(Newswire.net — July 8, 2019) — We know how social media changes the realm of personal interactions and engagement. The impact was there on the marketing world also with many new opportunities popping up through this platform. Connecting people and establishing communication channels became much easier through social media platforms and users for it have grown rapidly over the last several years. Those who are on in the internet world now have at least one social networking account.
On the other hand, SMS is something which is long existing both in terms of personal communication and marketing communication. Even though there are plenty of modes of personal communication exist now, short messaging service is still considered to be one of the most authentic and instant modes of all types of communication.
Some factors in comparing social media vs. SMS marketing
For business marketers, social media is an easy way to:
– Access information
– Share information
– Tell a story
– Reaching out to more prospective customers
– Collect data, and
– Seek for solutions.
Since many people are using social networking sites now, the brands and companies are now largely realizing that they need to be on social media for advertising and get the benefits of real-time engagement with the customers.
Many experts say that SMS is a smarter choice over social media in business marketing. It is for the reason that all types of mobile phones are SMS-enabled, and even those who don’t hold a smartphone can be reached on the go with SMS. Being the simplest and quickest communication channel connecting everyone, SMS has a high open rate and quick response. A study had shown that 99% of the SMS messages get opened in 5 minutes or lesser on receipt. This is a reassuring read rate for marketers.
To understand the significance of this open rate, you have to compare it with the e-mail marketing statistics, in which the open rate is usually around 22% to 25%. So, those who are employing SMS messaging to deliver marketing content or promotional offers have a better chance of getting it read when compared to mailing. This makes SMS an ideal platform for same-day promotions and flash sales intimation etc.
More importantly, the customers not only open the SMS messages, but it is also a reassuring fact that those who opt-in for SMS marketing messages are interested in getting promotional offers from brands. So, the easiest mode of delivery instant action content is through the mobile phone through SMS messages. This helps establish a direct one-to-one connection with the customers who hold a mobile device on the move. Mobile coupons are also redeemed more than paper coupons. Some studies have shown that mobile coupons are getting redeemed 10 times higher compared to paper coupons.
So, we can conclude this comparison as people like to interact more with brands through text message compared to social media or mail communications. Now, let’s explore how SimpleTexting experts use SMS marketing effectively with social media for better returns.
Tips for SMS marketing in combination with social media marketing
The thumb rule is to deliver more value and share personalized offers with the customers. This approach will help to make them feel very special and also give them an option to opt-in or opt‑out. It may sound a bit awkward that you give them an option to opt-out, but this works the other way around. By giving them the freedom to choose or drop, you become more admirable with your efforts.
At the first point, your emphasis should be on developing personalized content based on the customer’s shopping history and behavior. This approach can help to skyrocket your reach and sales. Alongside doing this, you can also collect data, analyze it, and also create an ideal buyer persona to develop strategies based on it. These are some necessary steps to follow if you want to meet your goals at best and reap optimum results through SMS.
SMS is always a moneymaker
Social media has indeed come forward a long way from once being a basic platform for personal chit chats. All social media efforts by marketers are experiments. As social media got further expanded to mobile phones, it may leave a marketer with the same classic question, “it is helping you to make any money.”
If you are into marketing for quite sometimes and familiar with the ways of digital marketing, then you may have learned the fact that the customers are looking for a consistent brand experience. This is a certain challenge for any business, irrespective of the industry or products and services they offer. This need for offering a consistent brand experience can be made easier and achievable by combining SMS marketing and social initiatives with the inherent solutions available these days.
The objective of this effort is to cross-promote through both the platforms and improve the ROI on both these channels. You may share your campaign for customers to opt-in for SMS through the social media platform, which doesn’t require opt-in now. You may advertise a special deal for those who are signing up with the right keyword or hashtag they found on the social platform. You may also try to introduce them to a contest or prompt to initiate a social sharing activity to get added to your SMS list and can further initiate instant promotions through SMS.
In a survey held by Salesforce, which is one of the top ERP in business administration now, it is found that the companies which have integrated these channels like social media and SMS marketing enjoy a greater overall return on investment through their marketing campaigns. In fact, doing both social media and SMS marketing together is plenty of work for small business owners, which demands a lot of coordination and timely actions. But, instead of being big or small, it is fully worth to invest on both these platforms, and if you are serious about it, it is advisable to get the service of a reliable third-party marketing consultant too for this purpose.