Text Messaging Vs. Email and Voicemail: Here’s What You Need to Know
There are so many marketing and customer communication channels available today, it’s hard to know where to turn. Email drip campaigns can be effective if they’re done right, while phone support can help strengthen relationships with existing customers.
If you’re looking for a way to improve your results dramatically and quickly, text messaging for business is a must!
Text Messaging Is Everywhere
Texting is the surest way to get in front of your customers. Seventy-seven percent of Americans and 92% of 18- to 29-year-olds now own a smartphone, according to Pew Research. All smartphones come with SMS texting. Of course, smartphones also come with email and voicemail. But people don’t pay nearly as much attention to them.
Texting is the most widely and frequently used smartphone feature, another Pew Research report said, used by 100% of people age 18 to 29, 98% of those 30 to 49, and 92% of those 50 and above.
Text Messaging Gets Results
Texting is a trusted way of communicating with family and friends. Limited to 160 characters, it’s short and to-the-point. This quick back-and-forth makes it ideal for clients who want questions answered right away or potential customers who have agreed to try your product and need personalized help. It also works well for upselling and cross-selling.
Because text messaging allows customers to communicate with businesses naturally, it has an extraordinarily high open rate. Ninety percent of SMS messages are read within the first three seconds, and SMS has a final read rate of 98%, according to a Dynmark report.
In contrast, email is often used for promotional spam, and the average open rate is just 22%. The average click-through rate is 3.6%, and the average purchase rate for an email campaign with no discount offer is just 2%, according to a Remarkety study. As for phone calls, 80% go straight to voicemail, and most are never returned.
But marketing text messages sent to customers have a 45% response rate. Better yet, 47% of those who respond go on to make a purchase, the Dynmark report said.
Text Messaging Is Professional
It’s clear that texting gives you remarkable results with just a small investment of time and money. Customers themselves are using it to connect with companies, yet it hasn’t quite caught on with businesses owners.
Perhaps that’s because it’s used for those near and dear to us, and some business owners don’t think of it as a professional tool.
But that’s certainly not the case with today’s business text messaging, which offers professional-looking templates, photos, and integration with your CMS and document systems. You can track and store conversations, access your calendar, and set appointments. You can even assign the same phone number to an entire sales team to make sure every customer gets a timely response.
If texting isn’t a part of your marketing mix, you don’t know what you’re missing. You have little to lose by trying it, and you’ll be surprised by the level of customer engagement.
No Comparison: Success Rates of Texting Vs. Email and Voicemail
Open Rates
| Text | Voicemail | |
| 98%1 | 22%2 | 20%3 |
Response Rates
| Text | Voicemail | |
| 45%4 | 3.6%5 | 10%6 |
Conversion (Purchase) Rates
| Text | Voicemail | |
| 47%7 | 2% – 10%8 | 8% – 13%9 |
Sources:
