Text Message VS Email Marketing
People are inundated with emails and gone are the days of 90% open rates. Or are they?
Text messaging still boasts a 90% open rate and the few saavy businesses that are utilizing them well are getting mutliples on their ROI. Compared to marketing channels like facebook and adwords where the cost of attention has gotten a lot more expensive than they used to be, utlilizing SMS marketing is becoming a more reliable investment to boost revenue.
Compare the cost of sending an SMS at a few cents per message to ads at a few dollars per click. With conversions rates as high as 20-40% via SMS and 1-2% from ads, you can see why business are turning their attention to SMS Marketing.
Why aren't more businesses doing SMS marketing?
The reason why SMS marketing is so effective is that there is regulation around using SMS for marketing purposes. In the US, businesses are required to get their customers to opt-in to receive promotions. However, sending notifications like reminders along with transactional information like order details is ok.
Another reason a lot of businesses don't use SMS is because it costs money. A few cents per SMS doesn't sound like much but after a few thousand messages, it adds up.
How do I navigate text messaging regulations?
The easiest way to implement a strategy is to partner up with an agency that has some experience in setting up SMS marketing campaigns.
Another option is to just start using SMS for notifications so that your customers get comfortable with messages being sent by your company. The reality is that if your customer list is within the range of a few thousand as most small businesses are, you can manage any issues your customers might have with you sending them messages without their consent.
However, it's best to just ask your customers if they would like promotions sent to them. And if you send them messages sparingly and only on the most important promotions, you'll likely have a happy customer and a thriving business.
