Is There Still Some Value in SMS Marketing?

Just about anywhere you turn, you're likely to see a least one person interacting with their smartphone. This gives your management team a unique opportunity in the form of SMS marketing.

When it comes to on the go promotions, here are just a few reasons why your marketing management team needs SMS marketing in order to really reach out to customers:

Short Message Service Statistics

As mentioned before, just about everyone and their mother carries a smartphone with them wherever they go. This, of course, provides your marketing team a huge opportunity to reach a mobile audience who's already extremely receptive to the idea of mobile promotions.

As a marketing manager, you've probably seen all of the facts and infographics surrounding SMS marketing. In order to cut through the clutter, here are some cold hard facts: A recent Nielsen study reports that 40 percent of mobile phones in the U.S. are SMS capable smartphones.

In addition, more than 50 percent of smartphone users in America respond positively to text message advertising. With numbers like this, your marketing department can't afford not to jump on the SMS bandwagon.

Benefits of SMS

SMS marketing comes with numerous built-in benefits that are sure to take your marketing to new mobile heights. Whether your management team needs a small-scale or large-scale marketing approach, SMS fits just about any marketing strategy.

As the following article “What's so great about SMS marketing?” shows, here are a few benefits that'll more than answer that question:

• Opt In or Out in a Flash - Everything about SMS marketing is fast, including opting in and out of marketing texts. If a customer wants to take advantage of your business's promotion, they simply respond to your SMS short code and your message is delivered instantly. That's it.
• Ever-Growing Market - The smartphone market is a bustling one and with millions of people taking to texting every day, SMS marketing's consumer base has nowhere to go but up.
• Personal and Direct - Because SMS marketing requires the customer's permission; it gives your marketing management team the opportunity to make personal, direct campaigns focused on niche audiences. Likewise, if you're marketing to a wider, more diverse audience, SMS also allows you to create multiple campaigns for different customer niches.
• Lead Generation - You can advertise your SMS short code and marketing message via your websites, in print advertisements, or in your storefront. This kind of interactive visibility creates more leads for your business than traditional marketing.
• Short Messages - Arguably the biggest advantage of SMS marketing is the fact that the messages you send are short and sweet, which means your audience is more likely to respond.

Asking Your Customers for Permission

Because sending an SMS text to a customer requires permission, your marketing management team has to tread the promotional waters lightly. This means campaigning in a way that doesn't seem too demanding or spammy.

Storefront SMS advertisements such as "text blank to receive blank" are usually easier to pull off because the customer is already familiar with the business involved. However, if your marketing management team really wants to find success in all promotional platforms, then a straightforward approach like the one mentioned above is best. Besides, if you let the customer know exactly what they're getting from your SMS short code, everyone will walk away happy.

If your management team is looking for a new marketing approach, give SMS a chance - you'll be glad you did.

Adam Groff is a freelance writer and creator of content. He writes on a variety of topics including mobile marketing and technology.