I got a text! Mobile marketing is fast becoming a preferred consumer communication channel.

?Not surprisingly, the time that consumers spend looking at their phones has increased over the last few years. Recent studies suggest that we are spending (on average) 30% more time on our mobile devices since 2018 - checking our phones up to 150+ times a day, with screen time averaging around 4+ hours per day. As a result, RetailDive.com reports that “the average human attention span has fallen from 12 seconds to eight seconds.”?

For marketers, this shrinking attention span of consumers is a real challenge in the age of multiple content sources and myriad engagement options. How do we capture a slice of this teeny tiny attention pie and make sure we are driving revenue???

Mobile or SMS marketing is the practice of sending marketing messages via the medium of text message. Forbes reports that Mobile Commerce in the US is set to grow 68% (from $666 billion to $845 billion) by 2022 as more people shop on their phones. Which is interesting because SMS has been around for almost 2 decades but has only recently been seen as a reputable communication channel.??

Ironically, brands already communicate frequently with customers in a transactionally manner sending text and SMS messages regarding delivery info, order completion confirmation, etc so why not include marketing promotional activity communications into the mix.??

“This is the most powerful sh*t I’ve seen since early email.” - Gary Vaynerchuk?

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The stats don’t lie ...??

• In 2021, 71% of Black Friday / Cyber Monday purchases were made from mobile devices, compared to 29% on desktops. That’s a 4% increase for mobile-based shopping (vs 2020).??
• According to Klayvio data Q1 2022, on average, eCommerce brands are seeing sign-up rates of 2.5% for text communications and clickthrough rates of over 8.33% on their integrated SMS campaigns.??
• Shop Pay is now trusted by over 100 million shoppers globally, delivery a 4x faster checkout experience, a 11% higher conversion, with up to 85% of users becoming repeat buyers.??(Shop Pay is?an accelerated checkout function, designed for mobile shopping experiences, where mandatory data is saved to limit re-typing requirements.)

What are the benefits of using text in your marketing???

• High open rates - Yotpo estimates that the average open rate for SMS campaigns is 98%. And while eDM open rates differ vastly between industries, Campaign Monitor places the global email open rate benchmark at 21.5%. (22.5% for APAC)?
• High engagement - this isn’t a one-way communication channel. Text allows your customers to converse with you on a more personal and reciprocal level. Yotpo reports that over 50% of consumers are interested in being able to text with their favourite brand and build a more personalised experience (if it benefited them.)??
• Real time communications - text messages are instant, providing opportunities for LTO’s and taping into FOMO behaviour. Klayvio estimates that approximately 90% of people open a text within 3 minutes of receiving it.??
• Segment your offers - Yotpo reports that over 60% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase if the text message they receive is personalised for them, so make sure that you aren’t blasting out offers that aren’t targeted to those high-value, engaged consumers.?

?In order to make this medium successful, here are some do’s and dont’s:

• Compliance / legalities - for compliance, always ensure you are aligning with regional guidelines, legal restrictions and best practices such as TCPA, CTIA, GDPR and CASL. In New Zealand, you will need consumers to specifically opt-in to receive text message communications and allow for easy opt-out functionality.??
• Part of the whole for best practice - don’t silo your SMS marketing, it should form a part of your integrated communications plan. No one wants to get the same messages across text, email, website in-message service, and Messenger, etc. Make sure your automated message systems talk to each other and that you aren’t piling on duplicate communications or discounts unnecessarily.??
• Clear and purpose driven messaging - text messages max out at 160 characters so ensure your messages are punchy and relevant. Give customers a clear and immediate next step such as “Tap to see more” or “Click to buy” to promote conversion.??

Don’t wait for your competitors to gain ground, start putting your SMS strategy in place today to accelerate the path to purchase, encourage impulse buying and foster stronger customer relationships.??

#smsmarketing #textmarketing #mobilemarketing #mobileadvertising #media #customerexperience #customercentricity

Sources:??

• www.shopify.com/nz/blog/bfcm-data?
• https://www.forbes.com/mobile-commerce-to-grow-68-by-2022-as-more-people-shop-on-their-phones?
• https://www.klaviyo.com/blog/what-is-sms-marketing?
• https://blog.hootsuite.com/sms-marketing/?
• https://www.retaildive.com/ex/mobilecommercedaily/goldfish-sized-attention-spans-the-marketers-new-challenge?