A guest post by Henry Cazalet of Text Marketer.

Is your business struggling to kick-start a marketing campaign? Perhaps your message just isn’t getting to the right audience? Text message marketing provides a perfect solution for any business, no matter what budget they have at their disposal.


Remarkably, text message marketing is a relatively untapped platform for businesses. Despite coming into existence more than 10 years ago, text messaging has only seen significant adoption in select Asian and European markets. There is plenty of room for businesses in the UK and USA to take advantage of what is a potentially lucrative and highly effective marketing channel.

Increasingly Popular Form of Marketing

In the UK in particular, recent research reveals that consumers actually prefer this type of marketing in comparison to other forms promotions on their mobile phones. The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) revealed that Britons, along with other western European countries, such as France and Germany, favored SMS-based marketing. The poll found that 38% of UK mobile owners preferred text message marketing, while in Germany and France, the figures were higher, with 58% and 60% favouring this mode of communication respectively.

Interestingly, this same research found that 40% UK consumers were interested in being contacted by advertisers via their mobile. When you consider the increasing popularity of mobile devices (especially smartphones, and factor in the openness of users to SMS marketing), this shows how effective it could be for British businesses in future.

What Are the Benefits of SMS Marketing?

Businesses choose bulk text messaging for a variety of reasons, but mainly because it’s extremely affordable. The relatively low cost means that you can potentially expect to enjoy a higher return on investment (ROI), regardless of your budget. Text message marketing offers immediacy and has much higher response rates, with recipients being five times more responsive than direct mail, according to the Internet Advertising Bureau. To get a better idea though, let’s take a look at some of these benefits in more detail.

Cost-Effective and High ROI
One of the biggest concerns that businesses have when it comes to marketing is their budget and the ROI they can expect to achieve. With text message marketing, one thing is for sure, there is no cheaper way of getting your message to a mass audience of targeted consumers. With bulk SMS prices, you can send a text at very little cost. When you also consider the impressive response rate, text messaging has huge potential for any business.

Time-Efficient
Immediacy is one of the key benefits of SMS text marketing. With the advent of the Internet and mobile technology, the world is becoming increasingly fast-paced. As technology has evolved, so have the speeds with which messages can be relayed to consumers en masse. SMS text marketing gives you that immediacy as it’s incredibly time-efficient. Within moments, your target market can receive a text message from you, informing them of the latest promotions or industry news.

High Response Rates
As mentioned above, this form of marketing is incredibly responsive. Mobile phones are with people all day every day; wherever the person goes, their phone goes with them. Consequently, a text message can be read and responded to within seconds, making it an effective way of communicating directly and encouraging a reaction from your audience.

Targeted Audiences
For advertisers and marketers, knowing that your message is reaching the most appropriate audience is key. With numerous third-party suppliers offering authorized contact numbers, businesses can ensure that they only target consumers with an existing interest in the products or services that they offer. This data is hugely valuable, and its accuracy can help to ensure the very best ROI.

Large Reach
It’s not just the targeted nature of text messaging that is beneficial, the way you can reach a vast number of people wherever they are in the world is also immensely valuable. Mobile phones are with us for approximately 80% of the day, so whether someone is at work, at home, at the shops, out running errands, or relaxing with friends and family, they’ll get your message. What’s more is that they don’t need to be near static forms of technology, such as televisions and computers. As long as they have their phone and a signal, the message can be relayed.

Enhanced Brand Loyalty
Sending branded messages exclusively to a customer base can help with loyalty. Imagine receiving the latest offers and promotions exclusively for you to take advantage of. Such communication can make customers feel wanted and selected. When used in appropriate moderation, your business can remain in the forefront of customers’ thoughts, helping to build brand loyalty and encourage repeat customers. Consider personalizing messages to your target audience; this will be far more effective. For example, a personalized birthday message in conjunction with a special offer.

Great for Reminders
There are a whole host of additional ways in which text message marketing can be used. One of the most popular of these is as a reminder for the recipient. This reminder could be for an event or an appointment. It can increase the number of attendees and reduce the likelihood of no shows. The ability to establish whether somebody is attending can help to save time and money, while also eliminating forgetfulness.

Henry Cazalet is a director at Text Marketer, a leading SMS marketing agency.