In a very short time, SMS marketing has become more popular with consumers who want to receive offers for products and services from Internet marketers, companies and mobile service providers. But what does this mean for your business? It could mean faster and more frequent sales and less time spent creating marketing emails.

What is SMS Marketing?

SMS, or ‘short message service’, is an industry term for text messages. Using this form of marketing, you can send short messages alerting subscribers of new products, services, sales and other promotions directly to their mobile phones.

Unlike email marketing which involves sending longer (250-500 word) messages, these messages are kept very short (15-30 words) and provide very precise information.

Benefits of Bulk SMS

If you want to quickly alert your subscriber list, sending short SMS messages saves you time in having to create longer email messages. As you know email marketing is an art form that involves carefully planning how to deliver information or make a sales pitch to entice people to make a purchase. With SMS, you simple convey information (sale, discount, product/service launch), include an email address and send.

If you hire a copywriter to write effective email messages, you may be able to save money by not having to use their services as often.

Interesting Facts about SMS Marketing

According to data compiled through a recent survey released in January 2012 by the UK Direct Marketing Association (DMA), it was estimated that about one-third of US and UK consumers would welcome the idea of receiving SMS messages from companies and Internet marketers. In Germany and France, 3 in 5 would be interested in receiving these types of messages.

This is exciting news to those who want to start a mobile campaign. On the other hand, half of those who participated in the survey were not receptive to receiving mass test messages. So, what does this information mean for you?

Before sending promotional messages via text message, make sure your subscribers are interested in receiving them. Conduct your own survey to determine the popularity of this type of marketing with those on your list.

You can also ask people to opt-in to this type of marketing with the ability to opt-out whenever they choose. This allows you to remain respectful of people’s needs while catering to that growing number that want to receive marketing and promotional messages via text.

As with email marketing, be careful not to send too many messages as this could result in people wanting to opt-out from your list completely.