Ten years ago, many people thought that SMS had been pretty much phased out. The rise of the Internet, the smartphone and social media apps seemed to be the end of the SMS era. But these beliefs turned out to not be true. The power of SMS has actually never gone away. And in the corona era it got even stronger than ever. But what does the future of SMS look like?
The very first SMS
To say something about the future of SMS, we first have to go back in time. It all started on December 3, 1992, when software developer Neil Papworth sent the very first SMS. About ten years later, at the turn of the century, SMS began to gain in popularity. Despite the limited number of characters, everyone was happy with this new, fast form of communication. But as the Internet took off and the smartphone was successfully introduced, more and more people opted for new communication apps on which they would spend hours “chatting” with family and friends.
SMS relevant during corona
Companies also found it more convenient to connect with their customers through social media channels. It seemed like the era of SMS was coming to a close. But now we see that SMS marketing is more relevant than ever. At the end of the second ‘COVID’ year, many people are still working remotely and so are the audiences that companies want to reach. Many people still have difficulty entering stores and public spaces, while companies and stores struggle with the question of how to reach customers in this situation. SMS marketing offers a solution to this, as an integral part of the business strategy. Why? Because one thing is not going to change anytime soon: everyone has their cell phone handy at all times and places.
Six reasons why SMS will remain relevant
– Global reach
SMS messages can be delivered to anyone with a cell phone and a GSM signal. So no 4G or wifi is needed for global reach with SMS.
– Instant delivery
You also don’t have to worry about an SMS message not reaching your target audience. Because SMS has no spam folder and sending and receiving does not depend on an internet connection.
– Immediate results
Using handy analysis tools, you know immediately who has received and opened your messages. And that will not be disappointing because the ‘open rates’ of SMS messages are many times higher than those of other digital marketing channels.
– Cost effective
SMS is much cheaper and more effective than other means of communication, especially if you opt for bulk SMS.
– Safe and up to date
SMS is flexible and secure to help businesses in all kinds of industries communicate with their customers. For example, in the financial sector, SMS provides instant notification of deposits, payments, etc. Also, 2FA (Two Factor Authentication) and OTP (One Time Password) via SMS are a low-threshold way to ensure data security and privacy. And in retail, SMS is a reliable, fast way to send order confirmations of online purchases, among other things.
– Easy to implement
Any organization can quickly integrate the SMS Gateway into its marketing or logistics processes through one simple SMS API. This automatically connects with most appointments and data systems. Handy, because this way you can start communicating effectively right away.
Future-proof communication
SMS is increasingly being included as a valuable element in the marketing strategy of organizations. SMS messages play an important role in increasing customer loyalty and boosting sales. And SMS allows you to communicate clearly and concisely via a device that almost everyone owns, the cell phone.
So the challenge for many companies to guide consumers through the customer funnel as efficiently as possible becomes a lot easier with SMS. Because with SMS communication, it doesn’t matter if your customers are at home or on the road. Whether they are offline or online. That makes SMS perhaps the best strategy for acquiring customers, retaining them and moving your organization forward. Now and in the future, because the cell phone will not disappear for a while.
Benefit from the power of SMS
Are you curious how SMS can help boost your business strategy? Now and in the future? Spryng likes to think and help. We offer custom made SMS solutions for marketing campaigns, data security, customer loyalty and cost savings. For a wide range of companies, institutions and sectors. Large and small, international and local. Ask for an exploratory talk or quotation without obligation. Via 020 -7703005 or info@spryng.nl The Spryng team is ready for the future. Are you too?
