By now, most brands see the value in email marketing, but not all are using SMS marketing. Fear is the main reason. So I’ve got 15 stats that may convince you to sign up with an SMS service to add text marketing to your email efforts.
Plus, you’ll get my #1 hack for growing your email list with SMS.
SMS Service Stats
#1) EZTexting reports only 15% of people felt “annoyed” when receiving a new text message
Ok, take it with a grain of salt if you like since EZTexting is in the business of SMS services. But report after report shows mobile users are fine with relevant text messages from brands they know and like — and have opted in for text messages.
#2) 83% of millennials say they open text messages within 90 seconds of receiving them (Open Market)
Before you go all in on an SMS service, you’ll want to be sure your audience is a fit. Boomers are less inclined to be on their phones 24/7 than younger generations.
Still, if you’re tracking your email campaigns closely (you are, right?) you’ll already know how many mobile users are reading your emails.
#3) Women are more likely to sign up for promotional texts than men, 72.3% vs. 61%
Again – your email marketing metrics will give you a headstart on commercial text messages. More female email subscribers could mean it’s time to mix in a few texts. With permission, of course.
Your email strategy is permission-based and that element is even more crucial to text campaigns. Why? People put up with email spam often because they never see it. It’s auto-filtered into spam folders or simply never opened.
Not so with SMS. Texts get super-high open rates. This fact makes them easier and more likely to be marked as spam! The last thing a digital marketer needs is to lose an email subscriber due to an annoying text message someone never signed up for. Agreed?
#4) Nearly 80% of text messages sent to consumers are opened within 15 minutes of receipt. (EZTexting)
SMS service is fast-twitch compared to email marketing. Awesome when you want quick results.
As long as you keep in mind this — the person your organization texts will expect a fast reply, fast loading link, and an easy process. Because that’s the nature of texting. Plus, there are 100 more things they could be doing on their phone, especially when another text dings in the middle of your SMS!
#5) SMS opens are supposedly as high as 98% (Hard to nail this fact down. But for now, compare it to email open rates, B2C 21.9% / B2B 20.8%).
98% is awfully high. But not unreasonable when you pause to consider how few texts you yourself delete without opening it.
Only a text filled with gibberish or an obvious scam will I delete before opening. Even in election season when political groups are spamming my mobile device like mad.
#6) 42 percent of commercial text messages were actually opened and read (Statista)
This one is more concrete. And as most email marketers realize though, your strategy evolves to fit statistics and analytics unique to your audience.
Example: Your email open rates could be well above the 20% range mentioned above. Depends on:
- Your industry
- List size & age
- Content type
Also depends on timing. Inbox Mailers is the only tool proven to have perfect timing for emails. Book a Demo to see how our triggered emails get noticed and opened at incredible rates (up to 70% open rates).
#7) Klaviyo reports 38% of people say their phone is the most important thing they own
Scary, incredible, and awesome intel, huh?
This mobile phone love affair isn’t going anywhere. Plus…
#8) Texting is the most used feature on a phone
May seem like a no-brainer but it shows how important staying in touch is. Because with all the options at our fingertips, we still want to connect with others with simple text-based communications.
7 and 8 should be enough to convince you to test a couple of SMS services. Why not? If you’re doing A/B testing with your email marketing strategy, commercial text tests would be similar.
Test, track, tweak. The main thing – be super-conservative with SMS message frequency. Don’t waste a text on meaningless info or worthless updates. Let the subscriber’s preference guide you – fully!
#9) Businesses say the top use of their SMS service is reminders and alerts.
If not for commercial texts, how many dentist appointments would be missed? How many porch pirates would snatch even more Amazon packages if not for alerts we get to bring items inside?
#10) 71% of consumers feel frustrated when a shopping experience is impersonal
Text and email are personal.
When I see a YouTube ad screaming at me, I hardly feel warm and fuzzy. That loud message is meant to stop the masses. Whatever they’re selling isn’t personalized to me at all.
Totally different when I get an email from a company I know, like, and trust. Text message? Even more so. If I joined their list, I know they have offers that will benefit me. If not, then it’s kinda my fault for signing up.
But as long as these companies respect my inbox and my phone number, I am glad to open their relevant messages.
#11) Businesses can see an increase in engagement of 11% to 30% for text campaigns geared to millennial customers
Millennials are too sharp to be hooked by ads they’ve no interest in, plus they’ve seen more ads in their lifetime than any other generation. Gen Z will catch them in time, of course.
SMS campaigns can meet millennials and gen z-ers where they are though. On their phones. But just random text blasts won’t cut it. These younger people will have to care about the company or cause. Or see the offer as worth their time→ at that moment.
#12) Homegrown data – an SMS service provides a direct path to gather legitimate customer data
Cookies are crumbling. Privacy prevailing. Email marketing is benefiting because of the ability to speak directly with subscribers and customers. Same with SMS messaging.
We get direct feedback from our followers via email or text replies. Not to mention direct click data which is vastly more trustworthy than online ads notorious for fraud.
#13) For every $3 spent on digital ads, $1 is lost to ad fraud (Adage.com)
#14) Top 3 industries using an SMS service with their customers:
- Real estate
- Agriculture
- Entertainment / Leisure
Real estate is obvious. Who wants to miss out on their dream home because they didn’t want text alerts?
Agriculture? A surprise, yet there are timely aspects to that industry as well (weather, crucial shortages, etc.).
Entertainment makes sense, as you can imagine getting alerts for new films coming out and showtimes.
#15) 90% of customers say they have gained value from SMS loyalty programs
Free sandwiches and iced coffee! Sign me up! No wonder the satisfaction rate is nearly 100% with this type SMS campaign.
I would recommend testing loyalty programs via SMS only behind appointment reminders / alerts.
It would be hard to mess that up unless you sent a ridiculous amount of texts. Go light.
Now for that #1 hack I mentioned. Grow your email list by putting a sign-up link in your SMS alerts.
I can’t imagine many easier ways to get more subscribers than by adding a link to a customer’s appointment reminder text message.
Or the message telling them they earned a free latte. They are in a good mood so that has to help your odds of getting them to sign up to your email list.
Don’t let fear hold you back. Start testing SMS asap and weave it into your email marketing strategy.
Bonus #16) Like email platforms, SMS services now give you the power to measure your marketing results. If you find an ESP that offers SMS also, that can streamline your analytics further.
If open rates and clicks are your concern. See how Inbox Mailers can lift open rates – up to 70%, plus re-engage inactive subscribers. Book a Demo.
