11 SMS Marketing Advantages over Other Channels

SMS isn’t something new or relatively recent and has many advantages on other channels. The very first SMS message was sent in 1992, and SMS has been around since then. While there have been very obvious changes in how it works from then till now, the basics surrounding it are the same. It has also retained its popularity throughout the years.

The growth of mobile devices such as tablets, android devices, and other smartphones has increased SMS usage as a marketing medium for businesses. Marketers have also devised a means to integrate SMS as part of their digital marketing strategies. This is the genesis of SMS marketing.

While SMS on its own is a text message that one person sends to another, with mobile phones being the medium. SMS marketing is used to describe this when used for marketing purposes. There are different types of marketing campaigns, but SMS marketing stands out from the others in many ways and for many reasons.

The numerous advantages it offers as a marketing channel is among the reasons it stands out from other marketing channels. It is now duly considered a critical marketing strategy, especially for brands and businesses that do not have a large budget for their marketing campaigns.

This article discusses 11 advantages that SMS marketing has over other marketing channels.

1. Direct marketing with Instant deliverability

This is undoubtedly the most obvious and probably the biggest advantage that SMS marketing has over other channels. With an SMS, you are sure that you are reaching a customer or target directly through their mobile devices. It is quick and instant, unlike mobile push and email notifications that require an internet connection before they can get the message (which doesn’t mean they will open it).

The time estimated for SMS to move from one device to the other through any mobile carriers is just 7 seconds. This instant delivery and the high possibility of them reading the SMS makes it an effective marketing channel.

2. Personal marketing

Apart from face-to-face meetings and phone calls, SMS is the most direct form of marketing. It’s like you are talking to the individuals directly. People take their mobile phones very personally, so it feels personal to receive an SMS from your brand. If you can personalize your message, you can be sure that you will have their wholesome attention.

Emails don’t feel as personal as text messages are. This is why your prospective clients would be more willing to put down their email addresses than their phone numbers. This is how personal people take their phones. If you can get into that space, you will be doing yourself and your brand an excellent service.

3. High ROI

SMS is the original medium for messaging, even before social media became very popular, and till today it is still leading the market. This is because it has a very high return on investment. SMS is known to have a return on investment as high as 1600%. This massive ROI is the reason why it is considered a very efficient and effective marketing channel. You would not be able to get as much ROI with other marketing channels such as PPC. Even email marketing that has a high ROI as well don’t give back as much as 1600%.

4. High Engagement Rate

A high engagement rate is another significant advantage that you get from SMS marketing. It has been discovered that 95% of people typically read their SMS messages within the first 2 minutes that they receive them. This engagement level is one that no other form of marketing can offer, not even an effective channel like emails. So, if you are looking to pass across urgent and critical information to your customers and prospects with success, then you should consider text messaging marketing.

5. Cost-effectiveness

SMS messaging being cheap is not something that should surprise anybody. However, when it comes to SMS marketing, considering all of the advantages, you would expect the price to compete with the other marketing channels, but it is flatly cheaper.

The option to buy them in bulk makes it even more affordable. When you compare SMS marketing results to that of other channels and consider the costs involved, you will realize how effective it is.

6. Excellent customer service report

One of the most effective ways for businesses to improve their service is by getting feedback from their customers. SMS provides an excellent channel for businesses to do this through surveys.

According to content creators at bestessayservicereviews.com, many customers use SMS as a method of responding to surveys. Surprisingly, the average response time is within 5 minutes. This means that brands can get their results within a concise time frame.

7. Global marketing

The way SMS is designed is such that you can reach people from any part of the world through it. All they need to have is a cell phone signal and an excellent mobile device. This way, you will be able to reach millions of people anywhere in the world almost instantly.

There are an estimated 7 billion phones that are used every day globally. However, not all technologies can sync between all the mobile phone operators globally to deliver your message. Such is the power of SMS. You can reach the world with text messages and with ease.

8. Excellent open rate

If the open rate is the metric used to compare SMS marketing and email marketing, then the argument is dead on arrival. There is research to prove the level of disparity between these two marketing channels. SMS marketing is known to have an excellent open rate of 93%. In comparison, emails have just 30%.

This is because people tend to hold their phones in their hands and will find it easier to open a text message that comes in. It is quite different with emails. This is another major advantage of SMS marketing.

9. Safe and reliable

Unlike you have with emails, mobile phones do not have a spam filter. This is because SMS messages are a lot safer than email messages. The possibility to attach different kinds of attachments to email makes them relatively unsafe.

Also, SMS delivery typically happens within 48 hours so that phones without signal, out of range, or switched off have enough time to get the message.

So, delivering SMS in your customers’ inboxes is quite reliable.

10. Requires very few personal details

One thing that distinguishes SMS marketing from other forms of marketing is the limited amount of required personal details. Many customers do not like to provide too much of their details. SMS marketing is one channel that gives them the flexibility to retain most of their details, so they have control over their information.

According to Paul Regan, a marketer and an author at best essay writing, SMS is the ideal channel to communicate information in places or situations where there is low Wi-Fi demand and data is expensive or not readily available.

11. Mobile-friendly

We can say it boldly that we are in a mobile age, and mobile-friendliness is a big deal now. The effectiveness of many marketing channels has to do with their level of mobile-friendliness. For instance, there are many people ditching desktops and opening their emails from their mobile devices.

So, mobile compatibility is essential to the success of marketing. Thankfully, this is something that SMS marketing offers by default.

Conclusion

This article already discusses some of the advantages of SMS as a marketing channel and why brands should give it more preference over other channels such as email marketing. The good thing is that it has more momentum now than in previous years, and it continues to grow as more marketers come to realize its advantages. If you aren’t already taking advantage of this channel as a brand or marketer, you are missing out on these benefits. You are not doing yourself any favors this way.