5 Reasons Why SMS Is Worth the Investment

SMS is a foundational communication channel for anyone with a mobile phone. See why this messaging platform is a great investment for today’s organizations.

Short message service (SMS) simplifies real-time communication for today’s organizations. In doing so, it helps organizations connect with consumers, workers, and members to provide them with unforgettable experiences, spread vital information, enhance their brand reputation, and more.

Initially, SMS may seem like a more costly, time-consuming communication channel than other options, particularly for organizations that rely exclusively on emails and phone calls. But when you have the right tools in place, SMS is the most reliable and cost-effective way to communicate at scale with individuals on a personal level.

5 Reasons to invest in SMS

From ROI to data collection, SMS offers advantages that communication teams can’t find in any other channel. These advantages make the preferred way to reach audiences quickly on a device they are 98% sure to see.

1. Responsiveness

SMS has better open rates, read rates, and engagement than many other marketing and communications channels, including email. On average, SMS notifications have a 98% read rate, 45% response rate, and response time of 90 seconds. Comparatively, email open rates typically fall around 20% with a response rate of 6% and response time of 90 minutes.

The bottom line: Your audience is more likely to read and respond to SMS notifications than emails, which can help an organization get the most value from its message spend.

2. Overall Cost

SMS can be more affordable than email, especially for organizations that want to share timely, relevant updates with their target audience. It allows organizations to quickly share news, promotions, and other updates as well as engage with millions of consumers and receive instant responses.

For organizations that want to send personalized messages to large groups, SMS is a cost-effective option. Crafting and sending custom emails for dozens of consumers can be expensive and time-consuming. Personalized SMS notifications are generally faster to create than custom emails, and at a fraction of the cost. As a result, SMS messages can be more economical in terms of the total costs associated with producing them.

3. Labor

Today’s organizations must find ways to help staff get the best-possible results with the people on hand, regardless of department. Thanks to SMS, different departments can seamlessly deliver messages to a target audience.

Organizations can integrate SMS into different areas of their everyday operations. For instance, if a communication team wants to use SMS to update consumers about a new development, service, or promotion, it can utilize it to immediately craft and send messages to specific recipients. Or, a customer service representative can use SMS to host one-on-one chats directly with clients.

At Mobilize Comms, we offer an API and Zapier integrations, so an organization can connect our SMS platform to its existing systems. These integrations ensure that any organization can use our platform to instantly send mass SMS texts to hundreds or millions of contacts or groups without a substantial investment of time, energy, or resources. An organization can even leverage dedicated shortcodes with our platform for maximum message delivery.

4. Reach

Your organization’s reach may be limited, particularly if it frequently uses emails to engage with consumers. Research indicates nearly half of all email is spam, and any message that ends up in a recipient’s spam folder won’t get read.

Comparatively, most text messages are read in under 5 seconds. Texting is the most-used data service in the world, and more than 4.2 billion people globally rely on text messaging to share real-time news and updates. Meanwhile, an organization can use text messages to instantly send emergency alerts, product and service updates, and other information to consistently keep its target audience in the loop.

If an organization uses SMS notifications to connect with consumers, it can gradually build a global audience that is consistently engaged. Over time, this organization can deliver notifications that hit the mark with its audience and boost the likelihood of becoming a global leader in its industry.

5. Gain insight through data collection

Many organizations invest heavily in consumer research. In some instances, they pay top dollar to conduct surveys and other research to learn more about a target audience and find ways to engage with it. Yet, even with a steep investment in consumer research, there is no guarantee that an organization can maximize the value of its investment.

SMS notifications let organizations collect consumer research by revealing which messages consumers enjoy and which ones fail to deliver the desired results. Plus, SMS is a great platform to invite your community to take personalized surveys instantly.

How to optimize your SMS investment

If your organization is ready to take its SMS use to the next level, here are three tips that will help you optimize that investment.

1. Establish realistic expectations

Rome was not built in a day, and much in the same vein, you should expect gradual results from your SMS investment. Set realistic goals for SMS from the get-go. Consider what you want to achieve from your efforts and the steps you’ll need to take to accomplish those goals. Next, with a detailed plan in place, you can work toward achieving your aspirations.

2. Identify your target consumer

Deploy a customer relationship management (CRM) tool in combination with SMS. A CRM will ensure you can collect customer data and use it to analyze the effectiveness of your communications. It can also help you segment SMS notifications to specific audience groups and ensure you can reach the right message recipients every time.

3. Remain diligent

Persistence is key with SMS. By collecting data and analyzing statistics relating to your SMS campaigns, you can find out what’s working well. You can then adjust your messages to ensure you engage the right target audience and get the best return from your SMS investment.

At Mobilize Comms, we’re committed to helping organizations get the most value out of their SMS investment. As part of our commitment, we offer extensive mobile communications plans that encourage organizations to use SMS and other services to stay connected to their target audience. To learn more, please contact us today.