While email continues to be the most widely used b2b marketing communications channel, marketers are recognizing the benefits of using such other digital channels as mobile and are creatively integrating them into their marketing campaigns.
From increasing webinar attendance and driving booth traffic at trade shows to offering special promotions, surveying customers on product ideas or leveraging customer care notices, text messages—the kind commonly known as SMS, for “short message service”—are powerful ways for b2b marketers to communicate with their customers.
Also, with the increasing use of texting, customers are expressing their preference for messaging across digital channels. Marketers understand that appropriate responses to these preferences will drive future brand loyalty and customer lifetime value.
What matters most is the appropriateness of the channel choice. A text message is inherently a one-to-one form of communication. Its personal nature means that customer permission and content relevancy are not optional. Further, the interactive nature of text messaging means its use is about dialogue, not monologue, and that follow-on messages may be as important as the initial one.
The challenges of coordinating communications across multiple channels are not to be underestimated. Here are some pointers for marketers to consider as they look to integrate mobile text messages into the marketing mix…
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