What is SMS text marketing?

If you're a small business, you may be wondering how you can use text messages to reach your customers. What's involved? How do you send messages? How effective is it?

SMS is the most common type of text messaging; it stands for short message service. When you send a message to a friend to meet you at the Olive Garden for lunch tomorrow, you likely used SMS to send the message. It's been around since the 80's, but became more commonplace in the last 15 years or so.

SMS text marketing involves sending text messages to your customers to send a quick, pointed message about a special event or sale, or perhaps a new arrival or change in your store hours. Regardless of the message, SMS text marketing affords small businesses a way to communicate messages to their customers, to keep their brand top of mind and build loyalty.

How to send text messages to customers

You can send a short message to a customer from your cell phone to theirs, as long as they provided their number and gave you permission to contact them. But if you're looking to send dozens, hundreds, or thousands of messages, you'll want to contract an SMS text marketing partner so that you can send a message to all your customers at the push of a button.

How to create a compelling text message

SMS text marketing messages are typically limited to about 160 characters. This means you have to get to the point, using as few words as possible. Make sure your business name, relevant dates, and call to action are included. If you need to say more, you can always include a short URL to a web page or social media post.

Effectiveness of SMS text marketing

According to Gartner, a research and advisory company, text messages have an open rate as high as 98%, which is astonishing compared to marketing emails that are opened at a rate of 20%. This means that you can have a wider reach with a much smaller audience; a true example of quality over quantity.

Need help getting started in SMS text marketing?

-Contact Gulf Coast Text, your local text marketing experts specializing in small businesses, serving Northwest Flordia and the gulf coast. Facebook | Email