AU
US
UK
NZShare article:
What are the business benefits of SMS
In our previous blog, we discussed the general benefits of SMS, particularly those that are advantageous to you. While we may have convinced you why you need to start using SMS in your business right now, this doesn’t mean it will persuade your higher-ups, your business partner or your staff.
SMS may seem like a no-brainer to you, but it needs to benefit the business in a way that is worth your collective time, investment and resources. Here’s how it can:
Cost-effective
Compared to other communication channels, text messaging has continually proved an economical choice for any budget. Bought in bulk through an SMS gateway provider like MessageMedia, it can prove to be a cost-effective choice for any marketer or decision-maker.
RELATED: Talk to our staff here with a quick email or phone call, and find out how we can make SMS work to your budget.
Innovation
SMS is constantly evolving. While limited in its initial scope, this technology is acknowledging its weaknesses and adapting them. Mobile Landing Pages (MLPs) and MMS (Multimedia Message Service) allows you to add dynamic graphics and visuals to your once limited text messages. RCS (Rich Communication Service) combines the best of OTT communications, such as video calls, file sharing and payments, and adds the effectiveness, ease and global reach of SMS – although we’re still waiting for widespread rollout.
Automation
From automating conversations to reducing lengthy manual tasks to remarketing products, communication automation is rapidly becoming a cornerstone of SMS. While texting is often seen as an external communication tool alone, marketing automation can be used in tandem to increase staff productivity and reduce internal friction and inefficiencies.
RELATED: Read our customer story on how a local medical clinic used automation to improve the rostering of hospital staff and reduce no-shows.
Adaptability
SMS can help you adapt to unexpected situations or crises, while still making you able to reach your customers. It can help you respond faster, whether it’s a bad media story, a customer service issue, or a call-out to a community. You decide how and when to respond, and SMS follows.
Reliable
Forget bounces. Forget estimates of viewership. A good SMS provider makes sure if there is a failed delivery, it will try and try again. Because they are trackable, you will know when they aren’t. With a 99.99% gateway time and back-ups for outages, you can count on SMS broadcasts with MessageMedia to always be reliable.
Engagement
According to an Oracle study, 90% of SMS messages are opened within 90 seconds. That’s no surprise when consumers today are addicted to their phones. Not only can you cut-through the usual communication clutter, but you can engage customers with dynamic visuals and interactive conversations.
TOP TIP: Utilise combinations of direct channels such as email and SMS together to have the most significant impact in your marketing efforts.
Retention
From follow-up text messages to using SMS as an additional customer service support hub, texting is excellent at helping your business retain customers and drive up loyalty and trust.
RELATED: Watch our ecommerce webinar series, specifically our latest on building trust and loyalty with SMS.
Acquisition
SMS can help you convert leads faster and reduce overall costs so you can scale any prospective sales that come your way. Acquire more customers by following up leads as soon as they make an enquiry. Cut down on expensive lead generation and acquisition channels when SMS will do the trick, but more competitively and faster.
ROI
SMS allows you to directly target your audience with a personalised message for just a few cents per contact. Take clinics, for example, where a patient’s failure to attend an appointment no-show can cost around $70. The ability to reduce no-show numbers can deliver an immediate ROI benefit to your business for the long-term.
Final thoughts, further reading
As you can see, SMS can really work hard driving results for your business. From a consumer point of view, however, will customers want it? This is precisely what we’re going to investigate in the next part of our Messaging 101 series, as we look into what consumers think and want about SMS. You’ll get a taste of what they think, and an opportunity to dive even deeper into our free 2019 global report on consumer attitudes to SMS.
You can also try some of these great reads, including:
- How an events promotion businesses used MLPs to sell more tickets
- How to choose the right SMS integration for your business
- Why your business needs 2-factor-authentification
