3 Reasons Why SMS is The Key to Your Mobile Marketing

The year of mobile marketing is finally here. You’ve heard it before, but it’s clear it has finally arrived. In fact, it may have arrived last year so if you haven’t joined yet you might be late to the party. Don’t worry, there’s still time. According to Salesforce’s 2015 State of Marketing report, marketers are investing heavily in mobile:

• 68% have integrated mobile into their overall marketing strategy
• 71% believe mobile is core to their business
• 58% have dedicated mobile marketing teams

There are many reasons marketers are moving to mobile. The biggest one is that’s where the people are. In the UK there are more mobile subscriptions than there are people! But mobile also offers other marketing advantages too. I’ve picked three that industry experts say are driving the focus on mobile. But more than that, when you add SMS marketing to each item on the list it can open the door for even greater success.

The statistics on mobile usage generally show that people use apps more than the mobile web. That’s true, but that data clumps all mobile usage together. If I need to get the weather, I’m going to use my weather app. If I need to buy something on Amazon, I’ll use the app. But in many cases, if you click a link in an app, you’ll get redirected to the mobile web.

And if you’re searching from mobile, you’re also likely to start on the web. So people are used to the web on their smartphones. They’re comfortable with it because for the most part, it’s just like the internet on a desktop except optimised for a smaller screen.

Landing pages have been a core of internet marketing for years now, so creating mobile versions just makes sense. But do they work in an app obsessed world? It turns out they do. An article on M.C. Today states, “Mobile landing pages are quickly becoming the business world’s rival to banner advertisements,” and “… businesses are cashing in on them.”

So mobile landing pages are popular and effective, but how do you get people to them? There are the traditional ways of course, but SMS messaging is a mobile-centric technology perfectly suited to the task.

You can send customers on your SMS marketing list to landing pages by providing customised, shortened links in the messages. It’s a great way to get your customers to a special offer, partner program, upsells on recent purchases, or almost anything that ties into what the customer wants from you. And sometimes an SMS message just doesn’t offer enough space to explain or sell your offer. Instead, a direct link to a mobile landing page with all the details could seal the deal.

Marketers know they have to hit people across devices and channels. We’re a distracted population running from one thing to the next. Mobile is one technology that helps bridge the gaps between channels. For example, 36.1% percent of Brits use their smartphone while watching TV. That number is likely to grow. In other countries up to 87% of people already use a second screen during their TV shows.

Brands can use that to their advantage in many ways, but SMS messaging is one of the best. TV ads can give consumers keywords and shortcodes to text to enter contests or sign up for special deals. People could text for more information on a product, or to vote on just about anything.

Beyond television, mobile can also be combined with in-store advertising. Signage or clerks can tell customers what to text to sign up for exclusive SMS marketing deals. Radio ads can also direct people to SMS marketing campaigns. Since people almost always have their mobile with them, it really is the one device to pull everything together. And SMS messaging is the one method that works on all mobiles regardless of type or carrier.

Return on investment (ROI) is one area where SMS marketing thrives.  In traditional marketing, you often have to wait weeks or months to assess how well a particular campaign performed. But with SMS, you can know in hours. That’s because the SMS platform allows everything to be measured precisely and instantly. You can know how many messages were delivered, how many people clicked any links, how many people unsubscribed, which keywords were used how often, and just about any other statistic you could want. Quickly you can tell whether your marketing messages were read and if they succeeded in getting people to take action.

When you combine that information with your sales data you can gauge your ROI from that specific message or campaign. Many businesses find they’ll get ROI in the hundreds or thousands of percent! That’s because each message only costs a few pence to send, making SMS marketing one of the lowest cost methods available that’s also easily tracked and reported.

Mobile is the focus for the majority of businesses surveyed by Salesforce for their 2015 report. But while many are growing their mobile marketing, not so many are including SMS in that mix. There’s still an opportunity for anyone that wants to make the most of the mobile experience and increase their returns.

Is SMS part of your mobile marketing plans? We’d love to hear your ideas and plans in the comments.