale.
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- Make announcements about new items, changes or events.
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- Remind them of their appointments.
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- Collect feedback from customers, or ask them to vote or participate in a poll.
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- Always ask for permission before sending an SMS.
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- Track and assess the success of SMS marketing solutions.
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- Add a personal touch or a sense of humor to your SMS message.
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- Keep your message concise and to the point.
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- Based on prior encounters, choose the optimal time to contact you.
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- Avoid abbreviations.
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- Clearly define your brand.
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- Make it simple for clients who don't want to receive promotional texts to opt out.
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- Limit the number of SMS texts you send.
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- Include a call-to-action phrase like "text to win" or "purchase now."
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- Create client segments for targeted promotions.
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- Begin capturing leads right away.
- Analyze and report your SMS interaction to track and enhance it.
