You likely text your friends and family, but have you considered sending text messages to your customers? If you have, you are not alone as 1 in every 10 text messages is between a business and a client. With over 7 billion people around the world owning a mobile phone, there is no better time to consider the benefits of using SMS communication (text messages) to grow your business.
Benefits of Texting Your Customers
No Internet Connection Required
In a battle between email, social media and SMS marketing, only one can be used without an internet connection—SMS. Although it may seem access to internet is never a problem, consider that less than half of mobile phone owners have smartphones. This means that while they can receive text messages, they cannot check their email or browse the web without access to WiFi.
Plus, a phone connection is simply more reliable than the internet; think about how many times you couldn’t use the web but were able to text and make phone calls on your mobile device!
In Your Face
When a text is sent, it shows up right on the screen of the mobile phone, and unless the person is a heavy texter, is extremely noticeable. Compare this to the dozens, if not hundreds, of emails that we receive daily. Plus, phones do not filter text messages, and there is no Spam folder for texts as there is with emails. Given the fact that 82% of mobile phone owners read every single they text they receive, it comes as no surprise that texts are read 98% of the time rather than 15-22% with emails.
Gives Your Customers Power
Texting isn’t a one-directional tactic; it is a two-way strategy that can play a significant role in attracting new clients. Half of the time (50% to be exact) a sale is dependent on timing, as a study found that shoppers tend to choose the company that they can get in touch with first.
If you share your phone number online and encourage customers to text you, you can improve your communication and offer them an immediate response, thereby increasing your sales.
Examples of Uses of SMS Communication
There are a multitude of ways you can utilize SMS communication to grow your business, such as:
Making/ Confirming Appointments
Text messages are an advantageous strategy to make or confirm appointments for businesses, such as medical offices, spas, salons and body shops. As the messages comes straight to the recipient’s phone, you won’t hear the excuse that it went to spam or wasn’t seen at all. Texting is a quick and convenient way to keep your calendar updated to stay on top of late shows and cancellations.
Verifications
With the rising amount of credit card fraud, asking for customers’ phone numbers to send them a verification code to confirm a purchase is a smart solution for all businesses. Plus, this allows you to store phone numbers to later use them for marketing purposes.
Location-Based Texts
Business owners can use geofencing, a service that sends texts to customers based on their location. You have the ability to send notices and coupons to your subscribers when they are in close proximity to your retail location, thereby increasing the chance they will visit your business.
If you need help integrating SMS or any other type of marketing to grow your business, you can benefit from a small business loan. Find out more about what services IOU Financial offers, and how easy and quickly you can qualify for a small business loan of up to $300,000.
