9 Reasons SMS Marketing is Far From Finished

If you have not yet tried SMS marketing, you may have been put off by rumours that the golden age of the text message is over. Many sceptics of SMS messaging have argued that this is an inevitable effect of the ever-increasing popularity of mobile internet and instant communication apps. There is, however, plenty of evidence to suggest that text messaging still has plenty of life left in it. Here are nine reasons why SMS Marketing still has a lot to offer:
#1 Massive Reach
According to the most recent research by Ofcom, 93% of the UK’s adult population personally own or use a mobile phone. The figure for smartphones, in comparison, is considerably lower at 73%. In a nutshell, no other communication channel to date has been able to offer businesses the same potential for reach.
#2 An Active Channel
In the same report, Ofcom reported that the average number of text messages sent per handset per month was 107. Whilst this marks a slight fall from previous years, it is still equivalent to over three messages daily – and any one of them could potentially be a lead or a sale for your business.
#3 Incredible Open Rates
As a business you almost certainly use email marketing, so here’s the big question – what’s your average opening rate? The average is generally reported to be in the region of 22% for small and medium-sized enterprises. The estimated SMS opening rate, on the other hand, is an incredible 98%.
#4 The 3 Minute Rule
If fact #3 wasn’t enough to convince you that your business really needs to be embracing SMS marketing, try this fact for size: 95% of SMS marketing messages are opened within 3 minutes of being received. We challenge you to find any form of marketing that can offer that kind of attention.
#5 A Bird in the Hand...
One of the unique features and key attractions of the SMS is that it places the message right into the hand of your customer, wherever they happen to be and whatever they happen to be doing. Used with care and respect, this gives them an incredibly powerful edge and can be hugely incentivising if the three R’s of marketing are adhered to – that is, the right offer made to the right person at the right time.
#6 It's Personal
One of the beauties of SMS marketing is that customers must expressly consent to receive SMS communications from your brand, related specifically to your offer. In agreeing to participate, the customer has already confirmed an interest in what you have to offer, whether that is now or in the future. Once you have that buy in, careful use of the SMS marketing cycle (before transaction, at the time of transaction and post-transaction) can help to turn leads into sales and turn first-time customers into repeat customers – improving both turnover and customer loyalty.
For more information about how businesses in your sector are taking advantage of SMS marketing, check out our use cases available here.
#7 Low Costs
SMS marketing remains one of the lowest cost forms of marketing currently available. Combined with some of the statistics previously mentioned, this means that it offers substantial potential for ROI. With Fastsms, cost per message is 2.1 – 3.5 pence – making us the lowest priced provider in the UK market*.
If you’ve not used SMS marketing before, you can sign up for an account in under a minute and receive 100 free messages to experiment with. For complete peace of mind, the no-obligation trial does not require any credit card details or subscription.
#8 It's Simple
SMS marketing is one of the simplest strategies to implement. With so many options available from Fastsms including our versatile cloud-based platform, email to SMS and direct messaging from Outlook, small businesses can choose exactly how they want to send and receive SMS messages. In addition, we offer a robust API solution for integration directly into your existing applications, complete with free documentation and access to developer support via live chat.
The Fastsms API uses well-known protocols and is tried and tested on a number of industry standard CRM systems including SalesForce, Zoho CRM, Pipedrive, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM and many more – chat to us now to find out more.
#9 Untapped Potential
Despite all the evidence in favour of SMS marketing, many businesses have simply not taken notice of this golden opportunity – largely because of their attention being drawn to louder voices in the traditional and internet marketing sphere. The trouble with these is that it is ever harder to make your voice heard in such a noisy, crowded space. With as few as 14% of businesses using SMS for real-time marketing, you really could use it to stand out from the crowd and get the leading edge in your sector.
If you haven’t tried SMS marketing for your business yet and would like to know more about how Fastsms can help you succeed, call us on 0800 954 5305 and talk to a knowledgeable human now – you’ll soon see why we have the highest customer satisfaction rating in the industry.
*based on a comparison of per-credit prices with competitors using tier-1 delivery routes.
Related Articles
SMS Marketing – A Brief Guide to the Data Protection Act 1998
Any UK business that collects, stores and uses other people’s personal data for purposes such as marketing and selling is subject to the rules of the Data Protection Act, and those using SMS marketing are no exception. Having a basic understanding of the DPA legislation and its main requirements is useful to maintain best practice in direct marketing such as SMS marketing and also helps to uphold your hard won customer trust - as well as avoid the potentially costly consequences of falling foul of the law. Read this article to learn how to avoid the simple pitfalls and get your SMS marketing campaign off to the right start.
How SMS Can Help Your Local Business Optimise Your Local Campaign
One of the great advantages of SMS: it's completely trackable so you know exactly how your campaigns are engaging your opted in customers and clients. And if you’re a small business, operating in a specific geographical location, then that local knowledge can be invaluable in targeting your campaigns to a local audience.
Best Practices for SMS Marketing
In many of our previous posts, we have discussed the whys and hows of SMS marketing, listing the benefits, and the impacts on lead generation. There’s no doubt that by employing a marketing strategy that uses business SMS as a medium that your processes will become more efficient and your leads will become more targeted, meaning a better ROI. Here we will look at the best practices for SMS marketing to ensure your campaigns are offering the best for you and your users.
5 Tips to Stay Ahead for Your Bank Holiday SMS Marketing
10 Invaluable Ways to use SMS Marketing for Your Business
There is something about SMS marketing that is not like any other form of marketing. It is a simple form of communication, but highly effective in forging close relationships with clients who purchase from you regularly. Here are 10 key ways to use SMS marketing for your business and how to get the most out of your clients.
What are the Worst SMS Marketing Messages You’ve Received?
Just for fun, I asked people in a marketing focused Facebook group to share the worst SMS marketing messages they’ve ever received. I was expecting a deluge of responses, but actually only a few trickled in. But those horrible SMS marketing messages are out there…the comments on my post proved it even if no one wanted to share (I guess they’re all shy).
3 Compliance Tips for Your Next SMS Marketing Campaign
When conducting an SMS marketing campaign, there are a number of compliance regulations you should be aware of, to ensure that your communications are as effective as possible, without being potentially damaging to your campaign or your business. If you're marketing to a UK market, the UK Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) gives clear guidelines on what falls within the rules. Here we've highlighted some key tips to ensure your next campaign is compliant, based on common questions that arise.
5 Tips For Super-Powerful SMS Marketing Campaigns
Mobile messaging is the most effective means of direct marketing for a lot of industries. If you really want to capitalise on your SMS marketing campaigns and achieve the best possible results, there are a few things you can do. Here are our top five tips for running super powerful SMS marketing campaigns.
The Psychology of SMS Marketing
In marketing, everyone wants to be more influential and persuasive in order to build loyalty and return custom. To gain the highest ROI, businesses want their marketing campaigns to speak to every individual in such a way that makes them feel connected and yet, with every will in the world, an SMS marketing campaign is only going to achieve this high conversion and success if it manages to tap into consumer psychology.
How To Craft The Best Content For Your SMS Messaging
You need concise, memorable and high-impact content with a clear call to action in your SMS messaging. That, in a nutshell, is what's needed to achieve with any marketing or engagement communications in any form. But this is never truer than with an SMS campaign when your business text messaging has to rely on a small window of recipient attention.