On average, people end up spending 3 hours and 15 minutes on their mobile phones on a regular day. This is why texting for marketing could be a great choice and marketing strategy for your business
Most businesses, regardless of their sizes, prefer using strategies that rely on mobile phones so there are higher chances of people seeing them.
Similarly, texting for marketing has become a very common yet very effective method to attract consumers.
Source: Neil Patel
Even the image above is proof that we can’t stay away from our phones for a very long time. Half the time we open up our cell phones before getting any notification. There is hardly a case where text messages can go unread, unless it’s on purpose.
Looking at statistics, 96% of marketers claimed that sending out a welcome text message to consumers had results that were both effective and very effective.
Before getting into further details about how texting helps all kinds of businesses in their marketing strategies, let us take a look at what benefits are attached to this digital phenomenon.
Benefits of Text Messaging
We can come up with an entire list about the benefits attached to text messaging specially in the case of marketing for a business. The image shown below gives a statistical point of view regarding the benefits a business can reap from text messaging.
95% of text message end up being read within a time span of 3 minutes. Text messages have a surprising opening rate of 99%. 45% of the text messages seen usually get a response from the recipients.
These are just some basic highlights of how convenient text messages can be for everyone. We need to look in more detail.
Source: gocrm
Here are some advantages of using text message marketing to boost your business and enhance your growth:
- Cost Effective: SMS marketing or text message marketing are highly cost effective and are a great option for new businesses that have a tight marketing budget. It does not even cost much when you need to send out mass text messages to a large number of people, in fact it turns out to be cheaper that way.
When looking at other marketing techniques, SMS marketing is much lighter on the pockets and much more effective. Most people think that sending out messages can be costly, but it is in fact the other way around.
- Little Competition: While businesses compete with each other people get lost in all the marketing hubbub around them. One of the most interesting things about SMS marketing is, that it is an underutilized channel for marketing. Too much marketing blurs the idea of consumers about the brands around them and lifts their eyes from yours as well.
According to research, there are about 21% of businesses that use text message marketing to promote themselves. If you are having doubts if your customers will be comfortable with you sending them text messages all you need to do is ask before initiating the process.
- Send them to a Large Demographic: Regardless of wherever people are, they always carry their cell phones. This makes them approachable no matter what their location is.
Unlike other marketing strategies that require more than just a mobile phone, text message marketing is capable of reaching out to a large demographic.
This feature of mass text messaging makes it more convenient to reach a large population without worrying about whether they’ll receive text messages or not. A business can use this benefit to their own advantage by making sure that customers continue to receive text messages and remain updated with the business.
Source: Jujubee Media
- Integrate SMS with other Marketing Channels: It is always wrong to rely on one kind of marketing strategy which is why text messages can be used to integrate other marketing channels.
A business can use texting for marketing in combinaton with other strategies to create a more well-rounded strategy. Using SMS marketing to promote landing pages and getting customers to subscribe is one simple example of mixing and matching marketing channels.
Such actions can increase the response and success rates of other marketing channels of the business.
- Building a Relationship with Customers: The most important aspect of text message marketing is that it helps create a bond between the consumer and the marketer. Bulk SMS marketing is not just a one way communication method but can be two way where customers can respond.
Moreover, getting customers to respond through text messages is a great initiative since nowadays people prefer having simple communication which doesn’t require much effort. People can answer surveys and provide relevant feedback to businesses through text messages which can really help a business grow.
How to Start Text Message Marketing
Since marketing for a business is not an easy job, it is always important to research the method that you are about to choose. You can’t just dive into a marketing technique without knowing what you are getting into.
It is not as simple as selecting numbers and sending out a large number of text messages to people. Some initial steps such as choosing your provider and your services need to be looked into.
While choosing a service provider, it is necessary to keep your budget in mind and choose wisely. Express Text is one such service provider that can help a business establish text message marketing while keeping in mind all the requirements needed.
Source: North West Center for Public Health Practice
The picture briefly explains how mass text messages are sent to people through various connections. But the fun part is that despite so many links, it doesn’t take very long for a person to receive an SMS.
You don’t just need someone to send out your text messages for you but you need support so you can make the most out of it. After all, you do need to benefit from the entire process.
Since not all customers prefer receiving marketing texts from businesses, you can ask those who accept them to provide you with their phone numbers. This makes the process of listing down recipients easy to do so.
Source: Ontarget Interactive
As you can see, 61% of people prefer receiving text messages from brands and businesses to remain updated about any offers and discounts.
Moreover, you need a number that becomes your identity when sending out text messages to clients. These numbers can either be long codes or short codes, depending on your choice.
Long Code
A long code is a 10 digits long number which can also be used to make calls along with sending text messages. However, if businesses are looking for plain texting for marketing, they don’t require a long code.
Customers can save these long codes in their phones so they know who is approaching them each time they receive a call or a text. This can really help in building a strong connection between a business and its clients.
A business can always select a custom long code which represents it only to make the number special for customers.
Long codes can be used to send personalized text messages to customers by addressing them with their names. Such treatment is bound to make customers feel happy about the attention they are getting from a business.
However, using a long code is not a necessity for a business to exceed. Choosing the number depends on what you need to do and how much you can pay.
Short Code and its Uses
A short code is a 5 to 6 digit long number which can be used to send text messages to customers. If a business and its customers prefer a one way form of communication, then it is the perfect choice to make.
Similar to long code, a business can select a short code according to its liking and use it to send bulk texts. Customers will then be aware of who is sending them messages but will not be able to respond back since short codes are only meant to sent messages, not receive them.
Moreover, when using a short code, a business needs to shortlist a few keywords which will be used in texting for the business.
Short codes are perfect for cheap marketing while targeting a large group of people. Such numbers are perfect for sending out text messages regarding special discounts, new arrivals, sales and catchy phrases to get attention.
Source: Text Request
The image shows a clear difference between short code text messages and long code messages. There is no best option between the two since it depends on what the business wishes to achieve.
Targeting Customers Effectively
A target audience is what drives a marketing campaign because if you are unaware of who to target, your business will not have a market. You can start off by categorizing customers according to gender, age, profession or locality.
Making categories will help a business to identify which texts to send out to which group of people so they can be addressed accordingly.
New text messaging features allow customers to be divided into segments making it easier for businesses to identify and form a relationship with their clients.
If you want your text messages to be effective you should take note of the best time to send SMS to customers where you know your message will be read and given attention to. As a business, you can get your marketing team to see which time bears a better response from customers.
To make your text messaging more effective you can combine it with other strategies to make sure that the results you get are excellent. Using emails and social media to support your texting campaign can bear fruitful results.
Customers prefer loyalty programs, rewards and offers which is why sending them messages to attract them with such content are bound to increase the sales.
Source: Airship
It is the tactics that a business uses that makes text messages an effective method of marketing. If used improperly, the results might not be as great as we tend to see.
Conclusion
Marketing is an important component of any business that is seeking to grow. Texting for marketing is a way of reaching out to customers in a more personal and quick way.
In a digital world, that we live in today, people have started relying on technology much more than normal. Looking at statistics, it is not a surprise that most people, regardless of their age, spend the majority of their time on the phone.
Due to this, text messages have a high opening rate as well as a high response rate as compared to any other marketing technique.
However, it might be easy to think that sending out text messages will get the job done but a lot more effort is required to attract customers towards a business.
No matter how effective a strategy, a business will not boom overnight but requires constant struggle and input. Hence, if a business is using text for marketing to market itself, it should look at all aspects and try to integrate it with other marketing channels for improved results.