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SMS Mobile Marketing Statistics & Text Marketing Best Practices
Text message marketing, or SMS marketing, has been becoming more and more popular due to its effectiveness. SMS marketing is short for short message service marketing and is a marketing tactic that uses permission-based text messaging to communicate promotional messages straight to the mobile devices of the subscribers that opt-in to receive them. SMS mobile marketing has generated some very impressive statistics. We’ll take a look at some of those in this article and discuss some key text marketing best practices.
SMS Mobile Marketing Statistics
We live in a mobile world. People are busy. They’re on the go, and in some cases can be difficult to reach and connect with. However, in most cases, no matter how busy they are or where they go, they are never too far away from their mobile phones. Here are a few SMS mobile marketing statistics worthy of noting:
- 98% of text messages are read.1
- 92% of the U.S. population owns a mobile device capable of receiving SMS messages.
- 83% of millennials open SMS messages within 90 seconds of receiving them.
- Text is the preferred channel for notifications from businesses within the millennial generation.
- 79% of mobile phone users check for new messages within 15 minutes of waking up.
- Consumers are more likely to open text messages before any other form of mobile communication.2
Incorporating a text message marketing strategy into your business can have many benefits. Text messages have much higher open rates than emails. While many people today have access to their email via their smartphones, they don’t usually open and read their emails with the frequency and timeliness as they do receiving text messages. SMS marketing also allows you to continue to position your business as a mobile-friendly company, which is increasingly important among the busy folks in the mobile world we live in. Furthermore, text marketing can be a great method to increase engagement with your audience and build trust and loyalty for your brand.
Text Marketing Best Practices
Text message marketing can be a very effective marketing tool in the right situations and when it’s executed well. To achieve the best results, you’ll want to have a sound SMS marketing strategy and make sure you have the resources in place to properly implement and execute that strategy. Here are some text marketing best practices you can use as a guide for getting started with SMS mobile marketing and on your way to achieving the results you desire.
Develop a plan to build and continue to grow subscribers.
Like email marketing, text marketing requires an opt-in. You can have the coolest, most innovative text content program developed but if your audience isn’t opted in to receive it, you will not be able to make the impact you’re hoping to achieve. Also similar to email, the key to growing subscribers is providing value. You have to give people a good reason to opt-in to receive your messages and content.
Leverage text marketing strategically with other components of your marketing program.
When different components of a marketing plan work together, build on each other and make each stronger as a result, it’s a beautiful thing and very effective. It’s a great way for a company to be able to really drive home the key messaging they want to communicate. Try to avoid creating your text marketing strategy and program in a silo. Email, social media and website can all be used effectively to build upon your texting program. You can also get creative and leverage your SMS marketing through direct mail, trade shows and public relations.
Keep it simple when asking for permission.
A common method for getting people to opt-in to a text marketing program is through the use of a keyword and a shortcode. Users text a keyword to a short, easy-to-remember, 5-6 digit number to opt in. When you’re asking users to opt-in, be brief. Tell them what’s in it for them, fast, and try to make the process as simple as possible for the best results.
Leverage exclusive offers and call-to-actions.
Exclusive offers can be a great way to encourage opt-ins into your text marketing program, but they can also be a great way to keep subscribers engaged once they have opted in. CTA’s like text-to-win or text-to-vote can facilitate fun, easy and personal connections between mobile users and your brand at any time.
Understand and abide by compliance rules and regulations.
It’s important to have a good understanding of compliance rules and regulations that affect text marketing strategy, implementation and management. General rules and guidelines include message and data rates, terms and conditions, privacy and frequency, along with other items outlined in the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.
If you’re interested in reaching and connecting with your audience in new and meaningful ways, text message marketing may be worth taking a look.
Resources:
1 Why Marketers Are Turning to Text Message Marketing – Pocketstop
2 SMS Marketing Statistics – EZ Texting
