If you’re looking for a quick fling, this isn’t it. Successful small businesses are passionate about text message marketing and have embraced it as a way to keep in touch with customers. Why? Cell phones.
Some of us have what could only be described as intimate relationships with our devices, keeping them within a one- or two-foot radius from us at all times. Is that embarrassing to think about? It shouldn’t be, because your customers share your sentiment.
Think about it. You likely receive multiple text messages a day from people you trust and care about. Now that business owners have the ability to text customers, you’ve been invited into a very personal, sacred space. Here are a few reasons you should open your heart to text message marketing.
Text Messaging is Quickly Outpacing Email Marketing
When compared to email, text messages have much higher open rates. The average open rate of a text is more than 95%, nearing 100%. Now, we’re not saying your email campaigns are no longer viable. Email still has a viable, effective place in any business’s marketing mix. But email marketing also takes time. If you were to launch an email with only one or two sentences, it would have your customers saying, “Where is the love?” With texting, there’s a mutual understanding that the message should be kept short and sweet – one or two sentences, max. Total time saver for you and your customers.
You Get More Bang for Your Buck
Text messes are not only opened frequently; they’re also clicked through pretty frequently — we’re talking a click through rate around 45%. Compare that to email’s 6 – 7%, and SMS is the clear winner.
Fair warning: Don’t take advantage of this privilege. Just as you wouldn’t bombard your close friends with text after text, you don’t have to overwhelm customers to get your point across. You probably don’t have the time either. (Guess what, neither do your customers.) In fact, sending too many messages could come across as annoying or needy. Don’t be that guy (or gal).
It’s Like Having a Captive Audience, 24/7
Raise your hand if you’re reading this blog on your phone. Now, think about how often you check your text messages on the same device. You probably check them just about every time you get a notification that a new text has come through. This high level of attention translates into a business’s ability to connect with consumers pretty darn quickly.
Have a promotion or special offer that’s expiring today? Maybe a last-minute cancellation? What about an open appointment time later this afternoon that you’d love to fill? No problem — you can text these opportunities to customers without much worry the offer will expire before they even open it.
Long story short, don’t let text message marketing scare you. With the right systems in place, it’s easy to repurpose current promotions and expand how you’re connecting with customers.
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Updated January 2020
