Text Marketing to Grow in 2010/2011
According to the Mobile Marketing Association, text message marketing (also referred to as SMS marketing) is already the most widely-used form of mobile marketing, and at uMobilize Promotions we expect 2010 and 2011 to see a far greater adoption of text message marketing (sms marketing). Here are some of the reasons why:
Business friendly services
For many business owners the barrier to running a text marketing campaign is simple. They don’t know where to start. Providers have recognised this need and there are now a number of excellent Web based SMS marketing services available, such as the uConnect service (www.uConnect .ie) provided by uMobilize Promotions , which aim to provide business owners with easy-to-use, cost effective ways to run an SMS marketing campaign. The majority of these services will allow you register for free and try out the service. So even the most non-technical and non-marketing savvy small business owner can start their campaign in just a couple of minutes.
Proven return on investment (ROI)
SMS marketing compares well versus other electronic forms of marketing in terms of getting your offer seen and return on investment. For example, 94% of SMS messages sent are read (75% are read within 4 minutes). In contrast 90% of e-mail traffic in Europe, North America and Australasia is spam (Source: Spamhaus Project). This is one of the reasons why 65% of companies surveyed, are currently satisfied with their average marketing ROI on mobile marketing campaigns (Source: Mobile Marketing: Why It Pays to Reach Consumers on the Go – Aberdeen Group Aug 09)
Adoption of texting across generations
Texting is now engrained in our way of communicating. It is no longer the preserve of one particular demographic, with 42% of 18- to 34-year-olds, and 33% of 35- to 44-year-olds, saying they are interested in receiving SMS special offers on their mobile phones from their favourite establishments (Source: Harris Interactive – July 2009)
Growing consumer demand
SMS marketing is always opt-in i.e. consumers need to provide you with their mobile number and give you permission to send them offers. But in today’s recession weary times consumers are actively seeking discounts and offers. As a result consumers are now more likely than ever to join a mobile marketing program.
Flexibility
SMS marketing is extremely flexible. For example, services like uConnect allow you create and send an SMS offer to your mobile database within seconds. You have total control over spend by deciding how many consumers get your offer. You can send different offers every day or make real-time marketing decisions (bookings low in your restaurant today. Log on and send a promotional offer to your SMS database in seconds). Compare this with the time it takes to create and launch a direct mail campaign or newspaper advert.
