10 advantages of SMS marketing

If you haven’t already considered integrating SMS into your marketing strategy, this is the blog post for you!

Why? Besides the obvious cost effectiveness of SMS marketing, there are 10 other remarkable advantages of SMS marketing to consider.

1) Instant Deliverability

SMS is lightning fast, literally putting your message into your subscribers’ pockets or purses seconds after you send. The average time for all mobile carriers and SMS services is less than 7 seconds from send to received. However, other marketing strategies are also incredibly fast, but nothing compares to the swiftness of SMS.

2) Flexible Platform

Either send a handful of messages to a targeted group or send thousands of SMS messages to your entire list. A great SMS marketing service makes it easy to customize your text message campaigns to the needs of your SMS subscribers. Create a promotional message or a quick industry update; SMS truly molds itself to whatever the needs are of your business. Also, many SMS services easily integrate into your other online marketing strategies.

3) Instant Opt-In and Opt-Out

With the advent of short codes, opting in and opting out of your SMS stream is, like everything else associated with SMS – instant. Unlike other opt-in or opt-out options, there is only one step, and besides entering a mobile number, there is rarely any personal information required up front. In the SMS marketing business, you want to make it as quick and simple to opt out as it is to opt in. This simplicity helps keep subscriber satisfaction high.

4) High Open Rate

Compared to email marketing, SMS has a staggeringly high open rate. Essentially, almost every SMS sent is opened (and read), whereas only a fraction of emails sent are read. When a subscriber feels that buzz in their pocket or hears that trill signaling a text message, they always look. In some cases, text messages are automatically opened, where emails aren’t. Subscribers have a choice to open your email.

5) High Conversion Rate

With SMS, there is an incredibly high rate of subscriber action. Whatever your SMS is – promotions or contests – there is more action taken compared to any other marketing or promotion strategies.

6) Reliable

Unlike email, SMS doesn’t have to battle against spam or other email filters. If anything, SMS is more of a direct connection to your customer base than any other marketing strategy, and there aren’t any barriers.

7) Short Messages

Though this is a challenge for some businesses, the 160-character length of SMS is a boon for marketing. It forces you to be clear and concise. Instead of having your subscribers slog through content that isn’t always relevant, SMS gets to the point immediately without anything that is unnecessary.

8) Cool Factor

A large demographic of consumers have abandoned the email and have turned to text messages. Show your client list that you are keeping up with the technology by sending targeted promotions via text. It will give your company a head start in winning the battle for the next generation of shoppers. This can be a great strategy for smaller businesses who are looking to create a buzz locally.

9) Limitless Market Potential

Do you even know how many mobile phones are out there? An absolutely ridiculous amount. And since mobile phones and text messaging especially, are the way that people communicate now, there isn’t any reason why you can’t tap into this virtually limitless market potential. Mobile phone users represent all demographics – a marketing gold mine!

10) Green

Green is in! Though most online marketing strategies are naturally green, it is incredibly important to reiterate. Green is not only great for the environment but for the bottom line.

There you have it, the top 10 benefits of SMS marketing. Ready to get started with your own campaign?