When it comes to staying in front of your audience, text marketing is an option I have not previously explored in my Marketing Tips of the Week. Yet, it is one that has become more popular over the years. According to Statista, there are over 6.6 billion smart phone users in the world as of now, and this means potential marketing opportunity for businesses. Is text marketing something you should consider to reach your audience?
First, I will have to be honest with you here. There is a reason that text marketing isn’t something I have thought to talk about previously. I hate receiving texts from companies. I am one of the people who does not have a smart phone (a work-life balance decision), I am infinitely more tied to my laptop since I can type much faster there, and – as a result – I find it invasive when companies try to reach out to me that way. Although I open 100% of the texts I receive, I immediately unsubscribe from 100% of the companies that text me. That’s me, but I am by no means representative of other consumers. So, to be fair, I want to profile this marketing method here.
Just because I personally don’t like text marketing does not mean it isn’t right for you. In fact, it could be a great solution depending on your audience and what you are trying to market.
Let’s start with some stats. I have found a huge discrepancy so far in the stats that I see reported on text marketing. For example, I have seen reports of average click through rates ranging from 19.3% to 80%, with the lower number the more typical number. This is a huge spread almost not worth mentioning, except that all of those numbers are higher than typical average click through rates for email marketing, which is usually under 5%. According to an article from Voice Sage, 82% of people say they open every text they receive. That means potential brand awareness for any message you send.
82% of people say they open every text they receive. #textmarketing #texts #marketing #business #biztips #smallbusiness
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As with all marketing advice I give, there are a couple of keys to consider. First, what is going to be most useful to your audience? Second, what is the best way for you to represent your brand?
Not all audiences are the same. For example, style of communication seems to trend according to age group. Among the 18–34-year-old age bracket, text is the preferred channel for notifications from businesses. In the same way that audiences trend toward different social media platforms depending on age range, the same may be true with email marketing and text marketing.
Text messages lend themselves to shorter messages, and if this is a good way to represent your brand, it could work for you! Some companies use text marketing in the form of welcome messages or reminders for messages delivered in other ways.
One thing I have noticed among my own clients is the tendency to do either one or the other of text marketing and email marketing, and usually the decision is based on what is preferred by the person doing the marketing. If you are really trying to find what works best for your audience, though, the only way to do that is to try both streams and see what your results are. If you have an audience that is mixed between people who prefer to receive text marketing and others who prefer email marketing, using both channels will help you stay in front of more of your audience. When certain users unsubscribe from one channel, they may stay subscribed to the one they prefer.
Email marketing has value in allowing you to do more long-form content or a variety of branded content within the same message. Text relies more on clicking to other links, but this is ideal for you if you are tracking click through rates and using those results to drive better content.
With so many consumers attached to their phones all day, being able to reach them directly through their phones could create a boost in visibility for your business. As you push to get more touch points with your audience to build trust, text is an avenue that could allow you to do that with minimal effort on your part while maximizing the number of people who actually see your message.
With so many consumers attached to their phones all day, being able to reach them directly through their phones could create a boost in visibility for your business. #textmarketing #marketing #biztips #business #smallbusiness
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If you haven’t tried text marketing, this may be a new channel for you to consider, especially if you have a younger audience that you want to attract.
And if you have tried text marketing, I would love your feedback. Go ahead and share a comment about what the results or best practices have been for you!
Looking for more ideas for reaching new leads? Check out my course on 3 Ways to Generate New Leads on a Budget!
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