SMS marketing has been around for a while now, and with the explosion of online marketing trends and ecommerce, you may be wondering if it’s even worth it to include it in your campaign. Short answer: absolutely. In fact, bulk SMS marketing is rapidly becoming one of the most preferred marketing channels worldwide. It’s a great way to expand your marketing presence through multiple channels and reach customers more effectively than with any other method.

With this in mind, let’s look at some of the key SMS trends to incorporate in your campaign:

1. Transactional Status Messages

   One of the biggest things to watch out for with SMS is the dreaded spam label. You don’t want to annoy your customers or send invasive messages. At the same time, you do want to reach out, to boost your presence and make it easy for interested customers to find you. That’s where transactional status messages can be helpful.

   A transactional status message gives your customer information about their order, like confirmation or a completion message. It can also include shipping details for an order en route. Since customers are waiting for these messages and interested in their content, it’s a great way to piggyback other information like an SMS coupon for another great deal, or an upcoming offer. This lets you promote while doing the customer a service.

2. By 2020, SMS is expected to be the Leading Direct Marketing Channel!

   This is huge. Smartphones are everywhere. More people have mobile devices than any other electronic devices. And, since text messages are a traditional form of phone messaging, they don’t require apps or other electronic channels to connect. SMS marketing is an easy channel to promote deals, send offers, inform your customers about new products, and deliver current news about the company. With this in mind, the main trend will be to tie bulk text messaging in with other marketing channels. For example, it’s easy to include a link to your site or a special promotional page directly in the text. This makes it easy for interested customers and boosts traffic for your site much more effectively than other marketing channels.

3. Text to Conversion is on the Rise

   SMS generally has a 90% open rate, and most of this occurs within 30 minutes of receiving the text. To make best use of this, you want to offer your customer the change to engage immediately. By including coupons, links, and click-to-call or click-to-buy buttons in your text message, you engage the customer right when they read the text, at the moment their interest is highest. They don’t have to wait can look up the site later, or take the time out of busy schedules to make an additional call. Receive the text, click the button, and you have site traffic or a new conversion. The easier you make it for your customers, the more likely they will be to purchase your product or service.

4. SMS Marketing is Becoming Standard in Top Industries

   The key here is that SMS is cheap, effective, and reliable. Best of all, it’s simple. Since so many people have access to mobile phones, information reaches them more quickly and effectively than through any other channel. This is why it’s becoming mainstream for official purposes, top retailers, ecommerce sites, and pretty much anything you can think of. SMS is used by banks to offer information about transactions and account details. Local traffic and weather information and other alerts are delivered by SMS for widest penetration. Businesses are turning to SMS as a key channel for customer service and customer information. This dramatically increases the legitimacy of text as a marketing channel.

5. Personalization is the Way to Go!

   It’s no secret that people like personalization. It’s different to get a message with your name, one that has been crafted for you, than a message that’s clearly been sent out to millions of people. When it’s personalized, we pay more attention. Businesses have been using personalization as a marketing strategy for other marketing channels for years now, and most businesses collect personal data that make this a cinch. But it’s been slow to catch on in the SMS world. That is changing. By personalizing the SMS message, sending a birthday greeting and special offer, including the customer’s name, asking about a follow up on a previous purchase, you build a stronger relationship with the customer. It shows that your business cares about them as an individual, rather than just a number.

   And this is just the beginning! If you’d like to know more about current trends in SMS marketing, or to find out what bulk text messaging can do for your business, feel free to contact us. Mobivate is one of the leading providers for cheap, reliable SMS marketing tailored to fit your company.