Texting – it is not a new technology, yet
when many business owners are asked if they utilize text message marketing,
many will laugh at the premise. Why?
With people relying more and more on their
mobile phones, doesn’t texting them seem like the ideal way to get their
attention and deliver a powerful message in a world where advertising
saturates our environment? In some examples, “95 out of 100 customers who have
opted in to a text messaging program OPEN and READ mobile messages within 3
minutes.” Forbes
Text message mobile marketing is not
complicated but it is highly regulated, just like telephone marketing. This is
to deter spamming via texts and helps protect your customers from getting too
bombarded with messaging. But if you follow some basic guidelines and best
practices, you shouldn’t have an issue utilizing this marketing channel.
Chipotle’s Text Message Marketing
If you’re not already on someone’s text
marketing list, you might not realize just how powerful it is. So right now,
it’s time to get personal. My name is Cheryl… and I’m in love with Chipotle… I
was already a heavy consumer of the fast casual eatery, so when I was asked if
I wanted to receive promotions via text after entering a contest, I figured,
“Why not?”
Since then I’ve received texts from Chipotle
about their upcoming promotions and most of the time I can confirm that I check
and read them almost immediately. Not that I’m that crazy about their food, but I always have my phone on me and I
pretty much will always look at it if I get a text.
Now, not all of their texts inspire me to run
out and spend money on a delicious burrito, but there have been times where
I’ll click on a link, enter a contest, or remind myself to get a free drink
during my next visit. I have to say from a consumer and marketer point of view…
it works pretty well.
MMS – Multimedia Messaging Service
For those who are still skeptical that your
audience will be persuaded by plain text sent to their phone, you can always
add to it. Just like social media evolved to start incorporating pictures,
videos, gifs and more forms of compelling content (Pinterest, Instagram,
Tumblr) so has text communication. MMS was created to add visually engaging
content to text marketing and it works natively on 95% of mobile devices in the
United States.
Text Message Marketing for Any Business
Text communication is really applicable for
almost any business. Recent research gathered by Dynmark.com suggests “…almost
one third of those targeted with SMS advertising campaigns respond to the
correspondence; with almost half of this group going on to make a purchase.”
Let your customers know about an upcoming sale, a new shipment of your most
popular product, or just let them know about your next event.
There are so many ways to utilize text
messaging for your business that it’s hard to explain them all. If you’re
interested in learning more about how text message marketing could work for
your specific business, call Sales & Marketing Technologies today at (407)
682-2222.