SMS is a personal communication tool. The potential benefits of using it as part of your marketing strategy are enormous. This is why SMS marketing can eliminate noise and instead communicate directly with your customers. But with the potential gains, comes great responsibility.
Why SMS is so effective
If you are concerned about the impact of your marketing strategy, you have most likely come across the term "opening rate". The opening rate illustrates the percentage of recipients of an email or SMS that actually opens the message or newsletter. Another important concept in the marketing universe is "Click-through-rate" (CTR). This term refers to the proportion of recipients who open and read the content, in addition to taking action. This can be in the form of clicking on one of the links. These numbers give you an indication of how many of the recipients are actually interested in the content. They provide an overview of how many people read the messages you send, and how relevant and interesting the content is.
According to a campaign carried out by SuperOffice, the opening rate for e-mail in Norway is equivalent to 18%. The click-through rate is no more than 10%. Now, let's take a look at the corresponding numbers for SMS. It turns out that the average opening rate of text messages corresponds to around 99%. And 97% of these messages are read within 15 minutes of receiving them.
The numbers have spoken! SMS is more efficient than communication via email. Despite the fact that e-mails are generally quite cheap, it will not give as high a return on investment as SMS. Especially when less than one-fifth of recipients open the e-mail.
Eliminate noise
Place your message directly in the palm of your customers hand, literally! The messages you send tick directly into their mobile phone, which in most cases rests in the palm of their hand. Unlike social media, your message does not have to compete with posts from friends or anything else they might find more interesting than a 20% discount.
In addition, it turns out that 50% of all clicks on Internet advertisements are by mistake. And you'll have to pay for them with cost per click (CPC), without gain. With SMS marketing, you can make sure that you send out content that is interesting and relevant. You can do this by using segmentation. In this way, you show the customer that you care, and that you are not just looking to sell anything to anyone.
Your customers want to hear you
SMS marketing requires your customers to agree to receive messages and offers from your company. This approach—sometimes prompting the question of "why sms"—relies on the trust your customers place in your brand. In return, you have the responsibility to uphold that trust by sending relevant messages and carefully moderating the volume of messages sent.
Additionally, the customer must have the opportunity to unsubscribe from the SMS marketing list. To ensure the trust between your customer and your company remains intact, we have created a "blacklist" for those who opt out of the SMS marketing lists. Even if a number remains in contact lists or is re-imported, it will not receive any messages. This system not only prevents sending messages to uninterested customers but also answers the query of "why sms" by respecting customer preferences and avoiding unwanted communications.
