Benefits of SMS marketing goes beyond just saving money. SMS communication provides some distinct advantages over other forms of communication. Knowing the benefits of SMS marketing can help you use it to better effect in growing your business. This article explains the specific benefits of using text messages.
Cost of SMS Marketing
A text message costs less than a stamp, and even sending SMS text messages to many people costs less than producing a television or radio advertisement or creating a billboard. It may possibly cost less than a newspaper ad. Cost control is also available through your choice of plan. You can tailor a plan by whether it is domestic or international, the number of texts per month you require, and the service features that are desirable for your situation.
Combine and Conquer
Because SMS text messages can be effective for in-company communication, as well as marketing, there’s another consideration at play here. You might be able to find a good deal on text messaging and redirect inter-company communications. Since text messages are more discreet and less interruptive than emails and phone calls, you may find that your employees function better, having fewer interruptions and less time spent on each inter-office (SMS) memo.
Control Message Arrival Parameters
When will your customer see the billboard, newspaper ad, television ad, direct mailing, or visit your website? Even the ones that display when they’re supposed to do not guarantee that the customer will view them then. There’s simply no way of knowing, and the answer may possibly be never. Even email can be erratic, and if people fear that it may be long or involved, they may choose to open it later. But SMS text messages are just about instantaneous to transmit, a distinct advantage, and the limit to size means that they may get opened more quickly—after all, your customer may say, it’s limited to 160 characters: it can’t take too much of my time . . .
The timing control allows for some fine-tuning of advertising. You wouldn’t advertise a particular Thursday Happy Hour special on a billboard – the special would be over by the time most people saw it. But sending out a text message—particularly to those who tend to put in an appearance at that Happy Hour—makes sense . . . especially if the special is on the Super Nachos, which the customer has ordered four times already.
DIY or Hire an Expert
Another of the benefits of SMS marketing is the freedom to choose to do it yourself or to hire an expert to support your marketing venture. You can get as much or as little assistance as you need in setting up marketing campaigns that are appropriate for your target audience.
Target Your Audience More Effectively
Using an opt-in marketing method assures you of the interest of your message recipients, cutting down on your payments to spread the word to people who aren’t interested. You can spend more time on crafting your message than on deciding where to place your billboard or run your print advertisement.
Using short codes, you can segment your audience and send customers only the text messages (but also, all of the text messages) that they will find useful. Thus, you can send only the pertinent messages to the customer who is interested in snowshoes, the customer who is interested in kayaks, the customer who is interested in mittens, and the customer who is interested in all three.
Using SMS Features in Your Marketing
If your SMS provider offers bonus features, allowing you to send other material besides text, you are provided with even greater possibilities both for marketing in general and for fine-tuning your message for your audience. It’s possible to find SMS text message marketing providers that offer the ability to send videos, images, instant messages, audio files, and interactive messages.