Thanks to the internet and mobile devices, providing information to the masses is as simple as a click of a button. But when it comes to business operations, is text messaging marketing effective? Learn more about how to use texting to benefit your small business and whether it beats out the mobile competition, like email and in-app ads.
How Does Text Message Marketing Work?
Text message marketing, or SMS (short message service) marketing, uses text messages with the permission of the mobile phone user to send out promotional information. The goal of the venture is to build a list of loyal customers who are interested in its products and services, and therefore, more likely to participate in promotions.
When a customer or client visits your website, they are prompted with the option to receive text messages from you about upcoming sales and events. The easiest way to set this up is with a company like Podium, whose revolutionary web chat service helps you place an easy-to-use button on your website and connects you with potential customers through text messaging marketing.
Are Text SMS Campaigns Better Than Email & Apps?
Connecting with consumers through a mobile device is a logical marketing tactic since so many users take their phones with them everywhere and check them multiple times throughout the day. But is it more effective to send them a message via text or email?
Email marketing campaigns have been around long enough to know that this is a great way to contact consumers. It remains an effective strategy and should continue to have a place in your marketing outreach. However, SMS campaigns should also be included, and may be even more effective. Building an app is another great strategy, but it takes time and money you may not have in the beginning stages of building your business. You can also use ads placed within other apps to promote your business, but it is much more difficult to target your loyal clientele.
Text messaging marketing is a great way to send instant information and short links to your website and products. When you receive a text message, you will most likely open it right away, and there is a good chance you will click on the link provided and check out the promotion. In contrast, when you receive an email, you may consider coming back to it when you have more time, but end up forgetting all about it.
Is Text Messaging Secure?
There are precautions that can be taken to ensure that your customer data remains private. As long as you do your research and choose an SMS provider with strong security in place, you should be able to share information safely. One way to check this is to look for the padlock symbol in the web browser when viewing the provider’s website. It is also a good idea to ask them for information about their security standards and practices.
Is Text Messaging Safer Than Email?
When sending an email, it goes through a number of online channels, so the best way to keep information private is by using an encryption technique. Mobile messages, however, are automatically encrypted as they are being sent, so it is much less likely that they will be read by someone other than the intended recipient. It is a good idea to use your brand name within the links contained in messages to let recipients know exactly where the link will send them and that it is secure.
Benefits of Text Message Marketing for Small Business
In addition to being a cost-effective and simple way to spread information, there are a lot of benefits of text message marketing for small business campaigns.
- There are millions of apps and most of them get deleted after only a few uses.
- The majority of emails are spam and a good portion of the rest are never opened.
- Nearly all text messages are opened and read within minutes.
- Many businesses use texting for communication.
- Links in text messages are clicked roughly 10 times as often as in emails.
Do More With Text Marketing
Texting is how millennials and Gen Z communicate; if you want their business, you need to speak their language. Investing in text message marketing for your business might just be the best way to get heard in a noisy landscape.
