According to Susan Marshall of Online Media Daily, SMS (text messaging) often gets overshadowed by sexier mobile technologies, such as iPhone apps and mobile Internet. But Marshall says that advertisers and marketers shouldn’t overlook SMS advertising, as it’s “fast, effective and provokes action.” She even provides a new study from Local Mobile Search that says, “SMS advertising generates response rates two to ten times higher than Internet display ads.”
With response rates like those, SMS should be ignored no more. Unfortunately, though, it is. Marshall says it’s because of a lack of understanding. Following are her top five SMS advertising myths:
1. SMS advertising is intrusive.
False. There are very strict guidelines around how and when you can advertise via text messaging. Users must explicitly “opt-in” to receive SMS advertising from a company or engage in a free SMS service that is ad-supported.
2. SMS advertising doesn’t have scale or reach
False. ChaCha and 4Info are the two largest SMS players. ChaCha reaches more than 2 million monthly unique users (mostly under 25) and serves more than 30 million monthly impressions. When you compare that to digital properties and TV or cable shows that reach this audience, it is very competitive.
3. SMS advertising only reaches teens
False. While teens and young adults are three times more receptive to mobile advertising than their parents, that doesn’t eliminate the power of text messaging when it comes to reaching the over 25 crowd. In fact, text messaging among all mobile phone users tripled from 2007-2008 with a reported 2.7 billion text messages sent every day.
4. SMS advertising is only good for direct response
False. SMS is a great way to directly reach users to drive calls, ticket sales and downloads, but it is also an effective way to increase brand metrics (aided, unaided awareness and affinity) by engaging users in conversations about a product or a service.
5. SMS advertising isn’t very creative
False! According to many marketers, mobile Web sites and mobile banner advertising are the “be-all, end-all,” with their ability to deliver splashy, colorful landing pages, images and videos on a mobile phone. But SMS is perhaps the MOST creative way to reach mobile users because it delivers the “holy grail” to advertisers — the ability to have a direct, one-on-one conversation with a consumer about your product and service.
The key to SMS seems to be the direct contact and conversation that it allows advertisers and marketers to have with consumers. I don’t discount iPhone apps and mobile Internet by any means, but SMS is certainly an advertising platform that works and shouldn’t be overlooked.
What is your experience with SMS? Has it worked? Will you continue to use it?
on Facebook
on Twitter
0 Responses to “Five Text Messaging Advertising Myths”