SMS has taken on a new look

Let's face it, we live in a world where the challenge for people's attention is a crowded stage  ... and the triggering of a favourable reaction is increasingly subtle as consumers are slowly becoming numb to advertising messages.

In the last few years advertising has gone mobile in conjunction with the massive growth in consumer Smartphones and advertisers have focused their efforts towards the rise in apps and social media, turning SMS into an untapped marketing resource.

Benefits of Mobile Messaging Campaigns

In the latest research, SMS is indicated as the key tool to success. This research shows that 20% of people open a marketing emails, 29% of tweets are read, 20% of Facebook posts are read and whopping 98% of text messages (SMSs) are read.

However we also need to take into account that worldwide, people  are spending more time on digital mobile devices than watching TV or reading magazines and newspapers.

Add to these statistics, the growing nature of the consumer's relationship with brands - now  less passive and more interactive - we then should acknowledge that SMS (short message service) is the communication tool of choice because it not only reaches consumers, but its immediacy and accessibility invites them to respond or interact spontaneously at the time of contact regardless of mobile device type or internet access.

An SMS carrying a crafted message to a database of opted-in recipients, delivered at the right time, will translate into an effective communication resulting in positive responses and a great ROI.

SMS a robust messaging tool 

Advertisers are battling it out for a place in the attention stakes of consumers like never before. While the growth of ad blocking devices and software is testament to people's desire to rid their world of intrusive or unsolicited content in a word,  advertising.

An advertising headline and /or gimmick might attract a great click through rate, but will it entice an eventual sale?

SMS has taken on a completely new dynamic from its earlier incumbent as personal message tool and repositioned itself in a world of push notifications and instant messages as a medium that commands attention.

An unopened text message in an inbox is seen as compelling and potentially interesting. Case studies have shown that a well crafted text message, delivered at the right time, to an opted-in customer, is likely to enhance the brand and/or pave the path to a sale. The customer chooses when to open the text and is focused on the content of the message. At the time, the purpose of the journey is to read the text, and everything else is an intrusion.

The SMS acronym may now be better suited as Stop Missing Sales or Smart Marketing Service rather than Short Message Service.

Embrace SMS marketing

So we encourage you to embrace Big Data and to invite your customers to provide your company with their mobile numbers. Their agreement to receive appropriate communication from you translates into a happy interaction when something relevant and valuable is texted to them.

Now that you have the facts why not consider SMS for your next marketing campaign or to augment your current marketing activities?

iTouch delivers messages globally, across all networks, faster and more reliably than most. Ask our many highly demanding banking clients, all industry bench-markers of efficient and secure communications.