June 6, 2024

Text messaging: from stable present to prosperous future

The story of messaging began more than 30 years ago. Not all of us even remember times when via our mobile phones we could only call and send short notifications, — no internet, social media, applications, etc. Taking into consideration the above, the surprising fact is that this technology still serves as a strong tool in business communication strategy. But the fact remains! In our article we will prove that texting is not at all dead, but even more alive than ever.

Text message communication for business — still competitive communication method

Companies constantly look for ways to improve interaction with clients and drive purchases. Plenty of studies show that texting strategy is still competitive and makes the audience satisfied and happily engaged. And that is why:

High open rates — at 98% and response rate at 45%. It means most of the customers are likely to read messages.

Immediate delivery — are delivered almost instantly. This advantage is crucial for time-sensitive communication.

Engagement — are short and clear to the point, so they encourage quick responses and concrete actions from recipients.

Mobile-friendly — are a convenient way to reach consumers on their preferred devices, regardless of the model and internet connection.

Opt-in audience — people receiving texts usually opt in, this means messages are reaching an interested audience.

Cost-effective — in case of appropriate approach can be cost-effective, especially compared to traditional advertising methods — TV, radio, outdoors.

Segmentation and personalization — messages to specific groups increase the relevance of communication and improve engagement.

Customer loyalty — can help build a strong customer relationship and encourage satisfaction and loyalty.

Easy opt-out — recipients can easily opt out of receiving, which helps you maintain a “hot” subscriber list.

Wide range of application possibilities:

• Sales — opening and closing deals, payments confirmations, etc.
• Service — support, answering questions, fixing issues, etc.
• Marketing — promotions, actions, special offers, events invitations, etc.
• Authorization — two-factor authentication, etc.

Plenty of brands successfully use messaging for the above purposes. We will tell you below which usage scenarios are leading, in which regions and spheres communication tools are effectively used.

Text messaging basics and statistics*

Statistics say this communication strategy might be more profitable than ever.

Customers’ and business’s commitment overview
The numbers below show that dealing via text is convenient for customers as well as widely implemented by brands. The greatest majority of customers prefer texting to calls as well as more than a half of them are eager for interaction via SMS. Companies actively use this readiness and the most part of them use text messaging as a communication solution.

• 85% of customers prefer receiving texts from vendors over phone calls
• 69% of consumers would interact with a company via SMS
• 70% of clients think that SMS is a good way for brands to grab their attention
• 1 in 2 people believe business messaging is the modern way to communicate
• 3.5 trillion SMS business messages were sent in 2023
• Mobile advertising spend is projected to reach $247.510 billion in 2022
• 68% of firms use some form of texting today

Overview by country
Text messaging is popular worldwide. The US is significantly ahead of the others during last years, and the latest was not an exception — 2 trillion messages a year. China follows in second place behind the US in terms of the number of texts sent.

• The US sends 2 trillion SMS and MMS per year
• China shows 1.295 trillion sent that year, or around 3.5 billion messages sent a day
• The UK sends 40.86 billion messages per year

Overview by industry
Different industries implement text messaging. Real estate sector has been the leader for the last few years, the latest report states 20%. Agriculture and entertainment are almost on the same level with more than 15%.

20% — real estate companies
15,9% — agriculture
15,5% — entertainment
14% — construction
13% — energy

Overview by usage
Brands use texting for various purposes. More than a half belongs to scheduling, customer service and reminders’ sending also show a high percentage — more than 40%. The full list of leaders:

56% — scheduling
48% — customer service/support
43% — alerts/reminders
37% — internal communication
30% — sales
24% — marketing
18% — billing

Overview by benefits
Businesses report the most popular reasons why they use texting. The top three are — efficiency, usability and low cost. High reach and security also have meaning.

25% — efficiency
22% — ease of use
21% — low cost
18% — high reach
15% — security

We see that messaging is actively used by businesses to reach their goals due to numerous opportunities. The functionality of channels continues to evolve, and that’s what will help you achieve maximum efficiency of the tool in the near future.

Focus on the nearest future

The below trends are predicted to be in the top:

Hyper-personalization
Companies will more and more implement hyper-personalized marketing, sending the messages that resonate with clients’ specific needs and interests, based on their preferences and purchasing history. Such an enables improved interaction and customers’ engagement, conversion rates, loyalty and increasing revenues for brands.

Artificial Intelligence tools integration
By integrating AI tools, businesses automate their texting marketing strategy and processes — segment target audience, generate personalized content, manage the support and interact with customers.

RCS
Rich Communication Services (RCS) — upgraded SMS with more options, images, videos, audios, enhanced security, etc., introduced by Google/Android in 2008, now is announced by Apple to be supported in 2024, prompting interest refreshing.

With RCS businesses can offer their consumers improved communication, including multimedia content, typing indicators, enhanced branding and designed elements such as interactive buttons and carousels.

You see that texting communication approach can be beneficial for your brand nowadays and secure your business prosperity for future. Sending professional text messages is simple and effective when you cooperate with a reliable partner like ImLink.

Please, complete the form on our website. Our manager will contact you and offer the options for cooperation and connection.

*Sources: SMS comparison, LearnHub, Statista, Facebook