Can SMS marketing boost your profits? Any astute business owner realises the importance of effective marketing. From social media interactions to websites via press advertising and appearances at relevant trade exhibitions, you’ll understand the effort it takes to make your presence felt in the market and constantly reinforce your position. Recently, another, quick, simple and easy tool has emerged with which you can market your business effectively and with minimal outlay. We take a look at the new phenomenon of bulk sms for business and see how it can help you boost your profits. The irresistible SMS message Research has shown that when an SMS message is received, over 96% of people will read it within 15 minutes with typical response rates somewhere between 12-15%. These are astonishing statistics and when they are compared to traditional direct mail campaigns, which average approximately 23%, show how effective SMS marketing can be. Direct mail, to take just one example, is also time-consuming, expensive to produce and costly to mail out, whereas an SMS message can be composed and sent in a matter of minutes. The potential for cost savings and maximising ROI in this instance alone are enormous and when costs are cut, profits rise. A portable audience Have you felt that particular moment of panic when you realise you’ve left the house without your phone? Have you gone back to retrieve it? If your answer’s ‘yes’ then you’ll understand how important mobiles are for your customers too. We are rarely without them and that means that you have a captive audience with which to interact. The beauty of SMS marketing campaigns is that they can be versatile and viral. If you’re sending out a special offer SMS to your customers and they send it on to one other person each, you’ve effectively doubled your marketing spread, and don’t forget that many people share texts because it costs them nothing so they’ll be more willing to spread the word on your behalf. If you haven’t already seriously considered how SMS marketing could increase your business profits, now is the time to do so. A personal experience Customers who receive SMS messages from companies whose services they’ve used in the past are shown to respond positively towards that organisation. Research shows that they appreciate the personal touch which is lacking in mass direct mail campaigns. SMS messages can be highly targeted with different parameters such as age, birthday, buying preferences and so on which can be used as a specific call to action for your customers. To put it bluntly, your customers feel like you’re talking directly to them, which in these days of mass and anonymous communication, is like a breath of fresh air for them. The bottom line is that sending text messages online marketing campaigns can’t be ignored and are here to stay. With so many of us using mobile phones these days the market for quick, precise and effective campaigns is growing exponentially and, if you’re wise, so can your profits. Happy texting!