Why Business Texting?
Once upon a time people were under the assumption that email would be replaced by social media and that avoiding spam words in subject lines would be the way to go to encourage readers to open marketing emails. These misconceptions typically come from marketers who tend to spread falsehoods each time a new marketing channel is launched.
Well the same rumors about those who use Business Texting or SMS marketing ring true. Even though the benefits of business texting have proven to be fruitful, there are many brands out there that still haven’t jumped on board. Why you ask? Well, it appears they’re confused about what’s a fact and what is fictional about the platform.
In this post, we’re going to uncover some of the top misconceptions about business texting and SMS marketing.
SMS Marketing Isn’t as Effective as Email
Says who? For those who believe that email is more effective than business texting or that social media is the end all, be all, we have news for you. Not everyone has email set up on their mobile phones, but everyone has text messaging services. Plus, most people have tons of unread emails sitting on their phones “to check later” while everyone checks texts right away. In fact, it’s proven that most text messages are read within minutes of being received.
So, if you were to send out an email to announce a new product or service and at the same time you send out a text with the same announcement, which do you think will be read first? That’s right! Not the email.
With text messages having a higher open rate than emails, there is no way that people will open their email before they would open a text message.
SMS Marketing Isn’t Worth It
We want to assure you that if you’re looking to consider business texting, it’s one of the most valuable forms of marketing you can implement. If you compare it to your other marketing methods, SMS marketing doesn’t entail endless hours of training, costly setups, or even software that requires you to hire a third-party to install it for you.
There are business texting platforms that help you get started right away and offer free training assistance to help you navigate their easy-to-use admin panel to manage your SMS marketing. In other words, it takes very little time to get you setup and is less expensive than any nearly all other marketing tools.
Only the Younger Generations Use Text Messaging
Big mistake! Big, big mistake! This is one of the biggest SMS marketing fictions around and usually it’s a story told by an older marketer. Which is not only deceitful but ends up hurting companies who’s target audience consists of Baby Boomers and Generation Xers. Next thing you know, companies who would benefit from business texting services end up throwing away the possibility of opening up a new and fruitful marketing channel.
Truth be told, people over the age of 50 have smartphones just like the other generations and according to the Pew Research Center, over 67% of them use text messaging as a form of communicating.
We get why this piece of fiction is believable since older people are considered less tech savvy but that has nothing to do with their use of text messaging.
People See Business Texting as Spam
What channel do you know of that doesn’t have any spam? Spam is in your email, your browser, your TV, and in some homes, your kitchen cabinet. OK fine, that last one is not the same type of spam but you get our point. SMS marketing isn’t to be blamed for the existence of spam; bad marketers are. A text message from a brand should be humanized and naturally grab your audience’s attention in a way that will make them want to interact with your brand.
Statistics show that 9 out of 10 people welcome text messages from companies, and especially because they want to receive promotional offers. So in essence they’re saying “sure send me spam so long as you include a discount on my next order.” While they’re willing to opt in to receive marketing texts from you, the key in not having them opt out is to keep your messages short, inviting, and personalized. They would much rather read two lines from your business in 15 seconds or less than to watch a long drawn out commercial on television in the middle of their favorite show.
Business Texting is a One-Way Street
Wrong again! This piece of fiction is probably the silliest one mentioned in this article. With the Text My Main Number business texting platform you can text-enable your business phone number to send and receive text messages. So not only can you send marketing texts, but your leads and customers can reply to you as well. SMS marketing isn’t just a read-only tool, it is in fact a two-way street.
You can also use business texting service features to send pictures and videos, notifications, surveys, confirm appointments, send forms, chat, create templates, and invoicing.
Conclusion
Having the ability to decipher fact vs. fiction when it comes to business texting or SMS marketing is the first and most vital step in employing the most effective marketing tool for your business. Don’t let all of the false information out there sway you from taking a step that may change the marketing game in a positive way for your brand.
Remember that business texting is used for way more than marketing, it’s also an excellent way to enhance your customer service practices too. If you deploy the right strategy, you’ll see a vast improvement in your ROI and a higher response rate from your consumers.
We hope we were able to clear some fictional cobwebs in this article so that you can do away with any hesitation you may have about adding the most effective marketing channel to your business marketing strategies. Business texting and SMS marketing can and will boost all areas of your daily operations without a doubt.Start your free Business Texting trial and launch your first SMS marketing campaign with Text My Main Number.