Many marketers are having a preconceived notion about SMS marketing and there are a number of myths or misconceptions doing the rounds.
However, we simply cannot undermine the versatility and power of SMS marketing in boosting your brand and business even in 2019. SMS marketing is almost 26 years old and is still going strong. According to an article that had appeared in New York Times, the 160-character mobile text messaging that was initially popularized by the teenagers has become a ‘guaranteed read’ in this digital marketing era that is overloaded with information. Despite fierce competition, SMS marketing has withstood the challenges of time.
According to HuffingtonPost, now that businesses are realizing the power and worth of SMS marketing, it has gained traction and experienced a definite surge in popularity.
The fact remains that the marketplace in recent times is undergoing a change and text messages have become one of the most effective ways of reaching out to all your prospective customers. It is believed that when done right, SMS marketing is certainly more powerful and effective as compared to any other technique of digital outreach.
So we do not quite understand whether it is plain ignorance or fear or both that is stopping marketers from completely capitalizing on the immense benefits that SMS marketing provides.
Even though SMS marketing provides a click-through rate and reach that should be putting virtually all other mobile marketing methods to utter shame, some marketers are still getting swayed by a few persistent misconceptions and myths about SMS marketing.
Here are some of the most common myths associated with text messaging. Understand the truth behind such misconceptions before taking the final plunge.
Myth: SMS Marketing is Really Spammy
SMS marketing is not just a casual method of mobile advertising. It is certainly one of the best ways of communicating your brand’s message to your prospective customers or your target audience. Unlike conventional advertising, text messaging is actually permission-based and consumers have given their consent to receive text messages from you.
That implies that individuals on your precise text list have subscribed to your messages and it is clearly evident that they would like to hear from your brand. Moreover, the engagement rate associated with text marketing is almost 6 to 8 times higher as compared to email.
Further researchers have already revealed that SMS marketing enjoys phenomenal open rates that are as high as 98 percent with 45 percent response rates. So there is no question of SMS marketing being overly spammy. Emails are far spammy as compared to text messages.
Of course, there could be some businesses who could be abusing this wonderful communication channel by not effectively incentivizing their target audience to go on reading or shooting too many messages. But these are rare exceptions to the rule.
Text messages coming from shortcode numbers are often regarded as spammy since they do not come from the usual 10-digit mobile phone number.
But consumers have realized the true worth of SMS marketing messages. Around 75 percent of the consumers admit that they would wish to get offers via SMS. Moreover, about 66 percent of the consumers who seem to be subscribed already to an organization’s text message list have actually bought something just after getting a single message.
Myth: SMS Marketing is the Worst-Performing Strategy
Many marketers often take it for granted that email marketing actually beats text marketing especially in terms of open rate, response, and conversion rates.
However, this is a misconception.
SMS marketing is the clear winner in terms of the open, conversion, and response rates. As per statistics, the average CTR for SMS marketing campaigns is a phenomenal 45 percent as compared to a mere 6 to 7 percent in the case of email marketing. Moreover, the average open rate in the case of email marketing is somewhere between 28 and 33 percent whereas the average open rate associated with SMS marketing is a whopping 99 percent.
Hence, there is absolutely no question of SMS marketing being your worst-performing marketing stratagem. It is way ahead of email marketing in all counts.
Myth: It is Not Meant for Businesses That Target Older People
It is a clear misconception based on a preconceived notion that older people are not used to using smartphones. It is not necessary for businesses that are targeting senior people to stick to billboards or emails.
Statistics clearly reveal that 67 percent of the adults who are aged above 50 actually own a smartphone and merely 6 percent of them are not using any mobile phone.
So businesses targeting older citizens are way too happy to go ahead with their smart SMS marketing campaigns particularly because the average individual would be checking their mobile phone at least, 85 to around 50 times per day. Thanks to the toll-free SMS number, marketers are able to capitalize on the power of text messaging even more.
Myth: SMS Marketing is Just Right for Big Businesses
Are you of the opinion that SMS marketing is meant only for big organizations alone? You could never be more mistaken. If you consider the example of Tangerine Salon that uses effective text messaging for booking 2000 appointments every week in their salon, you could clearly understand that even small businesses use SMS marketing to the best of their ability.
We know that Tangerine Salon is not a behemoth like Google or Amazon with massive marketing budgets yet they have made SMS marketing a great revenue source for their small biz. In fact, around 84 percent of small organizations that have invested in SMS marketing campaigns have got both long-term and immediate benefits.
You must either try to communicate faster for providing much-improved customer service or try to send promotions and offers, with the help of an SMS API such as Plivo. Remember SMS today would be assisting you to be smart and savvy irrespective of the size of the business.
Conclusion
Remember SMS notifications, as well as, customer follow-up and feedback messages could be utilized for enhancing the overall customer experience.
Moreover, the 2-factor authorization through an SMS could be ensuring your clients’ security, discount offers, and exclusive invitations. So SMS marketing could give your business the boost it deserves. Now that the myths have been debunked, you could effectively design your precise marketing action plan depending on your budget and business goals.
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