SMS Marketing is on the rise – don’t fall behind
Jack Knowd, Senior Campaign Manager at Profusion
How much time do you spend on your mobile phone in a day? If you’re anything like me, probably quite a lot. I recently looked at my daily screen time and let me tell you – I wasn’t proud of it.
It can be incredibly easy to pick up your phone and find yourself thinking 15 minutes later, why did I pick it up again? If this sounds like you, then you’re not alone. The global pandemic has forced us to stay indoors for a large part of the last couple of years, leaving us with not much else to do except mindlessly scroll and stare at our screens. And let’s face it, remote working has meant that we feel more comfortable and inclined to pick up our phones throughout the day. On average most people check their phones 58 times a day and thirty of those times are during work hours. In April 2020, during the first lockdown, the average mobile phone user spent a quarter of their waking time on their mobile device, that’s 4.3 hours!
So what? Why am I telling you all this? Well, all this increase in screen time from consumers is not going unnoticed by businesses. SMS has long been neglected by marketers but its potential is only starting to get fully realised. A recent report from Forrester Research highlighted that 2021 was the year that consumers will have received the most marketing texts from brands as they try to develop more direct relationships with customers amid the pandemic and economic fallout.
Whilst email is still widely considered to be king when it comes to digital marketing, SMS is continuing to put up a fight for the crown. We all know the capabilities of email and how personalised and tailored it can be, but there is an argument to be made that receiving an SMS from a company feels more personal.
This is backed up by a recent study from eMarketer that highlighted SMS was the most preferred channel by consumers receiving updates from brands at 48%, while email was 22%. With all this in mind, it’s not surprising then that over 60% of marketers planned to increase their budget for SMS. It is steadily becoming a channel that is coming into the forefront of marketing teams strategies for the future.
SMS has long lived in the shadow of email as a channel, but why?
Here are 7 benefits to adopting SMS in your marketing strategy:
Huge engagement and ROI
Recent stats have proven that SMS marketing has much better engagement than email. The open rate for text message campaigns is 98% and the click-through rate is 19%.
2. Transactional
You can send follow up text messages to customers if they have bought a product with details on their shipping/delivery.
3. Integrated with email automation journeys
SMS can add another layer of communication into your email journeys, send that welcome text message after the email a couple of days later!
4. Service / Mandatory updates
Need to update your customers with an urgent message, SMS is faster at sending mass messages than email and will be read more as well.
5. Faster to action and execute
SMS is undoubtedly the most efficient and quick to set up and execute compared to channels like email and direct mail.
6. Feels personal
SMS can feel like a more personal way of communication for customers, as it is delivered to their phone. It also allows two-way messaging so great for customer support.
7. Easy to Opt-in / Opt-out for customers
Listing the ease of opt-out for a customer might seem odd, however it is just as easy for customers to opt-in using SMS as well. This increases customer satisfaction and improves loyalty knowing that they have an exit route if they wish to stop receiving messages.
So when you’re planning your next marketing strategy, remember to not get left behind and include SMS.
Oh and if you were wondering how many hours I had spent procrastinating while writing this blog, well… you don’t want to know!
For consultancy and expert advice all things SMS, contact us at: hello@profusion.com