It seems that SMS marketing has lagged behind. Even a poorly executed text message arouses mistrust and doubts. When you receive on your mobile a text with an ambiguous request, from an unknown source, accompanied by a bit.ly link, surely you even have fears.
SMS marketing is a technique that consists of sending text messages (SMS) for promotional and advertising purposes to people who have apparently given their consent to be contacted by this means. And I say apparently, because on many occasions when entering a site or during a purchase, we accept the terms and conditions without even reviewing them and that is where the possibility of receiving messages is considered.
SMS technology has long been predicted to become obsolete as data-driven messaging applications emerge. While SMS moved very slowly at the beginning, today SMS has held firm and does not appear to be going away anytime soon.
One of the main complaints about an SMS message is that it is invasive and totally impersonal, so instead of achieving a connection, it has the opposite effect. There are people who find it annoying, suspicious and even the possibility of being the victim of a hoax or fraud.
A recent study by Attentive, where it surveyed 2,000 North American consumers, reveals how their behaviors have changed, what they want to see and hear from brands and how they perceive SMS, as well as how a brand can use it to their advantage, revealing how the texting and SMS messages can become a key element for brands to generate loyalty and attract customers.
Most consumers completely changed their shopping habits in response to the long-lasting effect of COVID. When they’re interested in making a purchase, many consumers’ first instinct is to reach for their phones rather than head to a store – as a result, nearly 75% of consumers are shopping online more than a year ago.
This has caused consumers to use their mobile devices to communicate with their brands, the most widely used methods being: Email, phone calls, apps, chat bots, social networks and text messages.
Although almost 70% of consumers say they would like to get answers to their customer service questions via SMS, only half of that number currently ask. This discrepancy is the result of many brands not offering such customer service. Perhaps that is the most relevant finding: the difference between the number of brands they offer to the customer service through text messages and the number of consumers who are hungry for it. Text messaging is a natural two-way channel with enormous potential.
The land is fertile and ready to be cultivated, just look at these notable data from the report:
- 91% are interested in accepting to receive texts from a brand.
- 58% want to hear about brands several times a week
- 50% are more willing to buy if they receive a text accompanied by an image, a GIF or a video
The stigma of texting continues to run wild. However, it could also be argued that persistent phone calls from a salesperson are even more annoying. However, calling is still the primary communication method marketers use. Perhaps this is why 9 out of 10 consumers said they would prefer to communicate with a salesperson via text message. With this in mind, text is a must to maximize the chances of connecting with the potential customer as well as converting them into a contact.
Today’s digital landscape has paved the way for text messaging to be a marketing platform that is not only viable, but really worth it. In particular, these changes have fueled its success as a marketing medium.
Today, there are more than five billion unique mobile subscribers worldwide. Although the number of smartphone users is constantly increasing, approximately 30% of subscribers do not have a mobile phone with Internet access. But, yes, everyone is capable of receiving text messages, something that we should not underestimate.
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