SMS vs. Email: Why Text Is Replacing Email In Sales And How To Prepare

SMS vs Email Marketing: Is SMS Marketing More Effective?
SMS vs. Email Statistics
How to Prepare Your Business and Optimize Your SMS Marketing Strategy
Where Can I Find the Best SMS Automation Tools?

As email response rates drop, marketers have turned their eyes to other avenues to get their message to potential consumers. One strategy that continually provides reliable responses, better conversions, and stronger sales growth is SMS messaging. According to Accelity Marketing, 98% of texts are read compared to only 22% of emails. Accelity also found that text messages are opened far faster, with 90% of all texts being opened within 3 minutes. Compare that to an average of 2 and a half days for email openings, and you can see why so many marketers are changing up their game plans.

SMS vs Email Marketing: Is SMS Marketing More Effective?

While email marketing does have its benefits, there are a few ways that an SMS strategy has the advantage. Before you get your company ready to switch over to SMS marketing, which involves collecting numbers for leads and preparing your mobile blasts, you’ll want to know what benefits this type of campaign would offer. Here are a few of the ways that SMS is superior to email.

Better Access: Unlike email, messaging apps, or most other forms of digital communication, SMS does not need to be downloaded or updated. Almost every mobile phone comes equipped with SMS messaging, and instead of a profile, their ability to receive and send messages is tied to their phone number. This also gives you far more information about the customer; while an email may tell you nothing, there are several services that can give you vital details about a potential consumer with their phone number alone.
Better Customer Engagement: Text messages allow much stronger communication between a brand and their customer base, with bite-sized consumable content that can quickly update consumers about news, new products, or limited time offers. Depending on the type of marketing you use, you can also field responses directly from individual customers. Smaller businesses may even build a rapport with consumers in a way that establishes better long term connections. If your service is something customers would utilize on a regular basis, like a hair salon, SMS marketing can allow them to ask questions like “Will this special offer work with any hairdresser?”; this confirms their business before a transaction has even taken place.
Better Conversion Rates: Because the open rates are so much higher with SMS, your sales message can get into the hands of more potential customers at a faster pace. A text notification is almost irresistible, and as long as your message is well-tailored and gets to the point fast, a customer should absorb that message very quickly. This efficiency pays off in higher conversion rates; more customers reading more of your message means there is that much better of a chance they will buy. You also get better reach with SMS due to the ubiquity of the technology. With SMS, they don’t even need a smartphone to get your message!

SMS vs. Email Statistics

On paper, SMS seems like the superior marketing channel. But what about when it comes to the raw data? Well, according to Up To Tell:

73% of surveyed marketers said that email marketing provides the best R.O.I of any of their digital channels.
86% of business owners who employ an SMS strategy say that texting offers higher engagement than email marketing.
The same survey showed that SMS click-through rates were between 10% and 15% higher than their email marketing campaigns.
66% of surveyed consumers said they preferred SMS or mobile messaging, or consider it a close second to phone or email communications.

Thrive agency conducted similar surveys and found:

41% of consumers said they preferred updates from a brand through SMS messaging rather than email. An even higher percentage, 66%, said they would rather receive service notifications via text.
It’s estimated that 80% of the world’s population will have a smartphone by 2023. It’s almost certain that all of these devices will include SMS messaging.
On an average day, an American will check their smartphone 160 times.
63% of those in the millennial demographic said they prefer text messaging due to lower disruption and ease of use.

How to Prepare Your Business and Optimize Your SMS Marketing Strategy

One of the only drawbacks of an SMS marketing campaign can be the sheer amount of individual moving parts. Creating a winning sales message is one thing, but dealing with large lead lists and sending out your message in accordance with applicable SMS regulations can take hours or days to complete. You’ll also want to send follow-up texts and automatic responses based on what type of customer engagement you achieve. Completing each of these tasks individually can increase your labor costs, reduce your ROI, and increase the chances that your marketing strategy will fail.

The solution to these issues is to use SMS automation tools. These event-based automation tools allow you to craft a perfect sales message and send it automatically to your best leads, saving you time and increasing your conversion rate. You can even integrate your SMS strategy with calls with an auto SMS system, which will send a post-call text with any relevant information to a potential customer.

Where Can I Find the Best SMS Automation Tools?

Getting all these tools separately can be cost prohibitive, and put a strain on even the largest budget. To find them all in one affordable and convenient platform, you’ll want to use Kixie. With Kixie, you’ll have the best SMS automation tools available on the market combined with countless other invaluable sales and marketing features. With Kixie, you’ll get strategy optimizing tools like:

Automation is the future, and neglecting to add it to your business strategy will waste time and money. To show you how these tools can bring higher conversion rates and more sales, we’re offering a week of Kixie absolutely free; you don’t even need to enter a credit card to get started. If your company is prepared for the switch to SMS, don’t wait; start your free trial today!