SMS Marketing Benefits: What is it and when was it born?
First of all, SMS is an acronym associated with the English concept of Short Message Service, which can be translated as "Short Message Service".
This service makes it possible to send and receive text messages, it was developed in the mid-1980s.
Differences between SMS Marketing and WhatsApp
First, the most relevant difference between the two is the cost, since SMS Marketing depends on the operator and their corresponding rates, while the WhatsApp platform requires a data plan (or ADSL service), assuming a cost fixed monthly.
The use of WhatsApp also requires that the receiver have the application downloaded and updated on their mobile device, and also the subscription in order to receive and answer the messages.
On the other hand, sending and receiving SMS is a tool that has always been and continues to be available on mobile. SMS shipments are registered on the web and can use tools (such as CRM, Customer Relationship Manager) to know the status of their campaigns at any time and place.
This gives you greater control over the campaigns with the option to confirm each shipment through a URL, you can also create new campaigns, forward messages to different recipients, etc.
Reasons why a company should use SMS Marketing
One of the great advantages of SMS marketing is that it is instantaneous, making an immediate impact. A study has shown that 97% of SMS recipients read the messages within 15 minutes of being sent, compared to 5% of the e-mail. What makes SMS marketing a powerful tool for promotions and festive notifications such as Christmas.
With an average of more than 90% of opening rate, it becomes a highly accessible channel, in addition, 96% of adult Spaniards have a mobile phone.
SMS marketing is the best way to communicate at low cost with your customers since the price of an SMS message is only a few cents, nothing to do with IP messaging applications such as WhatsApp, Facebook or Twitter, which besides not accepting its use for commercial purposes, require a good internet connection, usually 4G, to receive and send messages.
On the other hand, it is important to note that SMS marketing makes you closer to your customers from anywhere, it is a very personal tool. This is because SMS communication is individualized and segmented, facilitating closeness to the client.
When you use SMS as a marketing tool you can only use 160 characters to communicate your message, but although for some people this leads to complications, at the same time it is a great advantage for many others because it forces you to send a direct, clear message and concise, emphasizing only the important thing.
Recommended Read: 9 Growing Industries Where SMS Marketing is Used Infographic
Types of messages you can send with SMS Marketing
First of all we can find campaign messages, massive text messages that are usually used to communicate promotions related to sales, or general information such as details about an event, including regular updates.
On the other hand, transactional messages are those that are triggered by a certain event. An example of this would be an order confirmation or a shipping notification for an ecommerce purchase, that is, these messages communicate relevant and timely information to an individual.
What type of company benefits from SMS
Travel companies are among the first to benefit from the use of SMS, because customers need to be informed at any time in real time, which makes this tool in essence, especially in festive times such as Christmas, where many people leave home to travel and visit other places. Also, these short messages may include updates about flight times, cancellations, etc.
Some companies, such as SMS API, can facilitate direct contact with clients and thus be able to tell them exactly what they need to know, without worrying about whether the message will arrive on time or not.
Any service company that depends on an appointment prior to your consultation, must ensure that customers never get to lose that appointment, and thanks to SMS reminders will save a lot of time and money, which otherwise could be wasted for absences or late appointments.
Also for large organizations (with more than 100 employees), internal communication is extremely important, but sometimes it is difficult to communicate with all employees of a large company. For urgent information, e-mails can be too slow, so using SMS for internal communication is the best way to ensure that each employee receives the information at the right time.
