SMS marketing is now a staple of modern digital marketing plans, and yet some businesses are still asking: is sending emails and text messages really a form of digital marketing? Absolutely, yes is the answer. When it comes to business communications, SMS marketing is as direct and effective as it gets.
With more than 5 billion people around the globe using mobile phones, and a 98% text open rate, what started as text alerts have become complex digital campaigns. This in-depth guide will explain why SMS is digital marketing and how businesses can (and should) use this powerful channel to increase engagement, sales, and customer loyalty.
What Makes SMS Marketing Digital?
SMS marketing falls squarely within the arena of digital marketing because it employs electronic devices and digital media to send specific messages to consumers. Similar to various digital marketing vehicles, SMS marketing utilizes a technology backbone, data insight and auto systems to make the process efficient.
A pure SMS marketing is centered around items, Which reveals the digital property of the pure SMS. Communication is facilitated in digital networks, campaigns are conducted by web-based systems, and achievements are evaluated with digital analytics tools. These qualities are in complete harmony with the most basic definition of digital marketing.
Today’s SMS marketing services are intuitive, integrative and have the ability to work side-by-side your existing CRM and other digital marketing services such as email marketing and social media management software. This integration adhesion helps paint a picture of how SMS marketing works as part of a wider digital marketing tapestry.
An array of rich, data-driven analytics gives SMS marketing a deeper level of digital authenticity. So, from segmenting audiences and personalizing messages to measuring engagement metrics and optimizing campaigns based on performance data — all things that define digital marketing channels.
SMS Marketing vs Traditional Digital Penetration Channels
A few of the fundamental differences between SMS marketing and existing digital marketing channels (such as email and social media) are: Email gets open rates of 15-25%, SMS gets open rates upwards of 90%! This emphasis of of the dramatic difference goes to show that SMS marketing is heads above the rest for grabbing people’s attention.
Social media marketing is predicated on algorithm-mediated content distribution, which can hamper message penetration. SMS marketing, on the other hand, places the message right in the recipient’s device – in front of their screen and with sound– alerting the user immediately.
The speed of SMS marketing is way over the top when compared to other digital channels. Where a response to an email might take hours or even days, I can usually get a reply to an SMS within minutes. And it’s this immediacy that makes SMS marketing especially effective for time-sensitive promotions and urgent communications.
Cost and Effectiveness Factors
This is also one among the most cost-effective general advantages of SMS marketing over the mainstream digital media. Unlike social media ads or PPC (Pay-Per-Click), SMS marketing messages land directly on prospective customers’ phones for pennies per text message with a near 100% optical rate.
The Advancements in SMS Digital Marketing
SMS marketing services leverage advanced technology architecture to ensure successful and lightning-quick message delivery. Those systems are linked to their carrier’s international networks so messages can find the recipient no matter where the person is or which mobile provider they use.
By means of their open Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), the SMS marketing platform links up with the customer’s databases, e-commerce sites and marketing automation software. This technology integration is a great example of the technical capabilities digital SMS marketing can offer.
SMS marketing platforms in the cloud are scalable and reliable in ways traditional communications simply cannot touch. Companies can send thousands of messages at a time, monitor deliverability in real-time and get insightful analytics with robust dashboards on any internet-enabled, web accessible device.
SMS Marketing AI and ML (Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning)
These days, AI and ML drive SMS marketing platforms, providing predictive analytics, optimal send-time suggestion, and on-the-fly customization. All these same features are what makes SMS marketing at the forefront of digital marketing.
Legal and Compliance Considerations
The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) mandates that companies have to have explicit permission from the person to whom they’re delivering marketing text messages. This legislation also presents SMS marketing as the regulated digital communication platform rather comparable to the anti-spam law for email marketing.
For instance, we have to undertake compliance for things like keeping detailed records of opt-ins, clear unsubscribe facilities, and compliance with communication preferences. These rules are no different to those for other digital marketing channels and really just help SMS to fit within the digital marketing ‘ecosystem’ more comfortably.
There are also international regulations, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe, which businesses must also adhere to in SMS marketing, including the need to safeguard customer data and be transparent about its use. These are in line with the general digital marketing compliance norms.
Companies need to find ways to secure the data around customer phone numbers and the content of messages. This obligation aligns with the security obligations of other digital marketing channels that collect PII.
Building Effective SMS Marketing Campaigns
Effective SMS marketing campaigns require clear planning, good content and ongoing performance refinement – not dissimilar to any other form of digital marketing. Create All ad campaigns, to begin with, must have objectives and a target audience.
The creation of content for SMS marketing takes a page from the book of digital marketing best practices, due to the need for enticing headlines, clear product benefits and strong CTA’s. The 160 character limitation calls for focused messaging that makes the most of the space available.
Just like in email and social media marketing, SMS marketing allows for personalization. Businesses can tailor messages to customers according to their behavior, purchase history, location data and demographics.
A/B test techniques work well with SMS marketing, as companies can test message timing, content, and frequency until they find what resonates best with their audience. This is an example of digital marketing at it’s finest – a data led approach to improving a campaign.
Integration with Digital Marketing Ecosystems
SMS marketing software connects with some of the most widely used digital marketing software, such as HubSpot, Salesforce, Mailchimp, and Shopify. These connectors help you create connected customer experiences across various digital channels.
SMS Marketing with Email, Social and Content Marketing In customer journey mapping
Adding SMS marketing to the mix like email, content and social marketing can be an effective way to nudge your prospective customers down the conversion funnel. This multi-channel strategy is an example of the mechanism behind the workings of SMS marketing in the context of an entire digital marketing strategy.
The tool’s marketing automation workflows allow you to send subscribers SMS messages based on whether they’ve visited your site, opened an email or clicked a link in an Instagram bio. This can lead to a series of coordinated digital marketing that might be like abandoned cart email followed by SMS reminders.
Syncing data across SMS marketing and other digital marketing systems maintains a single profile for customers and eliminates communication overlap. It is this integration power that really anchors SMS marketing in the wider digital marketing spectrum.
Measuring SMS Marketing Success
SMS marketing statistics are similar to other digital marketing statistics, such as delivery rate, open rate, click-through rate and conversion tracking. These statistics values allow companies to gauge the success of their campaigns and track the return on investment.
With attribution modeling, organizations can acknowledge the role of SMS marketing in overall digital marketing effectiveness. “The more you track customer engagements across channels, the more insight you have into the part that SMS marketing plays in conversions and revenue.
“Investigate this report in real time”: business can monitor campaigns and make on-the-fly changes. This agility is in-sync with the quickness of digital marketing and facilitates agile campaign management.
CLV analysis uses the SMS marketing engagement to evaluate continued customer relationships. This holistic measurement strategy is consistent with best-in-class digital marketing analytics.
SMS in Digital Marketing in Near Future
The tools that are being developed just keep coming, like Rich Communication Services (RCS which lets you include images, videos, and interactive elements in sms). These advances pave the way for SMS marketing to continue to grow in the marketing arena.
AI will take personalization, predictive analytics, and optimization to greater heights of sophistication. These innovations reflect wider trends for smart, data-driven campaign management in digital marketing.
Cross-channel attribution modeling will grow more complex, and businesses will find better ways to understand how SMS marketing works with other digital marketing channels to make an impact. This integrated model of measurement is an indication of how digital marketing analytics are continuing to develop.
Voice integration and conversational marketing functionality will also be getting a lot of attention, helping SMS marketing come into its own as a tool underpinning interactive conversations with customers. These are all interesting developments in the realm of SMS marketing which is showing no signs of slowing down in terms of development in a digital marketing landscape.
Your SMS Marketing Strategy, It’s Now Or Never
SMS as a marketing tool is a subset of digital marketing and provides business-oriented texts to individuals. With high open rates, lightning fast delivery and super refined targeting options, SMS marketing is an indispensable part of the digital marketer’s toolkit.
Results with SMS marketing do not just happen naturally — they come from strategic thinking, creative execution and performance optimization that power other digital marketing programs. Businesses who incorporate SMS marketing into their digital marketing ecosystem can look forward to better customer engagement, more sales and higher brand loyalty.
The pipes, compliance imperatives and tracking capabilities of SMS marketing fit neatly into digital marketing conventions. With the exploding growth of mobile phone usage and more of a demand from consumers for immediate communication, SMS marketing is only going to become more important to the businesses fighting for a competitive edge.
SMS text marketing will enhance what you are already doing with your other digital marketing—and even provide you with new ways to connect to your customers. The immediacy of SMS, when coupled with precise targeting and it being an automation friendly channel, gives you distinct advantages compared to other marketing channels.
Exploring SMS digital marketing offers insight into text message campaigns, while understanding the role of a digital marketing account manager reveals how these efforts are managed and optimized.
