sms marketing 2018


As we step into 2018 marketers are faced with the challenge of juggling between multiple channels and choosing the ones best suited to their brands. SMS has been around for long and has evolved since its inception. It is the most popular medium amongst marketers. We have some SMS marketing trends which would benefit the marketers in growing their business.

The magic of SMS

SMS are sent directly to consumers on their mobile phones, making them very personal, and they are delivered within seconds.

According to researchers, the average open rate of text messages is 99% and 99% of these messages are read within just 15 minutes of delivery. About 71% of marketers consider mobile marketing to be one of the core channels to their business.

Below we have highlighted vital SMS marketing trends to include in your marketing strategies.

How SMS Can Amplify your Mobile Marketing Strategies

1. Building website traffic

In the messaging of your SMS, include the link to your website prompting consumers to visit. Since the response rate to SMS is high, the consumer is most likely to click on the link. When consumers visit the website, they begin to explore more about your company and its offers.

2. Personalization

One of the most commonly used SMS marketing trends is using personalisation in your marketing strategy. There are ways to know more about your customers like their age, demographics, address, interests, preferences, birth date, anniversary, hobbies etc.

Put it to good use to send personalised messages to your customer. You can wish them on their birthday or send information about a sale or event that is close to where they stay. It's all about using the data most effectively to develop a personal connection and to increase brand recall.

3. Customer feedback

SMS can be used to get customer feedback as well. You could run a survey or a poll to know the opinion of consumers. 90% of SMS are read within just 3 minutes of receiving them. Also, it takes only 90 seconds on an average to respond to SMS. There is a 45% response rate for SMS messages (email has just 8%).


Thus, SMS proves to be the best medium to know if the customer is satisfied with your product or service. This feedback from the customer will guide you to improve the product offers and service further.

4. Integrating with other marketing channels

SMS marketing performs even better upon integrating with other marketing channels such as mobile apps and email marketing. The result of this is that it is more effective and becomes an indispensable part of your marketing strategy.

5. A direct method of marketing

1 in 5 emails sent from a commercial address end up in the junk folder or are blocked entirely. Contrastingly, online SMS services can reach almost anyone with a mobile phone. The effectiveness of mobile advertising has also reduced with the rise of ad-blocking technologies. 380 million mobile users now use ad-blocking which limits the reach of online mobile advertising.
The Ericsson Mobility Report found that nearly 50% of the world's devices cannot be reached through mobile advertising or run alternative messaging applications. Sending SMS online is a direct method, and one of the only ways, to reach these consumers through their mobile devices.

6. It's affordable

When you have many budgets to balance, the scalability of SMS marketing is very attractive. It's suitable for any size of business, from a small hair salon to a multi-national operation. Subject to your needs, you could opt for a pay-as-you-go messaging option which keeps you in control of your marketing spend.

7. It has a high ROI

Whatever currency you think in, one SMS will cost you mere cents or pence but mainly results in a considerable uptake teamed with an incentive such as an exclusive discount or offer. SMS marketing is vastly more cost effective than traditional media spend.

8. It generates new leads

By setting up a keyword with an SMS shortcode, you can allow customers too easily and voluntarily opt into your database to receive news and special offers. Now you instantly have hundreds or thousands of new leads. If you offer something of value, your customers will also spread the word to their family and friends through word of mouth.

9. It's trackable

Partner with a leading SMS marketing service provider and you could enjoy intelligent tracking of your messages. With the uptake of offers and tracing it back to sales, especially in e-commerce, this is particularly important for marketers. As all smartphones have browsers, you can also track click-through with URL-shortening links such as bit.ly - the perfect length for an SMS.

10. It keeps customers loyal

You can make your customers feel special and part of an exclusive community with creative discounts, offers, exclusive invites to sales, events and more. Make it worth their while, and they will keep coming back for more.
Keep in mind

As opposed to applications that need to be downloaded, which take time, SMS are a quick way to reach consumers and get immediate responses.

Chatbots are getting popular with marketers but, SMS is the only popular medium that people around the world use and it is definitely more affordable for businesses than chatbots. Its voice is not lost in the noise that other platforms are challenged with.

Get Great Deals on Bulk SMS Packages and Start Marketing to your Audience

iTouch is one of the few messaging companies in Africa that abide by GDPR and POPI security standards. If you need assistance in building effective messaging solutions for your business, contact us to see how we can help. 

 

 

Sources: