Why do you need to understand the evolution of text marketing? Consider these statistics:
The clickthrough rate on marketing texts is 9% higher than all other digital channels. Plus, 6 out of 10 recipients read texts within five seconds. These powerful stats support the growing trend of engaging customers in the most intuitive way, putting your brand message in the palms of their hands. Besides, 75% of customers under 44 like contacting businesses via text.
What Is Text Marketing?
Short message service marketing allows you to send micro messages to your existing and prospective customers. You already start with warm leads since customers have to sign up to get the text. SMS campaigns allow participants to opt out, leaving you with a curious, ready-to-commit distribution list.
Here’s an example. A customer signs up for text alerts at their favorite department store. Instead of sending an email, you reach out to them in person via SMS. This could include notifications about new products and services or advice on pairing options with different products. Text messaging allows users to directly interact with company representatives. It also gives your organization a deeper understanding of each customer.
Brief History of Conversational Marketing
Text messaging has been around since 1992. Today, it presents challenges and opportunities for both consumers and businesses. For example, it offers the following benefits: convenience, personalization, and security. At the same time, marketers must exercise great care when conducting text campaigns. Otherwise, recipients could see it as spam and quickly opt out of the campaign.
Nearly all Americans now own cell phones, including premium demographics. Let’s take a quick look at the events that have influenced the evolution of text marketing.
- In 1992, the first text message was sent using a computer desktop.
- In 1993, Nokia came out with the T9. Users pressed a sequence of numbers for each letter to slowly create text messages.
- In 2007, the iPhone introduced touchscreen functionality and internet access to the mobile world.
- By 2019, 80% of smartphone users were shopping online.
How Is Text Marketing Evolving?
Text marketing is effective for business-to-consumer communication, but it’s also a smart way for businesses to reach other businesses. You can use it to establish leads and personalize messaging based on previous orders, stated preferences, and marketing objectives.
Compared to email, SMS has an astounding open rate (98%), and 60% of those messages are viewed within five minutes. So, it makes sense to include conversational messaging in your digital marketing strategy. Texting is highly engaging because it’s usually between two people. This establishes a relationship that consumers value. Therefore, texting customers can increase loyalty and retention.
Chat boxes are now standard for most brands; however, they tend to be impersonal. On the other hand, text messages give you the ability to address concerns and convert leads more effectively with personalized content.
Ways Text Marketing Improves Customer Engagement
SMS marketing is a great way to build strong leads. You can nurture your existing clients while fishing for new ones. However, it’s essential to conduct your campaigns strategically. Determine how you will onboard customers and get them to opt in to text messaging. Then, address them just often enough to win them over.
You can also use conversational marketing to alert customers about the status of their orders or to send coupons to encourage them to buy other items. Depending on the type of products and services you offer, text messaging is also a great way to set up and confirm appointments.
If you haven’t heard from customers for a while, you can send a text to keep the lines of communication open. For short messages such as reminders and updates, text messaging is a fast, convenient way to stay in touch with your customers.
Review these SMS marketing stats to better understand the full extent of this phenomenon. By using SMS instead of other marketing options, you can guarantee a higher view rate. There are many providers who specialize in text marketing, and Mitto is one of the top choices if you want consistent results and engaging content that supports your omnichannel messaging.
