Steady and frequent communication with customers is an important component of building a healthy relationship with customers. It tends to lead to better conversion rates and increases customer loyalty. There are various communication channels businesses use for this very purpose, among which the key ones are SMS and email.
Both channels have been around for a couple of years now and their popularity, in terms of use, is continually growing as the world is becoming more and more technology-centric. They have their share of advantages that are unmatched by other communication channels. Hence why they have become an integral part of any decent marketing strategy.
SMS and email are the two most preferred channels to communicate information with businesses, which begs the question of which one is better than the other. In order to determine that, let’s discuss their advantages in a little bit more detail.
SMS Marketing Advantages
Nowadays SMS marketing is pretty common among businesses regardless of their scale and popularity. There are many reasons why most companies engage in SMS marketing. Here we will list some of the biggest advantages of SMS marketing that draw big companies towards implementing it:
- SMS marketing is affordable and, in most cases, borderline cheap. Compared to most forms of marketing, you will not be breaking the bank conducting an SMS marketing campaign. In most cases, it is the perfect tool to use when on budget.
- SMS marketing has a worldwide reach that is not limited by physical boundaries. In other words, SMS provides you global access to just about anyone at any time. This means that, in theory, your SMS marketing campaign can reach everyone with a mobile device. And anyone with a mobile device can be a target for your SMS marketing campaign.
- SMS marketing additionally has a staggering 98% open rate and messages are, on average, read within three minutes of being received. It also boasts some of the highest conversion rates among all channels with 20-30%.
Email Marketing Advantages
Email marketing both in concept and functions is similar to SMS marketing. Though not as effective as the letter, email marketing is still a decent channel to communicate information. Here are a few advantages of email marketing:
- Email marketing has no costs associated with it. It is a completely free channel. The costs are relatively marginal compared to what you would pay for another marketing channel for exposure.
- With email marketing, you can reach an audience who are already engaged with your brand. This leads to a higher conversion rate since your target demographic has an established interest in your brand.
- Email marketing is easy to measure. Most email marketing software provides you with analytics that you can use to track your results. This can help in making quick adjustments if and when you make a mistake.
- Moreover, it can create brand awareness like no other. Fortunately, with email marketing, you can frequently remind them of your company and create brand recognition through occasional emails.
Which One to Choose?
So, we get back to the question of which one to choose as a business. Ideally, you should be using both to maximize your results both short-term and long-term.
However, if you have to pick one, you have to consider which one suits your business’ needs best and what benefits it brings to the table.
For businesses in the retail industry, we suggest email marketing as that is where people are interested in getting promotional offers through emails. SMS marketing is more ideal for businesses that use communication channels for transactional purposes, like healthcare and banking, since it has a higher response rate.
However, that is not to say any of those marketing channels are exclusive to said industries. On the contrary, they can be utilized in both and, again, it is completely up to preference which one to choose.
