As a small business dealing with limitations and stretching your resources is constantly on your priority list. Extracting every sale you can, while balancing your marketing and sales budget in the process.

It can become a tricky trade-off to find a healthy balance and it comes with additional considerations like technical knowledge, time spent, how to execute and much more.

While small businesses in SA continue to push forward with cost-effective channels like email marketing and social media, SMS marketing has been seen as a costly exercise fit for big corporate clients only.

1. It works

I receive a Ster Kinekor SMS's every month telling me about the latest movie releases. Can you guess where i go to see a movie on a Saturday night?
You've probably received messages of a similar kind from your preferred brand and acted on it, am I right?

2. You can drive instant reaction

Your messages have one clear objective to encourage people to do something. It is not an email where there are 103,172 things to click, images to look at and words to read.

It is a single sentence that goes something like:

  • Send a return SMS
  • Visit this site
  • Try this short-code
  • Purchase this product

With one uncomplicated call to action you're likely to solicit a reaction from your users, up to 50% more likely to be exact. Less distraction more action.

3. Quick turn around times

Remember that 98% of mobile phone users read text messages they receive within 3 minutes stat. You can't get more instant than that, sending out an SMS is intimate and is why email and social media can never compete with its engagement rates.

4. Resources are available

We at iTouch want to make setting up and managing your messaging campaigns. While you can have our team of experts handle your campaign or manage it yourself using our campaign manager tool, either option is available.

You can make use of these resources to send your SMS marketing campaigns at any time.

5. Can create significant ROI

Due to the immediate response from clients and the tracking options available. SMS marketing campaigns can not only be measured accurately but can give you an immediate overview of the value of your database and the return on investment per campaign and for the channel over all.

6. It's not complicated

You've been texting for many years now, it's become an innate skill. Anyone can craft an SMS within 140 characters, you've had years of practice so why not put it into use and make some money.

7. You can deliver exclusivity

SMS subscribers have given you access to their private world, their mobile phone, and their direct telephone number which has comes with great power and of course responsibility. You owe it to them to make them feel privileged and exclusive. As a small business, you are best placed to do this as you are flexible, have the better understanding of your customer and the ability to perfect the message to suit your client base.

8. Integration with current channel

Just because you're running an SMS campaign doesn't mean you should forget about your other channels. Running on multiple platforms increases your chances of memory retention and engagement.

Additionally, if you're sending users to your site via SMS you can easily build up remarketing lists and advertise to those users directly on social media or display and paid search ads

9. You can get the timing right

As I've mentioned before with the Ster Kinekor, it's gotten me so many times and I'd love to know the ROI.
As the message lacks the memory-making design and creativity, they tend to be forgotten quickly.

So with the even playing field like mobile messaging, timing is everything. 98% of recipients open their message instantly, so picking the right time to send your message can make or break your campaign.

Sending out a message about a new movie on a Friday Morning, I'm pretty sure you'll be seeing some customers coming through that weekend.

10. You can compete with the best

Mobile messaging is not about fancy animations, expensive designs and full-blown video. You do not need to pay a creative genius to create all the collateral. All you need is words, which creates a level playing field for all brands and campaigns.
That being said, it doesn't mean the option isn't available, with rich media messaging you can take your messaging campaign to an entirely new level.

Contact Us

If you’re a small business looking to try out SMS and Email marketing for the first time, contact us here at iTouch, and we will help you set up an SMS and Email service tailor-made for your business