2. Advantages of Bulk SMS Services to your Business:
Introduction
When speaking to new and potential customers we are often asked
what are the benefits of using a bulk SMS service as opposed to the
many other forms of marketing that exist. Until now we always
stated the benefits as we perceived them and they were generally
along the lines of cost effectiveness and speed.
However we recently decided to perform a poll, on a sample of our
existing customers, to get it straight from them what they felt were
the main benefits. Here are the results in no particular order.
3. Open Rates
98% of all SMS messages are opened and read by the recipient, and
on average within five seconds. That alone sounds impressive but
when compared to the 20% average open rates of email it’s even
better.
Not to mention the fact that of those 20% of e-mails that are
actually opened the average open time on these is about forty eight
hours. So if you want to make sure that your message is seen by the
highest percentage of people in your marketing database – choose
SMS every time.
4. Speed and Flexibility
All businesses should be geared to react to the fluidity of the
modern business world, as flexibility and adaptability are key to
reacting to the ever changing market conditions. With the
virtual zero lead time in bulk SMS marketing, campaigns can be
conceived of and delivered to their target audience in a matter of
minutes.
This can be used to drive footfall on a slow day or clear old stock
ahead of new deliveries. A bulk SMS service such as that offered
by Text Republic, allows businesses to immediately respond to
the events of the day or to a competitor’s promotions almost
instantaneously.
5. Low Cost and High ROI
Newspaper ads, TV commercials and almost all forms of outdoor
advertising are cost prohibitive for most small to medium sized
businesses.
Bulk SMS marketing on the other hand has such low set up and
running costs that campaigns can be launched and executed for
a tiny fraction of costs associated with the more traditional
marketing methods.
6. Highly Targeted
The days when business owners and marketing managers could
send out marketing messages into the ether in the hope that
they would land on their target audience are over. For any
company with even one eye on costs, it’s now essential that every
marketing message is as highly targeted as possible. As bulk SMS
marketing is permission based everyone who receives a message
will -
a) already have a relationship with you,
b) have agreed to receive marketing messages from you.
These two facts means that these targets are already customers as
well as being hot leads for new sales. It’s an accepted fact that it’s
between 5 to 7 times easier to resell to existing customers than to
gain a new customer and a bulk SMS service is the perfect way to
market to existing customers.
7. Personalisation
SMS messages can be personalised to the recipient and delivered
to their pockets within seconds. They can also be personalised
based on the customer’s previous buying behaviour and
demographics.
They can even be location based as well as individually sculpted
based on different stores and different regions of the country. To
try and achieve this level of personalisation in any other form of
marketing would be a very costly exercise.
With bulk SMS however, it can be done for almost no extra cost
as well as having a uniquely powerful impact on the recipient.