Small businesses looking for ways to spread the news about their products and services need to have a good marketing plan. However, with technology becoming increasingly important, and with young people moving away from traditional TV and newspapers, it becomes important to carefully choose your media. When thinking about possible ways to market products and services, many small businesses fail to think of cell phones. This is because it can be difficult to consider a cell phone as a medium for carrying advertising messages.
Cell phones, though, are everywhere. Nearly everyone has a cell phone. And it is possible to send and receive messages with cell phones. This makes cell phones great for marketing. Cell phone marketing is done through SMS messaging — also called text messaging. Some estimates indicate that more than one billion text messages are exchanged every month on a worldwide basis. There are a number of services that help with SMS marketing for small businesses, and you can take advantage of that to get your message.
Here are some of the advantages that SMS marketing for small businesses can have for your enterprise:
- A mobile phone does not have to be online to receive an SMS message.
- Almost any cell phone can receive a text message — it does not have to be a smart phone.
- It is possible for customers to respond easily to your SMS text message.
- SMS text messages grab attention, and cell phone users are likely to read them.
- SMS text messages can be save for later.
You can send out advertising messages to your customers and potential customers en masse, at a very reasonable rate, when you use SMS marketing strategies. You can send out promo codes and coupons that can be used at your store, and you can share sale information. Another strategy is to make joining a SMS text club feel exclusive. Offer special “insider” deals to customers who sign up for special SMS marketing, and you can increase your ROI.
How SMS Marketing for Small Businesses Works
It can help to understand how text message marketing works on behalf small businesses. It is fairly straightforward. There are SMS providers that have access to subscriber lists. They can also help you craft SMS marketing messages if you want the help. You decide on a message, and let the service know. The service sends out hte text message to the subscribers you are interested in. Your potential clients get a look at our advertising. Payment for SMS marketing services are often made with a monthly fee, although some providers have per-message fee.
What you choose to do for your small business depends on you individual situation and needs. Carefully consider your target audience, and whether your potential customers are likely to use cell phones and be interested in receiving SMS marketing messages. If it appears that your business could use the help of a text messaging marketing campaign, you might want to compare providers.
SMS marketing really can be a good tool for small businesses. If you are struggling to reach a wider potential customer base, the use of text messages sent to cell phones can be a real help, since these messages can reach almost anyone.