Brands and business owners are pondering what the future of digital marketing will look like when technologies such as the metaverse are fully established. There is considerable buzz around the idea of inviting prospective customers into branded virtual spaces, but marketing industry analysts are warning that we should not get too far ahead of ourselves in this regard. Proven marketing strategies such as Short Message Service (SMS) campaigns have been making an interesting comeback in recent years, and it helps to understand why.
The Modern State of Promotional Text-Messaging
According to statistics compiled by Tech Jury bloggers, the first aspect of SMS marketing to consider is its potential reach: More than 7 billion individuals will be active smartphone users by the end of the decade. With this in mind, let’s take a look at other current market statistics:
* User surveys indicate that 75% of smartphone users are open to the idea of receiving promotional and informational text messages.
* SMS smartphone alerts tend to be read within minutes, and they are often given a higher priority than social media notifications.
* The open rate of text messages is an astonishing 92%.
* When promotional text messages include links, the click-through rate is almost 10% higher than on other digital channels, including social media.
* More than 80% of Americans want to use their smartphones for coupon redemption purposes.
Contrary to what some people think, SMS technology has not reached legacy status. To a great extent, mobile text messaging is going through a phase that will bring its ubiquity back to levels similar to email. As more and more people rely on their smartphones for daily communication and organization, SMS will become an even more effective way to reach consumers. In addition, SMS is a relatively inexpensive marketing channel, thus making it a good option for businesses of all sizes.
Getting the Most Out of SMS Marketing
Thus far, we have mentioned promotional applications of text messaging, but there is more that can be done with this digital communications platform these days. In Pakistan, for example, the Election Commissioner largely manages the voter registration process through SMS platforms that allow citizens to send their national identification number to a designated number for status verification. In the United States, the use of text messages by political campaigns has been going strong since the 2016 presidential elections.
Setting up and managing mass text-messaging campaigns can be accomplished through the use of an application programming interface (API) that connects to the SMS provider through a web gateway. The functionality of modern SMS gateway API solutions includes:
* Two-way messaging with automated chatbots.
* Management of long and short codes.
* Two-factor authentication.
* Automated responses.
* Campaign analytics and detailed reports for insight.
* Full opt-out compliance.
With the right SMS gateway API in place, you can do everything from increasing sales to making your customer service more effective. Of the various digital channels for promotion, SMS continues to be one of the most adequate for staying in touch with customers.
The Bottom Line of SMS Marketing Strategies
Text messages are effective because they invite you to keep them short, sweet, and to the point. Keep in mind that people are more likely to read and respond to messages that are brief and easy to understand. As long as your messages are relevant to your target audience, you will be able to generate interest and excitement. Don’t forget to use the API to track the results of your SMS campaigns so that you can see what’s working and what’s not; this will help you to optimize your campaigns and get the most out of your SMS marketing efforts.
Text messaging has been with us for several years, even as the mobile marketing industry continues to change and develop. Similar to email and FM radio, the SMS protocol refuses to go away because smartphone users want it to stay. The use of SMS as a primary communication channel has improved exponentially, and text messages have evolved to the point where they can be considered a viable alternative to other mobile media, such as apps and social media. The fact is that SMS marketing is an exceptional channel for generating leads and sales, and you should make it a point to explore its possibilities within your organization.
In the end, brands and business owners who choose to ignore the role of text messaging in the current marketing landscape will effectively fall behind the competitive curve. If you want to increase the reach of your brand, SMS marketing is the way to go.
