Despite the existence of various forms of digital communication, people continue to use texting as one of the most popular ways to stay connected with each other. Whether individuals engage in casual conversation or participate in an essential marketing campaign, they often rely on texting as the best tool for the job. Here are some of the pros and cons of texting.
Pro: One-On-One Communication With Clients
Your customers expect direct communication with your organisation and become frustrated when they get stuck conversing with a chatbot or experience long wait times on the phone. Texting online allows your organisation to communicate with customers individually and directly, making them feel valued and appreciated. Managing the process online simplifies communication and enhances the overall customer experience.
Pro: Bulk Texting
By simply clicking a button, you can send text messages to all your customers, employees, or volunteers at once. Online texting enables you to customise the text messages, including each recipient’s name, thereby creating a personalised experience despite simultaneously sending the same message to multiple people.
Con: Message Length Limit
Text messages are restricted to 160 characters, but there are paid services that allow you to send longer messages. Nevertheless, customers expect text messages to be brief and concise. For example, if your marketing, employee, or volunteer message cannot be effectively conveyed in 160 characters, email or social media is preferable.
Pro: Improved Customer Service
Communicating with customer service over the phone can be incredibly frustrating. When using email, there is a risk of being excessively wordy or struggling to convey one’s message effectively. However, using a texting service provides the best of both worlds by allowing instant communication with customers quickly and concisely, using a means many people enjoy. According to customer reviews, businesses that offer texting as an option are highly regarded because it demonstrates their flexibility and forward-thinking approach.
Pro: Improve Sales
Receiving a text message is a personalised experience compared to an email or social media conversation. Businesses can utilise this personal approach to cultivate strong relationships with customers individually. Texting serves as an effective means of guiding customers through the sales cycle, fostering brand loyalty, and transforming customers into ambassadors. Customising messages to align with customer actions is particularly advantageous. For instance, if customers regularly purchase pizza every Friday at 5 PM, sending them coupons at noon on Fridays is an excellent way to gain their attention. With online services, setting up SMS message features is readily achievable, allowing the software to handle the remainder of the process.
Con: Reduced Frequency of Messages
Studies indicate that more than 50% of individuals receive 25 to 100 emails daily. As a result, people are familiar with being inundated with emails and choosing which ones to read, ignore, or delete. Conversely, individuals usually receive a maximum of 15 text messages per day. Therefore, if you overwhelm the people on your SMS list with many messages, you will become a nuisance and may risk being blocked. However, this is only sometimes the case when uploading daily posts on Instagram or sending daily emails.
Pro: Ultra Targeted Marketing
There is something natural about how people communicate with text messaging that you don’t see with other forms of communication. This allows your organisation to take personalisation to another level by responding based on your customer’s interests or habits. Once you identify your customer’s preferences, you can segment them into smaller groups, ensuring that the messages they receive are ultra-targeted. Including merge tags in the body of the text automatically gives your text messages that personalised touch. The more personalised the initial message is, and the more personalised your responses are, the better you will be able to drive sales and minimise the number of people who will unsubscribe.
Pro: Everyone Uses Their Phones
Most people are addicted to their phones. They feel lost without them. When a person hears the chime or feels the vibration of their phone, they automatically grab it to check the message sent. This makes text messaging one of the best ways to reach people. And people will read and respond to most SMS messages instantly. That’s why branded text messages have more than a 95% open rate.
Take Your Organization’s Communication to the Next Level
The undeniable strength of using text messages for communication or SMS marketing can be enhanced by combining the inherent positive aspects of texting with the automation of an online texting service. This will allow you to take your organisation’s communication to the next level.