Combining The Power of Email & SMS Marketing
Email Marketing & SMS
With a whopping 3.8 billion smartphone users worldwide and a staggering 95% of texts being opened within a mere 3 minutes, it's crystal clear that text messaging has taken over the communication game.
On the flip side, email may have a lower open rate, hovering around 21.33% across all industries. However, don't write off email marketing just yet, as it boasts an impressive 4 billion daily email users. There's still plenty of potential to tap into.
Both SMS marketing and email marketing play crucial roles in your overall marketing strategy. While they offer their own unique benefits, combining the two can lead to remarkable outcomes.
SMS marketing and email marketing make a match made in heaven. By leveraging the right tools and thoughtful planning, you can seamlessly integrate the two into your strategy.
Similar to email campaigns, SMS marketing relies on a list of contacts, allows for tracking, and provides valuable insights into customer behavior. However, it goes beyond that by offering unparalleled accessibility and convenience that email simply can't match.
By incorporating text messaging's exceptional open and click-through rates into your email campaigns, you can significantly enhance message visibility and expand the reach of your marketing efforts. It's a win-win situation that propels your messages to new heights.
Should I Send SMS or Email?
Many business owners often find themselves stuck between text and email marketing. But hey, here's the thing: you don't have to choose one over the other. It's actually pretty helpful to know when to use each channel.
Check this out, though: email and SMS marketing have some cool benefits in common. They're scalable, shareable, and help you stay compliant with anti-spam and consumer protection acts. Plus, you can do A/B testing, save time, target specific audiences, and be eco-friendly with both. Pretty nifty, huh?
And here's the deal: if you use a good service for your campaigns, you can get analytics for either type of campaign. That means you can fine-tune them and make 'em even better. Oh, and to make things easier, you can grab marketing templates for SMS or email too. Easy peasy!
When To Use Email Marketing
If you're wondering whether email marketing is a good fit for your campaign, here are some pros and cons you should consider.
Pros:
High ROI: Email marketing offers a tremendous return on investment and is one of the most cost-effective marketing channels out there. Recent studies have shown that for every dollar you spend on email marketing, you can expect to earn around $36, giving you an impressive ROI of 3,600%. In comparison, Google advertising only yields an ROI of 200%.
Customer expectations: People not only expect to receive emails related to their purchases but also appreciate welcome emails when they opt-in. Research indicates that more than 8 out of 10 customers open welcome emails. Additionally, customers anticipate promotional emails from their favorite companies, making email a common way for them to stay informed about sales and offers, alongside social media.
Automation possibilities: Email is a fantastic tool for automation. You can easily create fully automated email campaigns, ranging from welcome emails to birthday messages to cart abandonment reminders. The potential for campaigns is limitless, and you can personalize them effortlessly using templates. For instance, you can automatically include the customer's name or the product they purchased.
Cons:
Lower click-through and open rates: Unfortunately, emails generally have lower click-through rates and open rates compared to text messages. This means that your message is less likely to be seen. On average, email open rates hover around 20%. Part of the reason for this is the sheer volume of spam that most people receive in their inboxes. Consequently, your email may be flagged by spam filters automatically. Even if it manages to avoid being flagged, the recipient may still perceive it as spam and either mark it as such or delete it without reading.
When To Use SMS Marketing
If you're wondering whether email marketing is a good fit for your campaign, here are some pros and cons you should consider.
Pros:
High visibility: SMS messages boast an impressive open rate of 98%. In other words, almost all of your customers will see and likely read your text message, making it a highly effective marketing channel in terms of visibility. This is primarily due to the fact that people carry their mobile phones with them everywhere, ensuring immediate access to your message. The high open rate of SMS messages also translates to higher response rates and improved click-through rates.
Preference for texting: SMS marketing holds a significant advantage in that it aligns with people's preferred communication method. Studies have shown that most individuals prefer texting when interacting with businesses. They appreciate the convenience of texts, the freedom to open and respond at their convenience, and the more personalized nature of texting, especially when businesses utilize SMS segmentation.
Cons:
Potential intrusiveness: While SMS can be highly beneficial, it requires careful consideration when sending messages to customers. It's important to avoid sending texts outside of business hours, as it may come across as intrusive and disruptive to recipients.
Limitations on size and multimedia: Unlike emails, SMS messages are restricted to a maximum of 160 characters. This limitation poses a challenge in terms of conveying lengthy or complex information. However, many SMS marketing services offer MMS messages, which can be longer or split into multiple messages and may include multimedia content. Nevertheless, it's important to note that not all multimedia formats are supported on all mobile devices, which can impact the viewing experience for recipients.
The Power of Email & SMS Combined
No need to choose between text and email marketing - the best results come from using them together. Let your SMS and email campaigns complement each other and fill in the gaps. Here's why it works:
Improve important metrics: When you combine text and email marketing, you can enhance all the metrics that matter to your business. Both channels offer analytics and reports, assuming you use a service that provides them. You can also leverage SMS and email marketing to encourage survey responses and reviews. Play to the strengths of each method based on your goals. Use SMS for higher customer response rates and two-way communication, while email may be better for showcasing images or videos and delivering detailed information.
Cross-channel marketing: Using both email and SMS marketing allows you to engage in cross-channel marketing. By reaching customers through multiple channels, you increase brand exposure and move potential customers further along the sales funnel. For example, you can tease announcements via text messages and follow up with more details via email. Leveraging the high open rate of texts can boost your email open rates and strengthen your relationship with customers.
Lower cart abandonment: While emails are commonly used to address cart abandonment, incorporating text messages into your strategy can yield even better results. By leveraging the higher open rate of SMS, you can effectively communicate with customers who have abandoned their carts, increasing the chances of conversion.
Ensure compliance: Both text and email marketing require compliance with anti-spam laws. Using a reputable third-party service for both channels ensures that your business adheres to regulations like the CAN-SPAM Act. Compliance protects your business from potential fines and establishes trust with your customers.
Incorporating SMS and email marketing allows you to reach customers through their preferred communication method, improve key metrics, engage in cross-channel marketing, address cart abandonment more effectively, and stay compliant with anti-spam laws. It's a win-win situation for your business and customers.
We encourage even leverage your email list to enhance your SMS efforts. By utilizing your existing email subscribers, you can easily gather more opt-ins for newer communication channels like text messaging.
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