It may not be a fad, but it’s certainly an untapped market, according to a recent study conducted by Opus Research. The study showed that text messaging volume has grown to 3.5 billion per day (and more than mobile Internet access).
Plus, because SMS marketing requires consumer opt-in, marketing through text messaging not only hits those who are most interested, but the study shows that 97% of all SMS marketing messages are opened, 83% within an hour. Amazing; there’s no argument that these statistics blow away those of Internet ads and other online advertising methods.
But wait…it’s not all good news. In fact, there is still a large amount of resistance to using SMS marketing on the part of both marketers and text messagers. The article “Don’t Forget About SMS,” by Mark Walsh, highlights the findings of the Opus Research study and states:
Still, neither marketers or mobile users seem to care for SMS marketing, despite reports of double-digit response rates. For marketers, the reluctance arises at least partly from the prospect of government regulation. This spring, U.S. Senators Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and Bill Nelson (D-FL) introduced legislation to curb unsolicited text messages by providing additional consumer protections via the m-SPAM Act of 2009.
The article went on to say that:
Marketers also don’t want to risk alienating mobile users with unwanted messages. To avoid that problem, Forrester Research recently advised advertisers in a separate report not to send an SMS message if it can’t be well-targeted.
Sticking to a targeted message is obviously great advice, and not just for SMS marketing. But can it overcome the simple fact that mobile users don’t like getting promotional messages on their phones? These results from a study conducted by Forrester Research in the UK make it fairly clear:
What do you think? Will you consider SMS marketing for your business? Would it annoy you to be the recipient of SMS marketing campaigns?
Alyssa GregoryAlyssa Gregory is a digital and content marketer, small business consultant, and the founder of the Small Business Bonfire — a social, educational and collaborative community for entrepreneurs.
