Are You Prepared To Use Text Messaging For Your Business In 2021?
Text marketing 2021 will be the most explosive year of growth in the history of businesses using SMS to connect with customers. SO explosive in fact that as the web experienced Web 2.0, this will now be referred to as “Text Marketing 2021”. SMS marketing will experience explosive growth, thanks in part, to the lockdowns we experienced in 2020. Businesses are realizing the worth of this underutilized marketing channel. That means that consumers will be even more welcoming of hearing from businesses via text messages.
If you want to ride out this wave, let’s discuss the text marketing trends that will benefit businesses in 2021.
SMS Will Experience Popularity Growth
Along with video conferencing, the popularity growth of SMS already started this year because of worldwide lockdowns. According to WARC, businesses that adapted to health protocols used SMS to keep their customers updated. They also mentioned that local businesses benefited from using SMS. With businesses and consumers adapting accordingly, even if we’re not in lockdown in 2021, the rising popularity of SMS will not stop soon.
Platform Integration With SMS Will Continue
Today, we can see several businesses obtaining phone numbers from their customers. They integrate SMS delivery services security and several other purposes.
We can expect more businesses to integrate SMS with their other platforms in 2021 due to its rising popularity. We can enjoy the flexibility of SMS integration with social media marketing, email platforms, kiosks, point of sales systems, and more.
Text Marketing 2021: More Businesses Will Use SMS For Customer Service
Worldwide lockdowns severely affected how businesses can cater to their customer demands. According to Kustomer, COVID-19 significantly impacted 79% of customer service organizations. The remaining ones depended on SMS customer service to continue their services.
We can expect better customer service next year, but they will suggest you connect through SMS. Employees can only handle one call at a time but multiple text conversations at once. It’s exciting to hear less automated voice messages suggesting you wait for an agent.
The Will Be More Automated Texts In 2021
Leadfeeder asked several marketing leaders in 2020 about their insights for lead generation trends in 2021. Some leaders mentioned that they “see text message marketing growing among lead generation professionals.” They also said that they “expect more businesses to use SMS services to create super-effective marketing campaigns.”
Today, SMS automation can significantly benefit lead generation, so we can expect better sales next year thanks to the efficiency of SMS marketing.
More Businesses Will Use SMS For Brand Marketing
Brand marketing promotes a business in a humanly way that shows its overall personality and values. Next year we can expect them to provide automated responses with this organic feel.
There are notable businesses that already use SMS for brand marketing. Examples are cookware startup Equal Parts and furniture brand Burrow. There are also large businesses such as Domino’s Pizza and 7-Eleven that already enjoy its benefits. All trends indicate that more companies will follow their lead in what we’re calling text marketing 2021.
Expect More Personalized SMS Messages Next Year
Personalized text messages target audiences at a specific time, gender, age, or location. They get better responses because they target the pain points of the customer in a relatable way.
Nearly eight out of ten consumers expect online marketers to personalize their SMS experience. We can also take note of the rising popularity of mobile phones in 2020. The convenience it provides is remarkable, especially during lockdowns. It makes sense that businesses benefit from sending personalized text messages.
All market indications signal that this trend continues through 2021, given that there is a lack of physical personal contact points of sale.
Rise Of SMS Use For B2B Communication
B2B communication traditionally sees texting as an informal form of communication. Some businesses even prohibit using mobile phones at work since they viewed it as a significant concern when it comes to privacy, safety, and ethical issues. However. everything changed this year because several people started to work from home.
In 2019, 61% of people preferred SMS as a point of contact when at work. It displays a significant increase from 39% in 2014. We can expect a substantial rise of B2B SMS starting this year. It’s exciting to see the acceptance of SMS usage for B2B communication in 2021.
Increased Number Of SMS Programs For Customer Retention
This year we are already enjoying the benefits of SMS coupons. These customer retention programs leave both businesses and customers with a positive experience.
Next year, we can expect upgraded SMS customer retention & loyalty programs and an increased number of businesses adapting to use it. So we can expect more companies to run customer retention campaigns.
It means that in text marketing 2021, we can enjoy more programs other than coupons, such as payment reminders and notifications. You can also receive feedback requests and reminders for subscription renewals. We look forward to continuing to experience services like we are receiving sponsorship.
Influencer Marketers Will Begin To Dominate The SMS World
The rise of social media gave birth to influencer marketing. They earn money from endorsement and collaboration with other brands. They do it by sponsoring products and services to their enthusiastic subscribers. Their good examples are YouTube celebrities, ranging from thousands to millions of worldwide subscribers.
In 2018 influencer marketing was a five billion dollar industry. The growth of social media activity in 2020 made it rise to 9.7 billion dollars. This year, influencers started to use SMS marketing to help new business owners gain leads and sales.
Increased Popularity Of 10-digit Long Codes
Ten-digit long codes are standard numbers that can support high-volume texting throughput. They are also alternatives for shortcodes, which are 5 to 6 digit numbers that cost around $1,000 monthly.
Shortcodes gradually lose popularity these days because of several disadvantages. Examples are sharing and keyword issues.
Businesses benefit from 10-digit long codes because it’s a unique and unshareable number. It helps customers communicate through voice or text messages. Its only drawback is its length, which is not a significant problem in 2021, where people seldomly memorize everything.
Our Take On SMS Marketing For 2021
Some businesses may think that digital transformation is several years away. But the future is already here, and people adapt faster than we can imagine.
SMS marketing is not new. But the circumstances help us appreciate the benefits of using it, so let’s expect to see how companies adapt to use text marketing in 2021.
