Avoid Ad Blockers by Using SMS Marketing

Mobile marketing includes many different advertising channels. Most of them include placing an ad in front of a mobile user. Many of us are used to ads online, but they do tend to get annoying. At least that’s according to an eMarketer report on a study done by Instantly.

When UK mobile users were asked about their attitude toward mobile advertising, 55% said they were “generally annoying and disruptive.” Another 24% feel it’s ok if they get free content in exchange. But 11% say it doesn’t bother them because they ignore it.

Whether users find ads annoying or not, many of them are using ad blocking software to avoid them (or perhaps to “ignore” them?). Both Android and iOS platforms offer ad blocking apps. The ones from the official app stores (Google Play and App Store) are only allowed to block ads on the mobile web in a browser – much like similar programs for the PC. With the release of iOS9, Apple enabled ad blocking and many new app creators took advantage of it. They put forth the ability to block ads within apps, which is where most people spend their time. But since then Apple has shut down any ad blocker that is able to block ads in apps, and it isn’t likely to let them into their store anytime soon.

Industrious (and annoyed) users though, can still sideload (that means to install apps without using an official app store) ad blockers. For a long time, this ability didn’t exist for iOS but as of now, both Android and iOS mobile devices can sideload virtually any app. And that can stop much of your mobile advertising from reaching your audience.

For marketers though, there are ways to avoid your ads being blocked. The most obvious is probably not to annoy your audience. A study by the Internet Advertising Bureau UK (IAB UK) showed almost half of Internet users in the UK weren’t so annoyed by ads that didn’t interfere with what they were doing at that time and therefore less likely to block the ads. So ad content and placement is important.

But another way to get advertising to your audience in a non-intrusive way is by using SMS messaging. It’s certainly a different channel than either in-app or mobile web banners or videos. So how you use it is different, but it has advantages over other channels:

Inexpensive – The cost of each SMS messages is just a few pence. Crafting and creating a campaign is also much cheaper than other forms of advertising that require a lot of production (like video) or graphic design, printing, and postage. You can reach 1,000 people for just £35 or 100,000 for just £3,000 (at fastsms pricing).

Quick – It’s possible to create, run, and measure ROI for a campaign in a few hours or days. Also if you want to run a flash sale, SMS messages will be seen just a few seconds after you send them. Customers will be flocking to your store or website shortly after!

High response rates – Because SMS marketing is an opt-in form of communication, the people who sign up for your messages want them. They want your best deals and services and will read your messages when they arrive. ROI is often in double digit and frequently reported in triple digits.

Can’t be blocked by an app – SMS messaging is a built-in ability of mobile phones, even though it is accessed like an app. Ad blocking apps will not be able to stop messages from arriving. The user may turn off notifications, but the messages will still arrive. And while it is possible to block a single number from texting, your customers won’t do that because they want to hear from you!

Mobile marketing should always be a mix of channels, but to get your most important messages to your customers consider using SMS messaging.