It’s no secret that people are addicted to their smartphones.
In a Time Magazine/Qualcomm study, 68% of people said they sleep with their mobile phone next to the bed. When people wake up, they check their phone within the first 15 minutes, most often to read or send texts. Our mobile phones are never far away from us, and Americans check them more than 9 billion times a day.
And what are they doing? You guessed it—texting. Americans spend 26 minutes per day texting , sending on average 5.3 texts for every call they make.
Texting is also starting to catch on in the business world, though many companies have yet to realize its full potential. “SMS remains an effective, yet underutilized, mobile tactic among marketing leaders,” says Charles Golvin, research director of Gartner for Marketers. According to Gartner, no other messaging medium approaches SMS in its reach.
Text messaging is immediate, but not intrusive like a ringing phone. That’s one reason businesses are switching from voice to text messaging for many commercial interactions.
Sixty-two percent of personal smartphone users and 64% of business phone users now use text messaging for questions about a product, an IDG/Heymarket study found. The study also found that 36% of personal users and 45% of business users texted with a sales or customer service rep before purchasing a major item, such as a TV, car, or home. Both personal users (38%) and business users (37%) used text messaging to compare product and service features and pricing.
Business text messaging offers several advantages over phone and email communication:
- It gets noticed. Ninety-eight percent of texts are read, 90% of them within the first three seconds.
- It’s immediate. Texting is ideal for notifying customers of offers, discounts, upcoming events and sales, within a short timeframe. They’ll see the text message as soon as it comes through.
- It’s easy and familiar. Customers don’t need to download anything. Everyone has texting on their phone.
Many businesses don’t realize that with enterprise text messaging, it’s possible to send professional-looking texts with custom templates, fast-loading photos and videos. You can also automate text messaging campaigns, just like you would with email.
The only difference is, people actually read texts.
That’s a lesson the Loft, a New York event space, learned the hard way. The company’s general manager switched to text messaging after discovering her emails were opened only 3% of the time.
Text messaging changed the open rate to over 50% and resulted in an increase in bookings!The Loft, which uses Heymarket’s business text messaging platform, sends guests information about hours, directions, and parking through a personalized list. It uses a different list for VIP clients, who require extra attention.
High-end customers love the quick responses they get with text messaging. That’s why top Keller Williams Realtor, Tristan Ahumada, uses Heymarket for his Southern California “A” list. His clients enjoy receiving instant 360-degree-view photos of properties they’re interested in. And with Heymarket’s text messaging platform, Tristan can see which clients have viewed his photos, so he knows who to follow up with.
Text messaging also increased customer engagement. Since Ahumada started using Heymarket, his clients have been messaging him up to 50 times a week. Establishing a close, ongoing, professional relationship with clients is key to producing sales.
If email isn’t getting results for you, give a text service for business a try! You’ll reach more customers, and you can impress them with a fast response.
