Introduction

Have you heard of SMS marketing but aren't too sure if it's for you? What if we start by telling you that SMS marketing is one of the fastest ways to get in front of your customers and instantly grab their attention. Not only will it benefit your business, you'll also find SMS marketing will work wonders for your marketing strategy and is a useful tool for keeping your customers happy.

Benefits for your marketing strategy

The great thing about bulk SMS (that's another name for SMS marketing) is that it has an incredibly low starting cost in relation to the number of people that will actually open your message (we offer rates as low as 1.6p a text for example). Because of this the ROI is much higher than other marketing methods.

It's also the kind of marketing where your messages reach your audience instantly, unlike social media where they might scroll past or miss it completely. With 68% of people checking their phone at least once every hour and 10% checking it every 10 minutes, this is a huge benefit for your business.

In fact, most people read a text within 3 minutes of receiving it, so you'll have their full attention within minutes of pressing 'send'. That's three times faster than reading an email. Plus, if customers are reading your texts immediately they'll also react pretty quickly too.

Benefits for your business

A common misconception about SMS marketing is that it's spammy and you feel like your business will be perceived as a nuisance, putting customers off. The great news is it's actually the opposite.

Over 70% of people say that SMS improved their overall experience of a business and 64% of customers believe businesses should use SMS messages to interact with their customers much more than they currently do, so don't be afraid to stay in touch.

SMS marketing also enables you to reach customers who would normally be quite difficult to contact. You might be surprised to find that 29% of people in the UK don't own a smartphone so they can't be contacted via social media and email. By investing in bulk SMS, you'll reach quite a substantial, untapped portion of the population.

Plus, it can't be that much of a nuisance given that most people will happily give you their mobile number and opt into your SMS campaign if they are given a deal or a voucher (77% to be exact). In fact, this works so well customers will often forward your voucher on to friends and family, giving your business even more potential customers.

Benefits for your customers

If your customers aren't happy they'll vote with their feet and move on to the next business. You must go the extra mile to make sure this doesn't happen.

One way to show your customers you care is to speak directly to them. SMS marketing allows you to personalise your messages by adding in your customer's name, which is an ideal way to make them feel appreciated and valued.

Another advantage of text messages is that they must be short and sweet (you only have 160 characters to get your point across). Your customers like this because you're forced to be clear and concise and not waste their time. Plus, being quite direct encourages a better response rate as customers immediately know what you need them to do.