An SMS platform makes sense for small business.

Is an SMS platform really the way of the future? You might think that this is old news now that people are using their mobile devices to read emails, download smartphone apps, and browse entire websites. However, despite all these new innovations, Americans still love to text. There is something so unbeatably easy about it that we can’t resist. It’s still the fastest way to communicate, aside from a face-to-face interaction, of course. And let’s not forget that not everyone has a smartphone at this point, but every phone is capable of sending or receiving a text message. Here are several reasons why the SMS platform is still crucial to the small business strategy…

Text Marketing Lets You Reach A Broader Base.

If you create an app, you can only reach the millions of customers with smartphones. Those numbers are nothing to sneeze at, but you can reach so many more people with short message service because just about everyone with a cell phone either sends or receives texts. Globally, if you were to look at countries like South America or Africa, cell phones are more popular than landlines or internet service. Texts are their link to the world.

Mobile Campaigns Let You Deliver Timely Messages.

So you send a coupon to your subscriber list’s email inboxes. Some of these recipients get the coupon after they’ve already arrived home from their errands for the day and they won’t use the coupon simply because they don’t want to go back out. Other recipients hardly ever check the email address they gave you because it’s just a “repository for junk mail anyway.” Maybe you hit a few people after they checked their email that day and they will get the coupon only after it has expired. With the SMS platform, you can literally send out a promotion and create buzz in real-time. You can catch people when they’re in the neighborhood, out shopping, already thinking about purchasing, you see? Marketing is all about catching the right person at the right time.

Text Messages Deliver More Value To Consumers.

Text marketing set off a small wave of panic when the idea first came up. What are businesses going to text me? I’m going to get junk mail on my cell phone now? Oh God no!” people cried. Yet, these same people found themselves quickly embracing text marketing because businesses weren’t overdoing it and they were sending out messages that held real value. Starbucks was giving away free venti lattes, you know, and businesses were running “win a trip” type of contests. It was sensational! If you play your cards right, build your list intelligently and create relationships with your subscribers, your small business can bring in big business profits and command greater loyalty.