If you’re marketing a business, you’re probably investing in a variety of marketing channels. Staples like email, direct mail, social media. Mediums proven time and time again to be effective for promoting your business.
But smart businesses are always looking for new ways to reach their customers. And in 2020, one of the most promising ways to do so comes in a very simple package. Your customers’ mobile devices.
No, I’m not talking about designing an app. It’s tempting, I’m sure. But if you’ve got a small business working with limited resources, it’s not always going to be your best bet.
I’m talking about text marketing. Text marketing (or SMS marketing) allows brands to engage their customers instantly with promotions, reminders, loyalty texts, and more. With the right partner, you can automate entire text campaigns months ahead of time.
If you’re concerned about text marketing, here’s the thing you need to know. Customers want to receive text marketing messages. Three out of every four customers want to receive text offers from brands, according to Digital Marketing Magazine. And if that wasn’t enough? Text messages get read. It’s rare text messages sink through the cracks. That’s why they’ve got a 98% read rate.
Ready to get started with text marketing? Here’s what you need to know about it in 2020.
It’s personal
In 2020, consumers want their marketing to feel authentic. They want it to be relatable. Personalized.
Text marketing enables exactly that, without requiring you to do any of the heavy lifting. By their very nature, texts are personal. They’re casual and conversational. There’s none of the formality you expect from an email. They’re short and straight to the point. It’s the same medium where people are talking to their friends and family. By marketing via text, you’re gaining a personal edge that other channels simply can’t match. That’s invaluable.
Great for customer service
Using SMS messaging for customer service? It’s a thing! And – believe it or not – customers are on board with the idea. According to a study from eWeek, more than half of customers (52%) would rather be receiving customer support via text than other forms of communication.
Leveraging texts makes a lot of sense for customer service. Making a call usually means staying on hold, sometimes even stopping what you’re doing. A study from AT&T actually found that 85% of customers would rather be receiving a text message than an email or phone call. It’s simply more convenient!
Spam? Not here!
Email? Spam filter and a sea of promotions. Phone calls? Gosh, I can barely keep track of how many robocalls I’ve received… in just the last week. People just aren’t picking up their phones the way they used to (at least to talk).
When it comes to texting though? It’s rare that I see a text message and think “Oh, this is spam.” Radicati Group reports that only 1% of text messages are spam. That’s compared to nearly 54% of email. More than half!
Usually customers have to opt-in to receive messages from a brand in the first place. There’s an inherent trust already in place when it comes to texting.
Loyalty perks
Remember what I mentioned about investing in an app? According to eMarketer, people tend to prefer SMS communications because there’s no app download required and it’s easy to opt-in. When you’re receiving texts from a business, you don’t have to worry about a download.
Text marketing can actively help enhance your loyalty program too. A survey from CodeBroker revealed that 37% of customers prefer to access rewards program info through a text message link. Mobile is taking over the loyalty game, and text marketing is one of the best ways your business can get involved.
Interested? We’ve got a solution for you.
Text Marketing With CoGoBuzz
When you get started with CoGoBuzz, our state-of-the-art digital marketing service, we’ll set you up with a fully digital, mobile-based loyalty program, letting you intuitively run contests, polls, automated messages, and more.
Leveraging powerful WiFi, SMS, and Email solutions, CoGoBuzz redefines your entire digital presence to heighten customer engagement. With our advanced in-store WiFi platform, we enroll customers to your marketing lists automatically, making it easy to engage wherever and whenever.
Click here to learn more about CoGoBuzz!
—
Has your business invested in text marketing? Sound off in the comments!