SMS marketing is a somewhat hidden gem amongst the advertising world. It’s not mysterious at all, however. It’s a vital part of getting your business’s name out there in the mobile-focused world we live in. In fact, most people use SMS every single day.
Texting is just as vital to marketing as social media or brochures. The benefits of SMS marketing make it a great choice for any kind of business looking to reach more of its customers.
Mobile devices have become necessary tools in the 21st century. Most notably smartphones have changed the way consumers interact with brands when receiving an SMS.
With a single click, a customer is online and can access any information they want.
Check out these statistics to further understand the impact of cell phones and smartphones in the market place:
- More than two-thirds of Americans own a smartphone or a tablet.
- 90% of adult Americans own a cell phone.
- 98% of teenage Americans own a phone.
Following this research, it’s time to know and realize why SMS marketing is still until today the dominant medium for advertising and communicating with customers.
- Lower Communication Costs
Most communication centers have high operating costs. Finding a way to reduce these costs and still maintain the quality standards of service is vital to company growth. All communication mediums have costs attached to them, service provider costs attached, and contact center costs.
Sending SMS is cheaper than making outbound calls. Both are effective ways of reaching customers, notwithstanding, when you are looking at reducing costs, text messages will save the day.
A study was done on this given, an outbound call may cost $3.80 to $ 31.68 while an SMS could cost as little as $0.10 to $0.25. The difference in cost is tremendous when multiplying the number of outbound calls or SMS made by a contact center. And this new, updated, final cost will make a significant reduction in operating costs. This study was followed by a conclusion of which makes the SMS a savior of costs and added fees when it comes to efficient communication with customers.
- Effective Service Delivery
Being effective is necessary for a contact center. You do not want to run programs for the sake of it. You want to have tangible outputs from the input. We measure effectiveness in terms of time and value created within that time.
From the operators’ perspective, sending out an SMS notification takes 2.5 seconds compared to sending the same message via a telephone call, which will take 2 minutes. Simply put, agents can reach dozens of customers at the same time it takes as making a single phone call.
Customers also demand instant response and what better way to provide that than through the device they look at every few minutes. Have you ever left the house without your smartphone? A majority of people would risk being late and go back to fetch their phone before spending the whole day without it. Consumers are admittedly attached to their smartphones.
Agents and customers are more satisfied with this service delivery because it saves time and is effective.
Also, not to mention that in a recent article, a researcher gives us his take on SMS today:
“The text message is and will remain the most ubiquitous medium for messaging. There already are 326 million text-enabled mobile numbers in the U.S., and according to a recent study from the Pew Research Center, 81% of mobile consumers use their phones to send and receive text messages.”
And we agree. Society has grown to depend on the ordinary text message as its go-to instant communication tool.
Nevertheless,
- Improve Marketing Promotions
Marketing is about notifying customers of your latest products and promotions, whether it is a new product or advancement. Promotions being at the essence of a marketing campaign, it is crucial to run one that is cost-effective.
For example, a retailer who wants to run an in-store promotion can send out targeted texts before the event date. Customers who endure communication will be ready for the day, and it will save the retailer advertisement money. Not only can you inform your customers about the event, but you can also send reminders and discount coupons. Your business will certainly remain head of a mind with your customers.
This is being proactive in your marketing campaign while increasing revenue. It is also easy to track response rates of text messages by analysing the data collected during the event.
- Improve Staff Communications
A contact center can employ hundreds of team members. Seldom planning work schedules can be challenging due to demand increases such as during a crisis and you need to quickly outsource extra staff to ensure customer satisfaction. With text messages, you can inform seasonal agents when work is available and they can respond immediately to confirm availability or otherwise.
For permanent staff, when shifts have to change for any reason, you can send them an SMS regarding these alterations and what you expect them to do to cover the shortage.
Text messages save your in-house staff time and effort in calling their colleagues. It also reduces the number of agents to involve in such an exercise.
2nd Content
Adopting SMS marketing to the call center can reduce costs, provide efficient service delivery, enhance marketing promotions, and improve staff communications. Begin to include text messaging with the other lines of communication within your call center. Take advantage of SMS for convenience and reliability.
To sum up, you can see for yourself just how great texting can be for your business. It’s perhaps not as trendy as social media, but it does get results. SMS marketing has so many benefits and at little cost to you, there’s no reason not to give it a try. Especially when the benefits of SMS marketing give your business that extra edge it needs to stand above all of the competitors in your market.
What do you think about text messaging today? And what do you think of starting your SMS marketing strategy with BroadNet technologies?
BroadNet Technologies is as dominant as the SMS marketing itself in the market and can help you benefit from this SMS service.
Contact us to have a full understanding!