The Complete SMS
Marketing Guide

SMS marketing, also known as text message marketing, is the practice of sending promotions and transactional messages via targeted, permission-based text messages. These messages help businesses communicate time-sensitive offers, alerts and updates to people who have given their consent to receive texts from your company.

SMS marketing messages are typically limited to 160 characters. They allow businesses to send instant, trackable messages to a large audience with just a few clicks, making SMS an appealing alternative to other marketing channels like email.

These SMS mobile marketing statistics further prove the impact of SMS marketing:

• 99% of all text messages are read by the recipient
• 78% of people want the ability to text businesses
• SMS campaigns receive an average response rate of 90 seconds

Why Is SMS Marketing Effective?

SMS has a stellar reputation in the marketing industry for a few key reasons:

• Nearly everyone has a mobile device. 96% of Americans own a cellphone, and 88% of smartphone users primarily use their devices for texting.
• It boasts higher engagement rates than email. SMS engagement rates are 6-8 times higher than email when used for redeeming coupons and generating brand awareness.
• Text marketing has a high ROI. 29% of SMS recipients click on links in the texts they receive, and 47% of those go on to make a purchase. That’s close to a 14% conversion rate.
• It’s versatile and works in any industry. Communicate any type of message, from promotions and sales to appointment reminders, updates, events and more.

Discover more benefits of SMS marketing.

What Is Permission-Based Marketing?

SMS marketing is a form of permission-based marketing, which means customers need to give their explicit consent to receive marketing texts. Permission-based marketing establishes trust between your business and your customers.

Traditional marketing methods like ads, commercials and billboards attempt to interrupt consumers, constantly bombarding them with unwanted messages.

Permission-based marketing breaks through the noise because the audience has expressed specific interest in receiving messages from your company. They’re genuinely interested in hearing from you, which means higher engagement, click rates and open rates.