People love to use SMS, primarily because their mobile phone is always nearby. They also depend on smartphones and other devices to access the internet. Naturally, this large amount of mobile activity has shifted the majority of online traffic to mobile.
Knowing that so many people have a phone within their reach, businesses have a chance to reach people with SMS messaging. In this article, you’ll find out why this opportunity makes sense for e-commerce…
SMS Marketing – 8 Reasons Why
1 – Increased visibility
When most people receive an SMS message, it pops onto their phone screen, giving them a chance to see and read it. This helps to explain why most text messages get opened. So, you can safely expect to reach more people via SMS than they can reach through email marketing.
Ultimately, you can achieve a high rate of ROI from SMS marketing, even when you only consider the effects of the increased exposure it generates. However, SMS can help you improve every level of your sales funnel.
2 – Timeliness
Companies can often benefit from offering time-sensitive specials, promotions and incentives to their customers. However, many people infrequently check their email. Also, emails can get buried in cluttered inboxes or caught by spam filters.
Due to the proximity of mobile devices to their users, people respond to more than 90 percent of messages within five minutes. This means you can make special offers that can dramatically increase sales before the end of the day.
3 – Bigger than social
In the USA, mobile device users send more than 6 billion daily SMS messages. This volume of communications transcends that of social networks, giving businesses huge audiences to reach.
So, by using SMS as part of their marketing strategy, practically any business can achieve impressive growth. As a matter of fact, the benefits of SMS can create synergy with other marketing channels such as social and paid search.
4 – More engagement
People have intimate relationships with their devices. So, they carefully consider whether they should give people and businesses before joining a list. In other words, when people join your SMS distribution list, they are likely to have a genuine interest in your brand.
So, when people carefully consider opting into your SMS list, you have a higher chance to get a response than if the same people subscribed to your email newsletter or followed your brand on Facebook.
5 – Real-Time Results
Businesses owners often mistake SMS as a one-way communication channel. Although you can use SMS to announce sales and other special events, you can also invite feedback. As a result, your SMS marketing platform can create automated conversations that can produce real-time results.
In addition to asking questions and receiving feedback, you can include photos, buttons and links that make instant sales conversions possible. Simply put, the ability for SMS recipients to instantly react can boost your revenue and profitability.
6 – Analytics
SMS marketing services can give you the ability to combine multiple data points. For example, location data can help you track where your customers sign up for your distribution list. So, you can judge the effectiveness of your in-store advertising and compare it to signups generated by your print campaigns.
In essence, the analytics capabilities give you all the needed information and tools for you to optimize your messages to get better results. For example, if a certain type of SMS message fails to generate a response, you can abandon it in favor of those that have a proven track record.
7 – Customer Service
SMS gives you an almost instant capability for reaching your customers. You can use this to improve your customer service program. For example, you can use SMS to directly address a customer regarding an urgent matter. Similarly, you can reinforce customer service by texting customers a coupon or freebie after making contact.
Business can also use SMS marketing to improve customer retention. For example, an SMS-based loyalty program can motivate your customers to continue shopping with you rather than with a competitor. Additionally, you can improve the customer experience provided by your brand by texting customers order status and shipping updates.
8 – Build Relationships
Your SMS marketing effort can also build intimate relationships with your audience. For example, you can use your system to send birthday and holiday greetings. You can also use SMS to distribute links to videos and blog posts that can help customers use the products that they recently purchased from you.
Meanwhile, you can use SMS to send simple thank you messages after someone completed a sale. Find ways to surprise your audience with a human touch and you develop personal bonds that improve life for everyone involved.
In summary, businesses should never discount the power and possibilities SMS marketing makes available to them. Especially when you integrate SMS with other elements of your strategy, you can dramatically increase the consistency and profitability of your business.
This article was contributed by Eric Gordon.
