5 Key SMS Marketing Statistics
At the end of 2013 (and it’s still relevant today!) Forbes.com published an article titled Fifty Essential Mobile Marketing Facts. It covers mobile marketing in total from various sources and studies. I’ve pulled out the top five specifically addressing SMS marketing to share with you in this post.
These facts aren’t in any specific order of importance or value. They’re just numbered so that you know that there are indeed, five. But make full use of these stats and you will reap the benefits in your next campaign.
1. According to a 2007 Morgan Stanley study, 91% of adults are never farther than arm’s reach from their smartphones. I know this is true for me, and just about everyone I know. Consider this study was done in 2007 and it’s a good wager that the percentage is even higher in 2014. Smartphones have become even more integrated into our lives than when Apple released the first iPhone in 2007. Take from this that your SMS campaign will work best with a call to immediate action; your message will almost always be read within minutes and action should ensure straight away.
2. Probably the most often quoted statistic in SMS marketing is 90% of text messages are read within 3 minutes. The Forbes article quotes “ImpigeMobileStrategy.com” as the source for the statistic, but the domain can’t be found by Google. After more searching I found an article on Tatango.com describing a similar search for the source. They discovered it really originated in a study performed by mobileSQUARED and SinglePoint based on a compilation of data from various 2009 and 2010 studies. It would be very interesting to see someone produce an updated study to see if text messages still have such a high open rate. If I had to guess, I’d say it’s still very near to that number based on data trends in other studies.
3. GoMoNews.com reports brands using SMS successfully reach 95% of smartphone and non-smartphone users. This ties into the same statistic above indicating a 90% text message read rate. The percentage is potentially higher for brands because the customer must have given the brand permission to text them. Recognition of the text sender, via brand recognition, most likely equates to a higher read rate. So for retail brands, SMS offers a direct to customer advertising option that builds brand loyalty and recognition of your company.
4. Mobile Marketer reported in February 2013 that 42.3% of customers prefer SMS deals over bar code scans or push message coupons. Personally I agree. But at 42% it isn’t universal. Many marketers point out that text messaging is a very intimate way to communicate. Some people just don’t want retail companies able to reach that far into their personal sphere. It’s especially important to ensure that you get opt-in permission for retail usage of SMS to avoid any potential issues. Overuse of SMS marketing can be counterproductive, in general you should not send the same kind of communication more often than once per week; so only one special offer, one competition entry, one “how-to” message.
5. 50% of people in a survey reported on Marketingcharts.com say they’ve responded to a text offer. The Forbes article doesn’t quote a date for that study so I went looking for it. Marketingcharts.com has a huge variety of charts and data which is probably why I couldn’t locate the exact study quoted by Forbes. But I did find a 2012 study that said 25% of people purchased a promoted product based on a text message. Another 26% purchased a different product in response to the text they received. The highest response of the study was the 38% of respondents that visited the retailer’s website to find out more information about the offer received via text message.
What does this variety of statistics mean? Overall it paints a picture of an effective, but also personal, form of communication. The trend for mobile usage is incontestably in an upward direction, though percentages vary study to study. Will SMS messaging remain an effective way to communicate? I think so. What do you think?
Related Articles
5 SMS Myths You Shouldn’t Believe
SMS messaging is a popular topic. The growth of mobile has everyone jumping on board the SMS waggon and they all have something to say. I've compiled a list of five topics that I've seen written about that just aren't true, or at the very least are potentially misleading enough to be called myths. I'm going to try and offer some insight into why these myths exist and what the truth is, as I see it anyway!
Why Using SMS for Customer Service is a Good Thing
Customer service is arguably one of the most important parts of any organisation. Happy, loyal customers spend more and ultimately bring you more business through positive comments and referrals. Here's why SMS is crucial to maintaining high levels of support now and for the future.
70% of Employees Want Their Employers to Use SMS Messaging
SMS messaging is a terrific way of keeping in touch with employees. Confirm work schedules, notify employees of payroll transfers, chase deadlines and more. What's really great is that the employees themselves really want employers to communicate the way.
SMS vs. Instant Message App Marketing
It seems there's a new messaging app popping up every month. It's hard to keep track of them all, but it's also hard to ignore them if you're looking to use mobile marketing. When you've got limited marketing resources, should you spend them advertising on the latest IM app, or go with SMS marketing?
Death of SMS? Premature indeed.
The Truth About SMS Opt Out Rates
You’ve read all about getting subscribers, the legal and recommended guidelines, and put great offers out to your list. But people still unsubscribe. Should you be worried? Are you doing something wrong? That depends. As the saying goes, you can’t make 100% of the people happy 100% of the time. You will have opt-outs, but whether you have too many is the question you should be asking.
OFCOM Report Proves SMEs Reliant on SMS Messaging
A recent OFCOM report answers the age-old question: Do SMEs use SMS messaging? Maybe it’s not such an old question, but the answer is quite interesting if you work in an SME. That’s because SMS turns out to be one of the most relied on communications methods available.
SMS Messaging is Much Better Than Shouting!
Just in the last 60-70 years, communications have gone from requiring a person to route the calls to not needing anyone other than the two people at either end. It all got me wondering about the history of communications and how much different it is from even just a 100 years ago, or a thousand. The result of my wondering is this infographic that covers most of recorded history (at some level of detail anyway).
Email vs. SMS Revisited
The digital marketing age has really given us so many options when it comes to running campaigns. If you Google “digital marketing channels”, you’ll get article after article about which ones work the best. Of course, most of them won’t completely agree. Here we take another look at how email and SMS measure up against each other.
3 SMS Marketing Metrics That You Need to Know
SMS marketing is one of the most effective mobile marketing channels available. It’s also one of the easiest to measure your performance for every campaign, even every message. Read the full blog to discover the three of the basic metrics you’ll need to know to evaluate your success.