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Thanks to the resounding popularity of smartphones and other mobile devices such as tablets and phablets, marketers have found ways to integrate SMS marketing and mobile marketing into the fold of digital marketing campaign strategies.
Although both SMS marketing (sometimes known as text message marketing) and mobile marketing can be viable marketing tools for your business, it’s important to know what distinguishes one customer engagement tactic from the other to help you strategize your campaigns. It is also important to know what SMS marketing is. But first, here are some staggering numbers of global smartphone and tablet use:
It is no wonder that marketers are pouncing on digital communication to deliver content and reach customers as part of their digital marketing strategies.
To help you choose the right channel for your marketing objectives, here’s a rundown of what SMS marketing is, what mobile marketing is, and how these two marketing campaign types stack up against each other for reaching the desired consumer base.
SMS (short message service) marketing is the use of a mobile phone to send an SMS or text message that contains promotional content, such as special deals, product updates, customer loyalty perks, or any other marketing information directly to customers.
An SMS campaign operates on a permission-based model, meaning customers opt in to receive marketing offers from you via SMS message. By texting a designated keyword to a shortcode, which is usually a five-digit number, customers give your company permission to add them to your SMS campaign and database. You could also get consumer approval to collect their number when you’re on the phone with them, through a sign-up form on your website, or at your physical store’s register.
SMS and text marketing are generally used to issue reminders, delivery notices, limited-time or exclusive offers, and redeemable coupons to your consumer base. SMS marketing is also an effective method for driving customer engagement through polls or survey-type messages.
These are some of the many SMS marketing tools available:
Since text messages are generally opened within five minutes upon receipt, SMS is an instant way of marketing to your audience and building customer loyalty. Additionally, some SMS marketing software options allow you to personalize text messages for recipients of your messages. When you choose an SMS marketing tool that allows you to insert a customer’s first name in your message, you’re more likely to capture their interest and attention – in addition to generating a good response and conversion rate.
Another benefit of text message marketing is its automated response function. Depending on the action your subscribers take, you can send messages automatically to their phones that would trigger a series of follow-up replies or actions from your SMS marketing software to engage customers further.
Last but not least, your SMS marketing tool will usually give you options for easy segmentation and management of your contact database. This makes SMS marketing a cost-effective business strategy that helps your team hit your SMS metrics.
Mobile marketing is the practice of marketing your business on the mobile device platform, smartphones and tablets included, although current trends extend the concept of mobile marketing to other gadgets, such as smartwatches.
It’s a multichannel digital marketing strategy that utilizes content marketing tools such as websites, social media, mobile apps and SMS/MMS (multimedia messaging service) to send mobile ads to audiences.
The key with mobile marketing is to use smartphones and other handheld devices to provide potential or existing customers personalized and time- and location-based information about your business.
Mobile marketing is a well-rounded technique in digital marketing because it gives you several options on how to format your ads. These are some of the most popular strategies for marketing on mobile:
As users use mobile devices more and more, it’s safe to say that the future of digital marketing is shifting more toward mobile, specifically SMS marketing and mobile marketing.
These are some of the most commonly used mobile marketing tools:
When considering SMS versus mobile marketing, keep in mind that SMS marketing can help you build a more direct and personal relationship with your audience, while mobile marketing can help you improve customers’ interaction with your brand. Either way, it’s a must to incorporate these two strategies into your overall marketing plan.
Max Freedman contributed to the reporting and writing in this article.
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