Glance around any subway, park, or street, and you’re sure to see a smartphone clenched tightly in the hands of a passerby. These days, everyone is pulled between the world around them and the next text message, email, social media post, YouTube video, and so on.
And it’s no wonder, with an estimated 2.53 billion smartphones in use around the globe. From New York City to Timbuktu – smartphones are here to stay. With the exponential rise in mobile usage worldwide, comes a need for mobile integration in your brand’s marketing strategy. Need more proof? The following stats demonstrate the rise of mobile and why mobile integration must form part of any successful modern business's sales and marketing strategy.
From 2007 to 2017, the number of texts sent each month increased by a staggering 7,700%, making SMS marketing a key customer communication channel. (Statistic Brain)
While consumers might be more mobile-savvy, they’ve also become more impatient. A DoubleClick survey in 2016 showed that 53% of mobile site visits are abandoned if they take longer than 3 seconds to load. This, of course, is detrimental to nurturing potential customers, whether you're a large corporation or small business.
For consumers seeking additional information on a product or service, an SMS message is often the preferred channel. According to Cappex, over 77% of students want to receive texts from their institutions and prefer them as a means of communication.
And if a problem arises? eWeek explains that texting is the highest-rated contact method for customer satisfaction compared with other channels, including phone calls and social media. This makes SMS a vital best practice any team should be implementing.
Have you ever wished you could text your favorite coffee shop, bar, or even shoe store in real-time? You’re not alone – 78% of people wish they could have a text conversation with a business (RingCentral). If that's not a clear indicator that customer service happens via 2-way messaging, then we're not sure what is.
Is your brand a part of the digital landscape? The next time you see a smartphone, think about this: Chances are, 8 out of 10 internet users are accessing the web through their phones (eMarketer). This means marketing campaigns must take into account all forms of digital communication, whether that's SMS, email, video, or other.
The time spent each day on mobile phones has increased by 7 minutes, with consumers now spending over 3 hours a day on their devices.
Where can you reach your customers on mobile? Merkle recommends Google because the search-engine giant holds a 95% share in mobile PPC ads. (Merkle)
Now, what about how you can serve your customers with text marketing?
Appointment reminders and booking reminders
2-way texting for live chat
Delivery notifications and shipping
Transactional messages including purchase confirmation, and more
Customer loyalty messaging like rewards, early-bird sale reminders, etc.
If you’re looking for a fast way to reach your audience, TextRequest finds that 95% of texts will be read within 5 minutes of being sent. So, when it comes to SMS advertising and the open rates it delivers, the right time can be just about any time.
Where else can a brand reach its target audience? While Google might be a great place to start, a study by Smart Insights finds that apps account for 89% of mobile media time, leaving a mere 11% spent on websites. And it just makes sense, seeing as apps help users avoid common headaches like pop-ups, spam-worthy emails, and poor load times.
Whether you’re selling B2B or B2C, a cohesive mobile marketing plan can take your sales and marketing efforts to a new level. Whispir's omnichannel communications platform can help by delivering all-in-one text messaging, email marketing, and more.
