5 Key SMS Marketing Statistics
At the end of 2013 (and it’s still relevant today!) Forbes.com published an article titled Fifty Essential Mobile Marketing Facts. It covers mobile marketing in total from various sources and studies. I’ve pulled out the top five specifically addressing SMS marketing to share with you in this post.
These facts aren’t in any specific order of importance or value. They’re just numbered so that you know that there are indeed, five. But make full use of these stats and you will reap the benefits in your next campaign.
1. According to a 2007 Morgan Stanley study, 91% of adults are never farther than arm’s reach from their smartphones. I know this is true for me, and just about everyone I know. Consider this study was done in 2007 and it’s a good wager that the percentage is even higher in 2014. Smartphones have become even more integrated into our lives than when Apple released the first iPhone in 2007. Take from this that your SMS campaign will work best with a call to immediate action; your message will almost always be read within minutes and action should ensure straight away.
2. Probably the most often quoted statistic in SMS marketing is 90% of text messages are read within 3 minutes. The Forbes article quotes “ImpigeMobileStrategy.com” as the source for the statistic, but the domain can’t be found by Google. After more searching I found an article on Tatango.com describing a similar search for the source. They discovered it really originated in a study performed by mobileSQUARED and SinglePoint based on a compilation of data from various 2009 and 2010 studies. It would be very interesting to see someone produce an updated study to see if text messages still have such a high open rate. If I had to guess, I’d say it’s still very near to that number based on data trends in other studies.
3. GoMoNews.com reports brands using SMS successfully reach 95% of smartphone and non-smartphone users. This ties into the same statistic above indicating a 90% text message read rate. The percentage is potentially higher for brands because the customer must have given the brand permission to text them. Recognition of the text sender, via brand recognition, most likely equates to a higher read rate. So for retail brands, SMS offers a direct to customer advertising option that builds brand loyalty and recognition of your company.
4. Mobile Marketer reported in February 2013 that 42.3% of customers prefer SMS deals over bar code scans or push message coupons. Personally I agree. But at 42% it isn’t universal. Many marketers point out that text messaging is a very intimate way to communicate. Some people just don’t want retail companies able to reach that far into their personal sphere. It’s especially important to ensure that you get opt-in permission for retail usage of SMS to avoid any potential issues. Overuse of SMS marketing can be counterproductive, in general you should not send the same kind of communication more often than once per week; so only one special offer, one competition entry, one “how-to” message.
5. 50% of people in a survey reported on Marketingcharts.com say they’ve responded to a text offer. The Forbes article doesn’t quote a date for that study so I went looking for it. Marketingcharts.com has a huge variety of charts and data which is probably why I couldn’t locate the exact study quoted by Forbes. But I did find a 2012 study that said 25% of people purchased a promoted product based on a text message. Another 26% purchased a different product in response to the text they received. The highest response of the study was the 38% of respondents that visited the retailer’s website to find out more information about the offer received via text message.
What does this variety of statistics mean? Overall it paints a picture of an effective, but also personal, form of communication. The trend for mobile usage is incontestably in an upward direction, though percentages vary study to study. Will SMS messaging remain an effective way to communicate? I think so. What do you think?
Related Articles
SMS vs. Instant Message App Marketing
It seems there's a new messaging app popping up every month. It's hard to keep track of them all, but it's also hard to ignore them if you're looking to use mobile marketing. When you've got limited marketing resources, should you spend them advertising on the latest IM app, or go with SMS marketing?
Marketing Review for 2015 Holiday Season
Comparing SMS and email marketing results for the 2015 holiday season, this article taps into reports from Expedia and Adobe to share important insights.
Advantages & Disadvantages of SMS Marketing
SMS marketing is very different to most other more traditional marketing tools, specifically because of its short-form, text only nature. This certainly shouldn't put you off though. We have put together our guide to both the best things about SMS marketing and some of the potential problems, and how to work around them.
Why Using SMS for Customer Service is a Good Thing
Customer service is arguably one of the most important parts of any organisation. Happy, loyal customers spend more and ultimately bring you more business through positive comments and referrals. Here's why SMS is crucial to maintaining high levels of support now and for the future.
5 SMS or Mobile Facts You Need to Know
So many of us are used to having our mobiles around nearly 24 hours a day that it’s easy to forget it’s still a growing industry. And though SMS has been around for over two decades, the ways we use it and people’s willingness to use it continues to grow. So for this blog I picked out five facts about mobile and SMS that really make the case that SMS for business has come of age. Let’s see if you agree.
Do You Ever Unplug From Your Mobile?
While it’s undeniable technology is a growing part of our everyday lives, it may be surprising how few of us ever turn it off. Or leave it behind. Most people rarely 'unplug' from their mobile devices. This provides unparallelled opportunities for marketing, especially via SMS text messaging.
3 SMS Marketing Metrics That You Need to Know
SMS marketing is one of the most effective mobile marketing channels available. It’s also one of the easiest to measure your performance for every campaign, even every message. Read the full blog to discover the three of the basic metrics you’ll need to know to evaluate your success.
Top Five Questions You Need to Ask Before Choosing a URL Shortening Tool
If you're using social media or sending SMS marketing messages then you know all about link shortening. Or do you? Are all services the same, and are there options you didn't even know you had?Here are five questions you should ask before choose a service to shorten your links in your SMS messages.
5 Simple Steps to Improve Your SMS Marketing with A/B Testing
Do you ever wonder if your SMS marketing campaigns could be even more successful? Of course, you do! Find out how to put A/B testing to work in your campaigns by following our five simple steps and see your ROI increase
SMS Messaging Still Seen As A Differentiator In Retail – For Now
How many retailers use SMS messaging? According to a recent survey, not that many. And that isn’t the only surprising result shared in the survey conducted by Internet Retailer. Companies large and small know how useful SMS can be. Read on to see why now is the perfect time to start.