As a consultant helping small businesses maximize their marketing success, I always keep a close eye on engagement trends and emerging tactics. It‘s clear that SMS marketing is becoming indispensable for companies looking to connect with audiences in an increasingly mobile world.
Let‘s explore some of the most eye-opening statistics that showcase the huge potential of SMS for your marketing in 2024 and beyond:
Extremely High Engagement Rates
High open and response rates set SMS apart from nearly every other marketing channel.
- 99% open rate for text messages, compared to 20-30% for emails. This massive difference demonstrates the ubiquity and immediacy of SMS.
- 90% of SMS messages are read within 3 minutes. That lightning quick engagement presents lucrative opportunities for flash sales or time-sensitive offers.
- 45% response rate for SMS campaigns per Constant Contact data. In my experience consulting ecommerce brands, their email response metrics usually range from 2-5%.
As a marketer, engagement is everything. SMS simply offers engagement levels unrivaled by other options.
Majority Want an SMS Connection
Consumers actively seek ongoing text conversations with favored brands.
| % of consumers subscribed to receive business SMS messages | 71% per SimpleTexting |
|---|---|
| % wanting to get offers via SMS | 75% per Textedly |
| % used SMS marketing in past year | 86% per StartupBonsai |
With such strong consumer demand, now is the optimal time to deploy SMS campaigns targeting subscribers who have opted in.
Strong ROI Performance
SMS marketing can provide outstanding direct response metrics that clearly tie spend to profit.
- 36% average click-through rate for SMS links per Constant Contact
- $71 in revenue generated per $1 SMS ad spend for retailers in 2020 per Attentive
- 11-30% engagement boost when targeting Millennials via SMS per Constant Contact
For my ecommerce clients, we always run controlled testing across platforms. In multiple cases, SMS consistently outconverts social or display ads for driving site traffic and sales.
Rising Importance Looking Forward
Rising global mobile usage and changing consumer preferences will only increase SMS marketing potential and importance.
🔼 7.41 billion global mobile users reachable in 2024 per TechJury
🔼 58% say text is the fastest way to reach them per StartupBonsai
🔼 53% want two-way SMS capabilities per SimpleTexting
Conclusion
As consultants guiding businesses to smarter decisions, we must advise getting on board with SMS marketing ASAP.
These statistics make an overwhelming case for huge exposure, high engagement levels, and potent conversion potential.
My recommendation is to begin testing SMS campaigns in Q1 2023 at the latest. For advice specific to your situation, let‘s schedule a quick chat this week.
