Developing a marketing strategy that works isn’t easy, but finding the channels that really resonate with your audience is the key to success. Text or SMS marketing is a path that some businesses may be wary of treading, after all we’ve all been the recipient of those spammy, sales texts, mostly about PPI. In personal experience, most of these messages are followed up with a reply of “opt out”, “STOP”, “UNSUBSCRIBE”, “END” or a combination of words that are a little less polite. Putting our marketing hat back on however, SMS marketing campaigns can generate results, when done the right way.

Whether you’re planning your very first marketing campaign or looking to make some tweaks to existing activities, exploring your options and SMS marketing as a whole is definitely worth a punt. Here we take a look at the stats that tell us to give SMS marketing a go, and the top tips that will help you do just that, successfully.

Stats you wouldn’t automatically pair with SMS marketing

SMS marketing continues to be a relevant channel for businesses of all sizes and niches, and for good reason. With the right research, customer focused wording and great timing, SMS marketing does work. Despite falling out of favour with consumers, marketers all over the world still use this tactic to generate excellent results.

Smartphone ownership has grown across all age groups in the UK and the rest of the world during the past decade. According to Statista, 96% of 16- to 34-year-olds now own a smartphone, with 88% of 35- to 54-year-olds also owning one and utilising the computer rivalling capabilities to perform everyday tasks both online and off. Oldies also love a smartphone with 47% of 55- to 64-year-olds owning mobile phones. SMS marketing use is expected to grow throughout 2018, making it one of the marketing trends to watch this year. The State of SMS has predicted that the use of SMS marketing will grow by 42% in the next 9 months, and you can understand why upon further reading of this report. 90% of text messages are read within 3 minutes, with a further 8% read by the end of the day. This 98% open rate certainly trumps email marketing’s average open rate of 20%. The same research found that 32% of consumers respond to promotional SMS.

Getting your SMS marketing campaign right first time

One thing’s for certain SMS marketing is a guaranteed way of making your company and its products or services known to potential customers directly. But how can you make sure you excite them with SMS content, not annoy them?

It’s safe to say that the stats above make SMS marketing more than just spam. Refining your contact list is the first and one of the most important steps to improving conversion rates. Remember under the latest regulations – including the impending GDPR – you can only send messages to recipients who have opted into correspondence with your company. By taking these permissions seriously you not only make compliance possible but ensure you’re sending messages to people who will welcome them. Being clear and brief in your SMS content is another must so make those calls to action as concise as possible. Variety of content in repeated campaigns and timing are also two areas that need to be carefully considered.

Looking for an SMS marketing pro to take control of your mobile messaging activities? Give us a call or drop us an email for a chat.

Square Media is Northamptonshire’s premiere Web Design & Marketing Agency experienced in developing effective content and marketing strategies for forward-thinking companies in the local area. Our team of specialists consistently deliver outstanding results working in a variety of areas such as Search Engine Optimisation, Social Media Marketing Consultancy, Pay Per Click (PPC) and AdWords Management amongst a wide range of other services.