How can SMS Marketing Help Your Business?
SMS Marketing is everywhere… you’ve seen it in ad campaigns for large brand name companies for a while now and small businesses are starting to turn toward this new and exciting advertising medium.
What is so appealing about SMS marketing?
Instant Marketing
Open rates are an astounding 97% for one thing. That’s right, almost all text messages sent are read, and usually within 15 minutes. Likewise, the redemption values of offers sent via text marketing are huge do to the customer relationship value developed by the text marketer. Consumers and businesses alike value the permission based platform of text marketing. You’ve seen the ads, you know… text the word “widget to 12345” and receive your free gift, to enter to win something, or to get a coupon. Large companies use this to reach thousands of consumers instantly. Well the good news is, this form of advertising isn’t just for large companies anymore. Short codes have become extremely affordable and small businesses can now implement the same strategies into their marketing campaigns.
Why has it become affordable to small business?
Text message application providers are now able to lease keywords on shared short codes. This makes SMS marketing accessible for small business clients like restaurants, service providers, retail stores, or any business that benefits from repeat customers. The many benefits of SMS marketing include but are certainly not limited to:
- Extremely high open rates
- Development of consumer relations
- Easy tracking of your ROI
- Instant Marketing to targeted consumers.
Imagine The Possibilities!
Say you own a restaurant and you‘re having a slow night. You have 7 tables that you need to fill and no one is expected, maybe there’s a snowstorm or something in your area that’s affecting your business. With one text you could send out a code to your customer base to redeem at your place for a two for one special or a coupon to redeem for that night only. How much would it mean to your bottom line to fill those 7 tables?
This is Instant marketing. In fact this is a marketing strategy that is not only highly effective, but has never been accessible before the introduction of SMS. According to a study by the Mobile Marketing Association
” marketing decision makers of businesses will increase mobile initiatives in their marketing campaigns and there is an indication the mobile budgets will increase by more than 124 percent. Out of all the marketing strategies polled, mobile marketing appears to be in the running for the greatest percentage growth.“
Digital marketing is in second while television spending and events/trade shows expanded to about 1.5 percent more. The largest drop seemed to come from print advertising – outdoor signage, newspapers, and direct mail.
