Email Marketing vs. Text Marketing – Which is Better?
For years, email marketing has been the go-to method for communicating with customers. But now, new technology is taking over: text message marketing (sms marketing). Although both methods offer their own unique benefits, it’s important to understand the pros and cons of each so you can make an informed decision about which one best fits your brand style and goals. Put simply: email marketing is dying (or at least evolving into something new) but text marketing isn’t going anywhere anytime soon! So let’s dive into what makes these two types of messaging so different from one another:
Email Marketing
A marketing strategy where you send emails about your product or service to your current and potential customers. Email campaigns will help you foster a relationship between your business and the client, cross-sell services, advertise your brand, and draw attention to specials. When channeled properly, email campaigns allow you to:
– Generate leads
– Target a specific audience
– Keep your clients in the loop
– Maintain engagement between purchases
– Build brand awareness
– Enhance your market share
Implementing this strategy isn’t complex due to automation. You can craft email messages, create send-to lists, and schedule a preferable send schedule. To maintain brand interaction and loyalty, flooding your customers’ inboxes with emails.
Email Marketing Pros
1. Personalized
Emails can reflect the personality of your company’s brand, thus converting potential customers into loyal customers. The increasing conversion rate will lead to the growth and development of your company.
2. Directs Loyal and Potential Customers to Your Website
The best email marketing campaigns will drive targeted leads. Ensure you opt for the best strategy that suits your needs.
3. Cost-Friendly
This mode of communication can be cost-effective, especially if you send bulk emails that aren’t time sensitive or urgent. It’s an excellent way to enhance brand awareness.
4. Versatility
Emails can be used in an array of ways. For instance, you can use email campaigns to make announcements, provide detailed product specifications, welcome new customers, and send reminders.
5. Appeals to User Habits
Approximately 40% to 50% of people check their emails each day. The main reason for this is to check customer service, product information, and updates.
Other pros of email communication are real-time marketing, environmentally friendly, less intrusive, time-saving, measurable, flexible design, permission-based, and shareable.
Email Marketing Cons
1. Undelivered Emails
Poorly designed email campaigns may fail, especially if you use spam characters or keywords. You should double-check emails before they’re sent.
2. Spam
Spam emails are stored in the spam folder. Your potential and loyal customers may fail to see them. In addition, some customers will delete your email and unsubscribe. In the long term, this may ruin your brand’s reputation.
3. Size Issues
The size of the documents matters. Emails with numerous images may have a slow load time, thus frustrating your audience. This can reduce the conversion rate and return on investment.
Email Marketing Tips
a. Encourage Potential and Loyal Clients to Reply
You can communicate to your customers based on your product or service. For instance, you can use enticing email subject lines or a distinctive voice to encourage your readers to reply.
b. Include Links to Social Media Platforms
Directing your customers to your social media platforms is a great marketing strategy. Therefore, ensure that you include your links to social media accounts.
c. Keep Track of Your Data
Some of the metrics that you should track are click rate, unsubscribe rate, open rate, time of the day your emails were opened, and earning per subscriber.
Text Marketing
Text marketing is a form of digital marketing whereby firms send promotions to clients via text messages. Phones are the most used devices worldwide. Therefore, SMS marketing is an ideal strategy because you can send quick promotions, advertisements, and short messages. Below are key steps on how to start text marketing:
– Build database
– Segment your audience
– Include CTA (Call to Action)
– Track your analytics
Text Marketing Pros
1. Higher Responsive Rate
Based on statistics, most people read their text messages within three minutes or so. Email campaigns and social media platforms have a low response rate, especially when compared to SMS marketing.
2. Higher Engagement Levels
Unlike email and social media marketing, text message marketing has higher engagement levels.
3. Speed
Texts can help you grab the attention of your target customers. Customers will respond to your message within a short span.
Text Marketing Cons
1. Cost
The cost of sending bulk text messages can be high, depending on the total number and company. You should have a budget before opting for SMS marketing. The cost is typically about .007-.02 per message depending on the type of message you send.
2. Length Limitations
Text messages should be brief and to the point. You should consider the main points of your message. Design the message well to grab the attention of the recipient.
3. Trust Issues
Currently, there are numerous fraudulent texts that consumers receive. We recommend introducing yourself in each text, for example, “Hey this is Phil with Phlash Consulting….
Text Message Marketing Tips
a. Avoid Spam
If customers receive spam text messages, they’ll have a higher chance of unsubscribing. Which will label your texting number as “spam”.
b. Add Value
You should send reliable information to your customers. For instance, you can send a text message that incorporates the benefits of your product.
c. Have a Plan
You should design a strategic plan that suits your customers’ tastes and preferences. Aimless messages can ruin your brand’s reputation, thus leading to ineffective campaigns. Other tips include personalization and simplicity.
Quick Overview of Text vs Email Marketing
Text marketing has a higher rate of engagement.
Text marketing has a higher rate of engagement. It’s more direct, personal and engaging than email. It can also be used to build a better relationship with customers who are interested in your products or services.
For example, you can send a text to your customer list like this:
“Hey this is Phil from Phlash Consulting, we have several spots available next week and wanted to offer you _____ off. You can text me back here or give us a call to schedule.”
Text marketing is direct and to-the-point.
Text marketing is direct and to-the-point. There’s no room for ambiguity or confusion, which means you don’t need to use fancy language or beat around the bush. You can just cut right to the chase and get right down to business.
Text marketing is concise. Instead of writing long-form emails with paragraphs upon paragraphs of content, text messages are short and sweet—which makes them easier for people to read when they’re on their phones (or, you know, if they’re busy). Plus, since most people spend their time scrolling through their phone looking at social media instead of reading full blog posts or articles anyway, it makes sense that we would want our text messages to be as brief as possible so that people will actually read them!
Text marketing focuses on one point at a time: In an email campaign, there may be multiple different points being made throughout each message; however in a text campaign there should only ever be one main point per message—this allows readers’ attention spans stay focused on what’s being said without getting distracted by other things going on around them while they’re reading what has been sent out via SMS/MMS service provider’s network infrastructure.”
Email marketing allows for more creative freedom in message length and design.
Email marketing allows for more creative freedom in message length and design. You can use different colors, images, etc. that are not possible in text messaging. Email marketing allows you to change the font size, font type and style of writing you use in messages to your subscribers.
Text marketing is a new, effective way to reach customers in a way that’s convenient for both parties.
Text marketing is a new, effective way to reach customers in a way that’s convenient for both parties. As the name suggests, it involves sending text messages via SMS. When you send an SMS to someone’s phone number, they receive an alert on their phone and can read your message within seconds. That’s why many people like using text messaging as an alternative form of communication: it’s easy and fast!
Which is better? Text Marketing is the future.
Text marketing is the new way to reach customers, but it’s not without its own challenges. Texting has a higher rate of engagement, but it can be hard to track your progress unless you have a service that gives you statistics on who’s opening and clicking on links in your messages. Email marketing allows for more creative freedom in message length and design, but it can also be hard to keep up with the sheer volume of emails coming into an inbox. Ultimately, there isn’t one right answer here—both methods have pros and cons depending on what kind of business you’re running! But if you’re looking for something new that works fast and effectively? Text message marketing is worth considering for sure!