When’s the last time you got a text? Probably, the last time you looked at your phone, huh? We text our friends to let them know what time we’ll meet at the bar, our parents to say happy birthday (and save money on sending a card) and our booty calls or sugar daddies to get hooked up (one way or another).
According to Adobe, 82% of people open every text they receive, usually within a few minutes. And most importantly, they read the text message content if it’s short and sweet—around five seconds of reading time. No wonder the open rate of text messages is 98%, versus 20% for email.
What do this mean for your business? If you’re texting, there’s a better than average chance that you’re customers are texting too. Text messages will not only reach customers, but will drive engagement with them. In fact, 45% will complete the desired action of the text message (Source: Gallup). And 75% of consumers want to receive offers via text (Source: Digital Marketing Magazine). Why? Because most buyers consult their phone when making purchases.
Text messaging is a critical tool for businesses looking to build, grow and increase loyalty with customers. After all, these customers spend nearly 5 hours a day on their mobile device (Source: Flurry Analytics). And since texting is the most used mobile app it’s no wonder 97% of people text at least once a day (Source: Pew Research).
Make the most of your text messages by highlighting exciting news and offers from your store (or brand if you’re a vendor). Your business can engage with your customers through flash promotions, event notifications and special offers. You can even have offers exclusive to those customers who indicate they want to receive text messages, such as 10% off their next purchase or a free gift if they show the text at checkout. This targeted approach will not only bring in business but also entice others to opt-in to text messaging so they can access future deals.
No — you don’t have to overwork your thumbs texting each customer individually. Use an SMS service like vivial.net, getponyexpress.com, and txt180.com (just a couple of the best ones to pick from) that will give you a special opt-in code and do all the sending behind the scenes.
