When to use Text messaging vs. Email?
When to use Text messaging vs. Email? The world of digital marketing is seeing many changes over the past two decades, and business marketing has fundamentally been transformed. While several modes are popular for marketing, the most known and preferred remain SMS and emails. However, both function differently and may not be suitable for all kinds of marketing, as they derive varied benefits based on the context. This article will highlight some of the differences and help you understand when the two tools can help you maximise your business potential. What is SMS? SMS, which stands for Short Messaging Service, has been a feature in mobile phones since they were created. Being one of the earliest features, it is inbuilt and requires no internet. This makes it most accessible and convenient for the population. Since it has been around for as long as mobile phones, people of all age groups are comfortable with their functioning and still prefer using it due to its ease of access. Requires no internet access No installation Accessible to users of all kinds of mobile phones Cheapest and Quickest mode of communication What are Emails? Emails, or electronic mails, are one of the oldest modes of communication that use the internet. An alternative to SMS that allows one to write longer texts, emails are traditionally considered the main mode of contact due to their commonplace nature and ability to replicate physical letters in a digital format. Emails have become very popular as a marketing strategy and are highly opted because of the word limit that they offer. However, they are also not as easily accessible as SMS and end up in the spam bin more often than not. The email software sometimes automatically detects marketing messages as spam and immediately shifts them to an unknown folder that does not appear on the receiver’s main screen at all. Can deliver longer content Provides more options and scope to customise content More Space available to include other media and graphics While both have their benefits for particular situations, both also have drawbacks that make them complementary to each other. Listed below are some ways you can take advantage of the two for your business in the right ways. 1. Use SMS for urgent updates SMS has much higher opening rates than emails, which means there is a higher likelihood of SMS messages being viewed than emails, which may end up as spam or get dismissed entirely. Since they are most read, it is best to use them to convey instant updates like sales, limited offers or urgent notifications regarding the store or services. Since these require instant action, a customer may be interested in following up and interacting further with your brand after reading them. You may include a link with such messages so they can immediately continue to your site and buy or consult your services further. 2. Emails can be used for Long-form texts Due to the word limit on SMS, it isn’t easy to convey elaborate messages regarding the brand. With a 160-character limit, one can only send short messages without any context, hoping the receiver understands the intent and takes action accordingly. However, with emails, one can write long texts with added graphics and images to make the brand stand out. Emails do not take any storage space, so one can add as many embellishments as they like and still be able to send them conveniently via the internet. Brands can use this by sending out newsletters, customer support updates, or business communication like contract details or other documentation. 3. Use SMS if you’re looking to save expenses SMS does not need any prior instalments in the local device, nor does it depend on the internet to be transferred. It is an inbuilt feature that uses the telecom network to reach other devices. This makes it the cheapest mode of communication alongside phone calls, and phone calls are not as preferable to customers. Since phone calls require sustained communication for a message to be conveyed, SMS has the upper hand. It doesn’t demand much time from the customer and does the job of communicating your brand’s ideas all within 160 characters while barely using any money. Small businesses can significantly benefit from SMS marketing. Since it is cost-effective, it can be a profitable option to expand the company, and a function like sending SMS in bulk can allow you to reach new customers outside of your existing clientele at no high costs. SMS and emails clearly have several benefits, and this article barely scratches the surface. While aiming to master the marketing game, it is helpful to realise that different methods have varied advantages. Using them according to your needs while planning strategically can boost your brand’s profits in the long run and help in building a sustained clientele. Share Via Facebook Instagram Twitter Whatsapp Youtube Linkedin Double upon your engagement. Start Growing with Guni today
Is Omnichannel Messaging useful for my Business?
Is Omnichannel Messaging useful for my Business? In recent years an increasing number of businesses are shifting to the digital realm for their business. Establishing online has become significantly important, as many clients are now active in the field, and marketing will soon be an exclusively digital venture. SMS marketing is currently growing among marketing tools and has shown immense promise in communication and client management. But its features still remain underutilised. Omnichannel messaging is one such feature that has been discussed widely but not utilised in the best way possible. But what is Omnichannel messaging anyway? Omnichannel Messaging is a tool in Text message marketing, which can allow the integration of multiple communication channels of a company. Businesses have various ways of connecting with their clients, and messaging through particular channels can provide varied benefits to the company. Read on to discover why Omnichannel Messaging can be particularly useful for your business needs. The rise of SMS marketing With SMS marketing growing, several of its features are now comparable to marketing on other platforms such as WhatsApp, Emails, etc. SMS also has high opening rates, which implies that it is more likely that SMS messages will be read by a customer, unlike the case with emails that remain unread for days and go into the spam box. SMS is also a more convenient option as it requires no initial installation in the mobile phone, nor does one need the internet to access its messages. Thus, companies also profit by using SMS marketing with its cheap and affordable plans and the many features available under those plans. What is Omnichannel Messaging? Omnichannel messaging primarily refers to interacting with customers over multiple channels with seamless transitions between them. Hence, they’re all integrated smoothly and connected, allowing for a convenient and easy interface and connectivity among all your customers’ channels. It gives an even better experience to the customer because the process is consistent and unified for them, rather than having to choose different channels for different information. ow can this feature be used in Marketing? Customers as most significantThe integral aspect of omnichannel messaging is that it places the customer at the centre of its process. This is in comparison to multichannel messaging, where the company is central. For instance, a customer can reach your brand through any channel. The information will be relayed and connected with the other channels instantly because of the shared system of omnichannel messaging. Better Customer ServiceA customer does not need to spend time on a specific channel to get the information they need, as every channel can adapt and provide the required assistance and experience. So, they can contact through emails or any other platform at their convenience, but their experience would not be disrupted even if they shift between channels. Complete access through any channelAs every channel gets updates, they are constantly connected and consistently updated, so every end has all the information. Every representative will have access to all of the customer’s history to present relevant and personalised details and strategically represent their company. This means all the platforms your company has integrated will have all the updates regardless of the customer’s platform. All of them will receive the updates in real-time so that anyone can conveniently retain the information and serve the customer as required. This is all while providing the customer with a comfortable experience. Can Omnichannel Messaging be used in Sales? Since businesses have not entirely moved to the online world, especially with the advent of the post-pandemic world and the reopening of physical stores, the digital front is not the only aspect to manage. Omnichannelling allows you to have multiple customer databases while integrating all of them. Hence, no customer’s service is interrupted irrespective of their personal experience, whether physical or digital. All their history with the business is also recorded in the database. Hence, they receive personalised offers and interactions due to the tracked history shared across channels. Improved Access and EfficiencyOmnichannel messaging lets sales representatives be aware of the customers’ past experiences and purchases with the business to interact appropriately. Omnichannel Messaging, therefore, becomes an essential tool during this age, allowing a customer to decide however and wherever they would like to shop according to their convenience. More Customer Queries resolved, instantlyThis feature also allows multiple representatives to communicate if one is not available. It is easy for someone else to take up the position and address the queries since the history of the customer’s interactions with the brand is always available on any channel. Therefore, relevant questions and information can be conveyed keeping in mind that customer’s specific interests. This way, reps can handle more buyers than otherwise and close more sales than usual due to greater accessibility available to more employees. Multiple communication channels integratedOmnichannel Messaging allows a customer asking a query on Facebook to be addressed by someone not particularly on that channel. They can access that customer’s information instantly at any point and can transition and communicate with the customer through Facebook. This increases overall productivity to a large extent and ensures that all members are constantly working in a focused manner. One can observe a tremendous improvement in customer service through this utility. While several features make SMS marketing stand apart, Omnichannel Messaging, in particular, is still relatively unknown in marketing circles but gives excellent benefits to companies when used strategically. It is also a cost-effective method of serving all your clients while also ensuring that your employees remain busy and can handle all requests so no client is left waiting and no employee gets idle time. This means there is a rise in productivity and output, resulting in lasting relations with customers. Share Via Facebook Instagram Twitter Whatsapp Youtube Linkedin Double upon your engagement. Start Growing with Guni today
Why SMS Broadcasting is an essential tool for Businesses during the pandemic phase?
Why SMS Broadcasting is an essential tool for Businesses during the pandemic phase? Text Messaging or SMS is one of the most underutilised mediums of communication/engagement. Businesses can utilise SMS for Marketing, Sales, Improving customer success and enhancing processes. You could say that it offers a 360-degree solution for all your business-related challenges. SMS Broadcasting is quite popular among Marketers and business owners to advertise their services and quickly reach a wider audience. With proper planning and consistency, you can quickly achieve your business goals without paying anything extra. SMS messages have an open rate of 98% within five minutes of sending a message. Email marketing has an open rate of 16-20%, where only 20% of subscribers read your content. SMS Broadcasting is a powerful engagement tool that allows businesses to send short text messages to their customers promptly. It provides an opportunity for more ROI by increasing brand awareness, customer engagement and more sales. In case of a timely deal, text messages can create a sense of urgency and push customers to take immediate action. This creates an opportunity to turn your typical one-way outbound marketing into a two-way conversation. As customer attention span is getting shorter, getting more customer engagement these days is getting tough. If appropriately used, SMS Broadcasting can break through the tough wall of attention span and capture customer focus, which other digital marketing channels can’t. A study data from Pew Research showed that 97% of smartphone users prefer sending text messages. Text messages are a popular and frequently used feature. Many people admitted to receiving a text message in the last hour or so. Using SMS Broadcasting, you can drive sales, gather feedback, engage with customers and promote your products. With the gathered insights, you can prepare the right engagement strategy with text messages and drive more sales. Unlike Instagram and Facebook, where you create the platform itself, it owns a list of followers. Out of 2,000 followers, only 15-30 people like or comment on your post. But that’s not the case in SMS Broadcasting, and here, whatever database you build, you own it. If you send messages through SMS, then out of 2,000 opt-in subscribers, 1,960 subscribers will read your content. Engagement through SMS is much higher than email or through any other social media platform. Plus, it’s affordable too. SMS Broadcasting is not only an excellent, long-term strategy where you own your database, which you can control. It can also strengthen the marketing channels where you are already working. Through SMS Broadcasting, you can drive sign-ups from other channels where you’re already working. SMS Broadcasting is integral for the success of your business’s customer service, customer relationships and operations. SMS Broadcasting aims to provide relevant information that a customer needs and send it through the preferred way of communication, which is mobile phones. SMS Broadcasting is a real-time communication method. Unlike emails, it’s not filled with spam or promotional messages. After opting in, you can easily communicate one-on-one with your customers or send a series of text messages to your database. The messages can be seen in real-time. When the pandemic affected all of us, the use of SMS Broadcasting increased rapidly. The businesses who were already using SMS Broadcasting as part of their promotional strategy could remain connected with their customers and keep them updated about operational practices, safety protocols and office hours. Apart from keeping them updated about their offers, businesses could inform their customers about pandemic-related information. This created a source of strength and stability among companies and customers who were looking for some support. Some companies began using text messaging for facilitating e-commerce to easily schedule appointments which increased their retention rate. Overall, we can see that the best way to market during or after a pandemic is by communicating frequently and through SMS Broadcasting. Because even though the situation is challenging, there are still customers who care about you and want to hear from you. Customers always welcome communication efforts from businesses they support. Studies show that 75% of millennials like to hear from companies through text rather than any other method. SMS Broadcasting is an affordable and powerful communication tool to engage with your customers. Through text messages, you can send photos with your text, and it’s now easy to send to multiple people at one time. What Are The Benefits of SMS Broadcasting? There are many benefits of using SMS Broadcasting in your marketing, Sales and Customer Sucess strategy. Some of them are: SMS Broadcasting has a higher open rate than Email: High open rates are one of the biggest benefits of SMS Broadcasting. Customers open text messages 98% of the time. This gives text messages more power over any other marketing channel. Often, emails are lost in spam folders and promotional messages, which many customers don’t want to open. But that’s not the case with text messages; the messages you send straight land in the customer’s inbox, prompting them to open the received message. SMS Broadcasting is cost-effective Sending SMS is a cheaper marketing option than all other advertising options. Even if you send your message to many people, it’s still affordable than buying a Facebook ad spot. SMS Broadcasting is an affordable and great option for SMBs or businesses that are starting out and don’t have a big marketing budget. Text Messaging service providers such as Guni SMS provide SMS for the rate of 0.03 cents per SMS. Guni also provides free campaign managers. Hence when you compare the costs, text messaging is a cost-effective option. SMS Broadcasting is mobile-friendly Nowadays many people are using their mobile phones to do all kinds of work. Your business needs to be mobile friendly so that more and more people can utilise your services. Being mobile-friendly SMS Broadcasting can be a solid asset to your mobile marketing strategy. Through SMS Broadcasting, you can reach a wider audience Many people are using cell phones and smartphones nowadays. You can easily reach out to a broad target audience through text messages. With SMS Broadcasting,
SMS Over Email? 6 Powerful Reasons To Make a Switch In 2021
SMS Over Email? 6 Powerful Reasons To Make a Switch In 2021 For the past decade, businesses have used Email as a traditional medium of communication to reach audiences and target the masses. However, with the usage of mobile phones on the rise, SMS messaging is gaining popularity. Businesses nowadays are slowly shifting towards SMS Gateways to communicate with their key stakeholders, enhance Customer Success and improving their respective processes. Here are 10 reasons why you should prefer SMS over Email for your businesses in 2021. Here is a glimpse of the increase in the usage of smartphones. 6 Reasons To Switch From Email To SMS In 2021 1. Higher Open Rate Emails are great. They serve as a great foundation to conduct formal communications. But if you compare the open rates of emails over SMS, the latter wins. Not many open emails as soon as they reach their inbox. If it is a sales email, most recipients don’t even open the email. Most of the time, the emails land in the spam folder, and the recipient hardly checks on it. ’83% of millennials cite opening a text within 90 seconds of receiving it.’’ How many times have you opened a text message the minute it pops on your screen and got a glimpse of the content and context within seconds? “At around 90%, the SMS open rate is almost triple that of the average email open rate.” 2. Higher Response Rate ‘’It takes 90 seconds for someone to respond to a text and 90 minutes to respond to an email.’’ Replying to a text message is easy when you compare it to an email. Since the content and the text message context is precise and crisp, it takes the recipient just a couple of seconds to understand the same and reply swiftly. 3. Precise and Crisp The great thing about email is that you can send long messages. But the question is, does your recipients read the full message? With text messages, you would have to convey the content and the context within a limit of just 160 characters. This means that your message should be precise and crisp. The recipient can read through the message with just a glimpse and take the necessary actions required. 4. Cost-Effective Most people think that Emails are more cost-effective than Text Messaging. But to send bulk emails, businesses would have to invest in Email broadcasting tools or platforms, which are costly. You would also have to avail of the services of campaign managers or marketing agencies too. Text Messaging service providers such as Guni SMS provide SMS for the rate of 0.03 cents per SMS. Guni also provides free campaign managers. Hence when you compare the costs, text messaging is a cost-effective option. 5. The best medium for marketing SMS engagement rate when compared to Email and Social Media. Email marketing has an open rate of only 20%, while SMS Marketing open rates come to 98%. SMS marketing market is expected to grow to $83.03 billion by 2024. Furthermore, customers prefer to know more about offers, discounts, and promotions through text messaging rather than emails. ‘’SMS produces engagement rates six to eight times higher than email marketing when used for redemption, data collection, and brand awareness.’’ 6. Greater Reach Less than 3% of SMS messages are marked as spam, while almost 50% of emails are filtered as spam. Furthermore, the recipient would need an internet connection and an email account to be contacted via email. But for text messaging, any ordinary mobile phone with a sim connection is only required. Your target audience doesn’t need an internet connection to send or receive the message. Thus you can target a wider audience across the globe. Wrapping Up In short, Text messaging is a better alternative when compared to Email. SMS Marketing is the best option for businesses looking to survive the current pandemic and take advantage of the economic boom that’s coming. ‘’SMS marketing grew by 8.5% and 20% in March and April 2020, respectively, in response to the Pandemic.’’ If your business is trying to capitalise on the positive impact of SMS Marketing, then Guni SMS, which is the number one SMS Gateway in Australia, is the go-to service provider. The consultants at Guni offers custom made solutions as per the requirements of your business. Whether it be for Marketing, Sales, Improving customer success or processes, Guni would be the best effective alternative regarding cost and ROI. Sign up with Guni for free today and add value to your business. Share Via Facebook Instagram Twitter Whatsapp Youtube Linkedin Double upon your engagement. Start Growing with Guni today