The power of the mobile phone cannot be ignored. Look anywhere and you’ll see them. They’re virtually glued to the hands of their eager users, helping to bind together their social lives and filling countless hours of their leisure time to boot.
In just a couple of years there will be five billion mobile phone users worldwide and as the phones get smarter and their number of uses expands further, their power is only heading in one direction.
This poses an opportunity and a challenge for marketers. Frankly, with those numbers above, a marketing strategy can’t not involve the mobile phone.
The issue is how to use them effectively to get your message across. While the new and exciting uses of mobile phones might turn heads, SMS messages are actually the most effective way to tap into the power of the phone. Here’s why…
People Actually Read SMS Messages
Half the battle for marketers is to get their target audience to actually read their messages. That’s a battle that you can win with an SMS campaign.
Texts have a 98% open rate, meaning you’re virtually guaranteed to at least get a chance to make your point. Email, by comparison, sits at only 20 to 30 per cent.
People Respond To SMS Messages
Opening them is one thing, actually reacting and responding is another. This is another aspect in which SMS messages impress.
Writing on Tatango, Derek Johnson estimates that texts have a click through rate of about 36 per cent. That’s more than ten times the amount for emails.
SMS Marketing Doesn’t Cost The Earth
So far so good, but what about the money involved in getting these messages out to your customers?
SMS marketing companies such as Global Messaging offer packages that start at just a couple of pence a message – making it a much cheaper option than a TV or radio advert, say. You can send a whole chunk of texts in the blink of an eye.
A batch of hundreds, if not thousands, of SMS messages can be sent in the blink of an eye. Imagine how long it’d take to deliver that many flyers, for example.
This means that you can start to see instant results from your efforts and, importantly, that you can control the time that your marketing messages are picked up by the recipient and aim to catch them when they’re most likely to part with their cash.
Using SMS Marketing In A Number Of Ways
Want to alert people of a new product or service? Keen to entice new customers with a new offer? Eager to find out what your customers thought through a survey? All of these can be achieved with an SMS marketing strategy.
Texts & Data Go Hand In Hand
SMS marketing campaigns can deliver a large tranche of easy-to-analyze data that will give you an insight into the success of your efforts.
This makes this a natural platform for people wanting to track every pound they pour into marketing. If businesses want to embrace mobile, then they shouldn’t ignore SMS.
It delivers messages that are read and responded to in large numbers, it’s quick, varied, cost effective and unearths the sort of data that makes it easy to monitor. It’s a compelling case for any brand.
