Text message marketing has been dead for a long time. There was a time when it was the first choice of every marketer, but then it lost the charm. It became annoying for the customers to receive a text message from a brand and it was unappreciated. It felt like a disturbance and intrusion on their end and eventually, the brands ended up losing customers. However, this form of marketing is back in the trend again, a lot has changed in the landscape and it’s bringing a better return on investment than ever. Here I have discussed what has changed that made it so successful.

Now We Have Text Marketing Apps

Unlike the past, wherein sending marketing text messages was a tedious and time-consuming activity, there is no longer manual effort involved in running these campaigns. The technology wasn’t as advanced before, and today we have a computer program for every problem we can possibly face. Marketers now use a good group text app to automate their SMS marketing strategies and have become creative in the use of messages as a marketing tool. They use messages to keep the customers informed about the latest offers; to convey regarding a contest and setting up opt-in methods through which customers can express their interest for involvement. There are 3 opt-in methods:

Short Keywords: Asking the customer to reply to a 10-digit number with a particular keyword if they are interested in participating in the said contest or an offer.

WebForms: Attaching a link to the web forms that customers could fill-up expressing their interest.

Paper Forms: Attaching a link to download a Paper form, fill-up, and send it to the mentioned address to express consent.

Also, all of these campaigns are data-driven. The companies are able to record data, analyze it, and make better decisions. This has not only made this job easier but also allowed businesses to maximize their investment.

It’s No Longer Annoying

The reason behind the fall of SMS marketing was its annoyance for the prospects. Back then, marketers didn’t plan much how the message will be perceived. Too many and too irritating messages made customers hate the sender.

Now that we have smartphones, the user interface makes messages much less annoying. If they don’t like something, they simply blacklist it. SMS are now also given more importance when the world is mostly busy with WhatsApp and Messenger.

Recipients Can See History

Smartphone users can now see the message history as they receive any text. They no longer have to think about who you are and how often you contact them. They remember your last conversation with them and the value your texts offer them. Although this doesn’t sound like much of a big deal, this is one of the major reasons why people don’t hate SMS anymore. They don’t have to scroll through a list of each message with your name as everything is stored in one dialogue box.