Many businesses continue to rely on weekly circulars to generate foot traffic, despite the fact that a sizable portion of customers now prefer delivery. Others are investing heavily in social advertising but are still unable to reach the right audience as platform usage fluctuates. Businesses have experimented with a variety of marketing strategies, but those that haven’t yet embraced texting are missing out on the most convenient and engaging channel available.
The Time Is Finally Right
Why has texting gained the ability to cut through market clutter and noise? Consumers spend the most time texting on their phones than on any other application. They rarely disregard text messages the way they do phone calls — this is especially true in today’s era of relentless robocalls to mobile devices, which are estimated to exceed 50 billion in 2019.
Likewise, consider the widespread use of smartphones and improved Wi-Fi access, both of which facilitate superior mobile e-commerce experiences. Almost every American (97 percent) sends at least one text per day, and according to OpenMarket research, 83% of millennials open texts within 90 seconds of receiving them. Indeed, text messaging has risen to prominence as a preferred method of delivering marketing messages.
Needless to say, the general public is more receptive than ever to text marketing.
Why Consider Text Marketing: A Reliable Owned-And-Operated Channel
You may currently have a strong social presence, and your business may be performing admirably in terms of SEO — that is, until a new competitor overtakes you, or the algorithm changes. Whatever you spend on these “organic” channels, they are not inexpensive endeavors, and you remain reliant on the search and social media behemoths — which rely on advertising dollars from businesses like yours.
With upcoming changes to the way businesses collect customer data, maintaining a direct connection with your customers and new leads can be invaluable.
Perhaps you’ve invested in email marketing, which enables you to own and operate a channel free of audience guard dogs. But what about the more than 300 billion emails sent each day — 49.7 percent of which are spam — that receive only a 20% open rate and a 6% response rate?
Compared to traditional email or telemarketing campaigns, opt-in text messages have a significantly higher open and response rate. According to my company’s research, 90% of mobile users open and read text messages within the first 30 minutes of receipt. Depending on the text marketing platform used and the volume of messages sent, SMS campaigns can be as cost effective as email campaigns, as they offer the same ability to convert and attribute an opened message to a sale via a trackable link to an e-commerce site, for example.
Indeed, the lower production cost of a text message versus a marketing email enables merchants to experiment and gather valuable data about which offers and calls to action perform best for their audience segments. Additionally, integrations with CRMs enable effective segmentation by geography or demographics, which aids in the efficiency of promotions (and testing).
How To Begin The Texting Journey
While organizations consider implementing a text marketing strategy, they should consider how text can best integrate with their current campaigns, as text can be an incredible omnichannel tool. Consider the advantages of text — its immediacy and action — and how they might benefit your campaigns. For example, we’ve discovered that a simple follow-up text can increase email open rates by up to 30%.
In addition, conduct research and consider how text works best in your industry, as well as how others in your space use text. What works for a retailer may not work for a nonprofit, and what works for a university admissions department may not work for a nonprofit.
When researching potential solutions to assist with this transition, there are several characteristics to look for. For instance, there are critical integrations with other communication and productivity tools such as HubSpot, Mailchimp, Shutterstock, and Zapier that allow for the creation of an incredibly intelligent omnichannel marketing experience.
My first recommendation is to concentrate on crafting an effective, succinct message with a clear call to action. Consider low-hanging fruit, such as texting friendly reminders about major seasonal sales events, invitations to test drives, inventory updates, and even service reminders. With a potentially longer sales cycle in mind, businesses can leverage advanced text messaging features — such as the ability to handle rich voice, images, links, video, QR codes, and emojis — to create relevant and compelling drip campaigns that gradually increase conversions.
Also, keep in mind that text, like email, requires consent from the recipient. It’s similar to email compliance, and many text platforms offer solutions to assist you and your messages in remaining compliant. However, keep in mind that this is a strategy that must be developed over time, much like growing an email list.
The Bigger Picture
As a natural and immediate mode of communication, texting should be incorporated into the forward planning of any astute marketer. Its particular suitability for omnichannel campaigns ensures that a text platform can be implemented in a variety of ways. We’re not talking about a single-purpose app that will clog your workstream; the possibilities for leveraging texting for external and internal processes are virtually limitless.
Marketers across all industries are discovering that texting is the one marketing tool they cannot live without.