Business SMS is a relatively new concept, but one that is taking off really quickly. With companies like Sendhub now offering this tool to help in business marketing, the world of business SMS is growing very quickly. So why do you need business SMS at all, with everything now being online or through apps?

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5 Key Reasons to Use Business SMS

  1. Business SMS is an online service. You don’t need any technical expertise other than being able to access a computer with an internet connection. It isn’t a complicated marketing tool that requires a master’s degree just to figure out.
  2. You can type out a single message, sticking to 160 characters, and send it to thousands of people in an instant. So long as you have people’s cellphone number, you can send it out to them, be they customers, patients, members, supporters, or any other stakeholder.
  3. Good business SMS services can personalize your message so that the text of the SMS includes the name of the recipient. This gives it a personal touch that customers will greatly appreciate.
  4. It is a very cost efficient marketing method, and one that is likely to give you a profit. This is because the cost involved in acquiring a new customer’s details is so low. You can obtain your customers’ cellphone number through a variety of different ways, and input them in the system without it costing you anything. The cost of sending out a text message is minimal and most business SMS programs do not come with monthly contracts to pay for, nor any admin costs or other commitments.
  5. An added benefit is that the online SMS service will help you with list building as well. You can divide people into interest groups for particular services or products. Furthermore, since SMS marketing is permission marketing (people who gave you their cellphone number have given you permission to contact them), so you won’t be accused of spamming people with messages they don’t want. All businesses have to be involved in lead generation, as this is how they attract new customers to their business. Too many businesses, however, haven’t yet gotten to grips with properly collecting and storing customer data. By installing a business SMS program, you effectively kill two birds with one stone.

There is a small disadvantage to business SMS, which is that you are restricted to just 160 characters. On the other hand, this restrictive nature is the strength of websites like Twitter, who have millions of users, ranging from regular individuals to the President of the United States. While it is hard to get used to at first, the restriction of characters effectively forces you to create a condensed message, teaching you to stick to what really matters.

If you are a business, you will know how your marketing budget often seems to be melting away without any visible returns. Invest in business SMS instead, and you should see significant returns. You may even have some budget left at the end of the year.