SMS messaging communication between a company and their mobile users is important to building a brand in households worldwide, provided consumer privacy is protected through legal requirements for the “opt-in”.
In this article, we will be summarizing the key findings from the latest researches, which explains the benefits of using SMS in your marketing mix and discuss why SMS marketing platforms should be taken into usage in a communication mix as well as looking at how it can be utilized as a part of the multi-channel strategy for engaging with customers across the customer lifecycle.
SMS, an Immediate and Direct Channel:
SMS is considered one of the most immediate channels available; with a read rate of almost 97%within 15 minutes of delivery, you can be assured that your time critical messages will be read almost immediately you send them. A significant 45% of the SMS campaigns make it till generating a successful ROI, reaching over 50% when combined with other popular channels such as email and social media.
Short Codes can be Used to Simplify Response as well as
Build your Database
Have your customers tried to make the first move by adding a shortcode or even a keyword to print the collateral, advertisements and advertising boards, and social media? This strategy implies that the customers soon become familiar with a brand’s code and keyword and are more likely to interact and respond soon. Therefore, you can use shortcodes to simplify response and build your database for marketing and promotion purposes.
It can Support as well as Integrate with other Channels
All of the other channels must work well together within the marketing mix, and SMS comes with no exception. SMS is considered a great standalone channel. Still, it can also enhance and support other marketing mediums, including social media and email. As well as being great on its own, SMS can also perform the function to enhance and support other popular mediums among the consumers, such as social media and email. For instance, they can remind the customers to read an email sent by brand hours or even days before. A simple follow-up SMS that asks, “have you read our email?” can increase open email rates by 20%–30%. Therefore, it will support integrating the other channels
You can Get to learn More about your Customers
SMS is an amazing channel to get feedback from your customers through different surveys. On average, researchers have shown that 31% of consumers will respond to a survey through SMS, with the average response time for users being just over 5 minutes. It means that you can get great results, that too, in a shorter period.
You can Help Increase Customer Engagement
Think of SMS to emphasize how your brand gets to engage with your customers across the entire customer life cycle. Business owners should keep the point in mind to vary the type of content they send out to the customers-while customers may value updates as well as news on forthcoming developments within the brand, this information is best delivered through the mediums like email where longer, more creative messaging is more appropriate.
Response Data Allows you to Monitor, Track as well as
Improve
Tracking meaningful ROI, identifying customers engaging through the text message, and monitoring delivery rates are all possible through the SMS revealing the realities to the misconception of SMS being known as an untrackable channel and bringing it more in line with what has been possible with email for years. With the usage of these analytics, businesses can create further targeted campaigns and continually build a better understanding of their mobile database.