15 SMS Marketing Trends Every local business marketer needs to know.

Is driving traffic your primary goal?

What about achieving a 97% open rate and improving your relationships with customers?

On October 13, I moderated a sponsored search engine journal webinar presented by Thomas Clausen, Podium’s Partner Marketing Manager. He provided the latest insights and insights on how to use text messaging more successfully as a marketing channel for prospecting and nurturing customers.

You’re probably more familiar with marketing channels such as email, gestures in the app, live mail, and display advertising.

However, short message service (SMS) marketing is a relatively new field.

When used effectively, text messaging can be great.

As a business or other agency support agency, you can take advantage of the changing tide of customer communication via SMS.

Here is an overview of the webinar presentation.

How do customers want to communicate with local businesses?

Podium interviewed more than 1,000 diverse customers across the United States and Australia to answer important questions about how customers want to interact with local businesses.

This is what they found.

The evolution of business messaging.

Messaging is nothing new, but it has changed forever.

So why is the next revolution doing text?

Check out these stats:

Statistics # 1: One day open rate for text messages is 98%.

This is above the average e-mail open rate of 18 and offers the best opportunity for marketers to jump and try SMS.

Statistics # 2: 18% clickthrough rate of text messages is 6.9x higher than email.

This shows that SMS has a greater impact on the people who are using it.

Statistics # 3: Only 12% of local businesses use texting as a marketing tool.

This means that there is a great opportunity to fill the gap of an abandoned cart.

LA Furniture is a retailer with a significant presence of bricks and mortar throughout the Los Angeles area and a solid online retail wing.

Madeleine shared her thoughts on how to communicate with customers and why they are so leaning towards SMS communication.

“We need to think about future consumers. There are people who have grown up with cell phones and computers; they are very efficient with their time, and we need to be aware of that.

Madeleine Sweeten, LA Furniture.

The latest group of consumers who have the serious power to spend is now overgrown with cell phones or using them young,

Consumer messaging trends.

It’s easy: your customers want to send text.

Figure # 4: There is a 209% response rate between text messaging and phone, email, or Facebook.

Many businesses are unable to use phones, emails, and perhaps a social media channel to communicate with consumers, but they are missing out on a great opportunity.

A 209% increase in the response rate is not something to be ridiculed: it is an unfair advantage over your competitors, a performance driver for your employees, and a revenue maximizer.

Statistics # 5: 1.8x more users prefer texting than any other form of communication.

Consumers really prefer mass texting service with business.

So the change is here, it’s real, and your customers are waiting for it.

The power of communication message.

Conversational messaging is different from spam because it is more personal.

The person who texts you introduces you, and your answers move on to yes or no.

When this type of conversation opens up, you start to see better results for your business.

Statistics # 6: 74 consumers report that they are more likely to text local businesses if they know someone real will receive and respond to their message.

Source: Podium

Communicative messaging gives your business a face and a human feel and meets customers where they are with the service they deserve.

Statistics # 7: If an employee introduces themselves, 50 consumers report that they will respond to a text message from a business.

Source: Podium

When customers know that a real person will receive and respond to their message, they are more likely to send text with this local business.

They want to send a message from this business as individuals.

The unfair advantage of texting.

Statistics # 8: 28 Customers say they communicate with local businesses via text message.

Source: Podium

SMS is one of the most effective but widely used channels, allowing businesses to become a real leader in space before it is widely adopted.

Statistics # 9: 43 say they want to communicate with local businesses via text message.

Source: Podium

Customers are ready.

Two-thirds want the ability to text with their local business, and the businesses around them are not meeting their needs.

Imagine the implications of a local business adopting texting.

SMS marketing for local businesses

Are you using text as a marketing channel today?

Promotional messaging is any way you send your customers to promote or advertise your business, usually by offering sales, discounts and coupons.

Statistics # 10: 21 are Local businesses vs. a larger chain or just online businesses are more likely to choose SMS promotions.

Local businesses are uniquely positioned to win with SMS marketing.

Consumers say local businesses have a 21% higher chance of being on the opt-in list than a big chain or big box business and 45% more than just an online business.

This is an unfair advantage that can tilt the tables in favor of local business without exaggeration.

Source: Podium

If you are younger, more regional, or more niche, there is plenty of opportunity.

Your customers will most likely feel that there is a connection and they are not just on the list.

Best SMS Practices

Now that you know the power of SMS marketing for local businesses, how should you think about implementing it for your business?

Statistics # 11: 64% of consumers prefer to receive discounts via SMS from local businesses.

Source: Podium

Podium research found that most users want text message promotions that offer coupons, discounts and loyalty.

Statistics # 12: 1 to 3 promotional text messages per week is a safe rhythm for businesses.

Source: Podium

Over time, 1-3 promotional text messages per week appear to be a sweet spot for a large segment of users.

For on-demand products, back-in-stock messages work well.

Statistics # 13: 59 Consumers have been texted by a business they did not allow.

Before we send you on your way to take advantage of the moment of SMS marketing, it is important to remember that SMS marketing is a regulated channel and its significant effects if not followed. shall be.

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), among other things, prohibits companies from using automated technology to call or text users on cell phones without their consent.

Class actions are the most significant threat to companies subject to the TCPA (and the Spam Act in Australia and CASL in Canada). TCPA’s class actions are often the result of substantial settlements. So that’s important.

Unfortunately, many consumers have experienced this type of abuse, as the majority have received a promotional message from a business they did not consent to.

Statistics # 14: 61% of users say they will subscribe to promotional messages.

These are the people who received messages for which they did not remember to sign up.

There are right and wrong ways to do this, and really about getting opt-in or allowing them to text.

Some of the ways to collect opt-ins are through in-store hints, your website locations or gifts.

Once you get that audience, it’s captivating, they’re excited to work with you, and it has a huge impact.

Statistics # 15: 75 Consumers say they will subscribe if they receive too many messages.

Source: Podium

It is also important to remember that you need to gain the trust of your audience with each message, as they can opt out at any time.

When asked what would cause them to subscribe to the list they had already selected, users pointed to two key issues:

• Messaging too many times.
• Receiving messages that weren’t important to them personally.

Key Tips

Local business texting is here.

Are you ready

Always keep the following in mind:

• As one of the most powerful, least used channels, SMS allows businesses to become real leaders in this space before they become mainstream.
• SMS marketing is a regulated channel that has significant consequences if not followed properly.
• The sweet spot for most users is 1-3 promotional text messages per week.

[Slides] 15 SMS Marketing Trends Every local business marketer needs to know.

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Palo Bobita / Search Engine Journal.