SMS Marketing Part 1: Why it's Underrated

When most of us think about the concept of digital marketing, the first thing that comes to mind is social media. Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok are the standards for B2C companies, and networks like LinkedIn and Twitter are well known as B2B platforms. If we expand further, we may think in terms of email marketing: customized campaigns sent out to groups of clients, customers, donors, or investors. However, one area remains commonly overlooked and undervalued: SMS text message marketing. 

Here’s a simple example: A company has a list of customer phone numbers, which they’ve acquired through individuals willingly providing them, perhaps during the checkout process or through a lead generation form. They keep these names and numbers in a carefully organized database, organized in any way that’s useful to them. Let’s say this company wants to offer an incredible discount for a very limited time - just one day! The numbers are plugged into an online SMS platform, and the message is written and sent. It could be the same text for everyone, or segmented by customer type. Each message shows up on the customer’s phone, appearing to come from a random phone number, but clearly identified as coming from a brand they love. Within a minute or two after sending the message through the platform, hundreds or thousands of this company’s customers are opening their phones to find an incredible deal, delivered personally to them.

SMS campaigns can be powerful. Our team here at Trajex recently ran a combined SMS/social media campaign for a retail client. The return on ad spend (ROAS) was a shocking 100:1. We’ve seen other impressive results in the past as well, in flash sales and as last-minute reminders. 

Let's consider just why SMS can work so well.

1. Text messaging is instant and personal. When you get a text, your phone buzzes. You notice it, and you’ll probably check it within a couple of minutes. Your favorite brand might be having an amazing sale, but if it’s only advertised on social media you might not see it for hours - if at all. 
2. Texts are quick and to the point. It’s no secret that customers don’t like to read long messages. If a customer gets a text with a short, catchy, and exciting opportunity, it can have a big impact very quickly.
3. Texts promote urgency. There’s a psychological component to this. We take a few hours to respond to email. We browse through Instagram, and our favorite websites. When we get a text, however, we are conditioned to respond fast!
4. This last one should be talked about more: SMS campaigns are affordable! From Trajex’s preferred platform, SMS texts cost less than $0.03 per message, and can cost less than one cent apiece with greater volume. There are very few other tactics that let you reach 600 customers directly and instantaneously for less than $20!
   

Now, how does a brand go about creating a viable SMS strategy? We’ll talk about everything that goes into the process in our next few posts! 

If you’re looking for help with your brand’s digital marketing, think Trajex. Our team always makes sure you’re our top priority!