SMS Marketing Doesn’t Suck: Here’s How to Use it To Generate Revenue

Here’s why (and how) you should use SMS marketing to generate revenue.
The Many Advantages of SMS Marketing
Do you think Instagram has good engagement numbers?
Wait until you see what text messages get.

SMS Marketing Advantage #1. Texting Has The Best Engagement Rate of Any Marketing Medium
Emails can sit unread for days, phone calls can go unanswered, but text messages are almost always read immediately after they’re sent.
We already talked about the comparatively dismal open rates for email. The average CTR for PPC ads is even worse at 2%.
The point is that SMS marketing is underrated and underappreciated.
But nothing great comes without its catch.
It’s neither ethical nor legal to send unsolicited messages with text-message marketing.
You need a written opt-in.
Fortunately, customers have an easy way to opt themselves in — or out — straight from their mobile phones with most text-marketing services.
Using Attentive’s patent-pending “two-tap” technology, customers can opt-in to a brand’s text messaging subscriber list seamlessly from their mobile website, social media, or other digital channels.
With one tap, a message will populate in their message inbox. They simply press send on the pre-populated text message to opt-in and receive a welcome message.
Here are some of the advantages of mobile text messaging.

SMS Marketing Advantage #2. It’s Trackable
There are countless texting platforms that allow you to manage your campaign all from your desktop.
Find a solution that will give you access to detailed analytics that lets you track each step in the conversion process, starting with the initial delivery and opening.

SMS Marketing Advantage #3. You Can Leverage Interactive Content
Mobile messaging makes it possible to get feedback from your recipients quickly via a quick tap on the ‘reply’ button or a click on your link.
You can deliver quick, simple messages that direct subscribers back to your site.
For example, Chipotle excels at using mobile messaging to drive sales.
It’s short and sweet. It gets straight to the point with “free chips and guac” if you play their game.
Not a bad deal, right?
Especially since they have queso now, too.
Get creative with your text-marketing campaigns and take a page out of the Chipotle playbook.

SMS Marketing Advantage #4. Immediate Delivery
Overall, mobile marketing is fast. Once you press “send,” your message goes out instantly.
You can set up a campaign and have hundreds of clicks within minutes.

SMS Marketing Advantage #5. Add a Personal Touch
Sending a text message via your mobile device gives you an informal opportunity to personalize the message.
For example, the Banana Republic often sends text messages that include words like “friends” and “your.”
Using words like “you” and “I” is one of my favorite techniques for driving engagement.
The Banana Republic also does an excellent job of tapping into local events that are relevant to the recipient.
See? The opportunities with SMS are endless.
You can personalize your message, direct users to fun games where they can win coupons, and track every step of the conversion process.