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More and more businesses are getting on board with mobile messaging, using it for their marketing, employee communications, and to send messages to customers, vendors, and other businesses. It seems that texting is taking over communication as we know it. How did it get so popular and why is it so crucial today?

The answer is, quite literally, right under your nose. In fact, you are probably looking at it, reading this post on it, this very minute. In short, we live in a mobile world.

The Popularity Explosion of Mobile Messaging

Mobile technology is everywhere. You see it when you shop. People are using their smartphones to research products or look up more information before they make the purchase. You see it at restaurants, people use apps on their phones to place orders so their food will be ready when they arrive. The dog groomer will text you, reminding you of your pup’s appointment, then text you when he’s ready to go home. That doesn’t even address the life-texters, those people walking around, huddles over their phones, barely looking up.

When you consider that American adults spend, on the average, nearly three hours a day on their smartphone or mobile device, it is easy to see how mobile messaging as grown to be so popular. As estimated four out of five people use their mobile devices to research products and even to shop. Those devices are never far away. In fact, mobile technology has become so prevalent that in April 2015 Google introduced a new algorithm that highlighted the importance of having a mobile friendly website. That practice has now become a standard.

Go where the Customer Is

Very rarely will your customer come looking for you. Most of the time you are going to have to go where Joe Customer is and put your message right, square in front of him. A recent Gallup Poll found that 52 percent of smart phone users checked their phone several times an hour – or more. Also, 81 percent admitted to keeping their phone near them at all times while they are awake.

So if your customer is already looking at his or her phone, then you have a prime opportunity to place your message in a place where it will be seen.

Benefits of SMS Marketing

Aside from the fact that mobile messaging is cost effective and when done right has a pretty impressive ROI, it is also fast, targeted, and can include links so the customer can go directly to your site. That might sound pretty good, but there’s even more benefits.

Today’s consumer is more technologically savvy – for the most part anyway. When they go shop, smart phone in hand, messaging that is targeted to them can draw them in to your store, whether virtually or physically. If you use geo-targeted marketing, your system could send them a text of a special deal or a sale at your store when they are near it. Sending them targeted deal based on their own defined preferences would very well drive your sales as it woos them to shop with you.

Face it, a lot of people want the customer service but they don’t really want to talk to someone. Adding a text option can help you keep customers and attract new ones. Texting is fast, easy, and people can read their texts at their own leisure. One bonus though is that it could easily send your customer engagement stats through the roof.

A staggering 86 percent of telephone calls made to businesses are put on hold. Some will soldier on and hang in there until someone picks up, but that person is a rare breed. Most, about 58 percent, will wait for about five minutes then hand up. A whopping 32 percent hang up as soon as they are put on hold. Mobile messaging doesn’t have a hold function, just a clear line of communication.

If you’re still not convinced – More Numbers

Recent trends in cell phone and smart phone use show that more people are relying on their smart phone to access the internet than using a laptop or desktop. Smart phone owners make up about two-thirds of the American population. About 19 percent of Americans use their smart phone to go online because they do not have internet access at home or internet is not accessible where they are.

As for texting, well it is the basic feature most widely used by smart phone owners – 97 percent say that they use text messaging. It is also used the most often.

So whether you love mobile marketing or hate it, it’s time to step up and join the mobile world. Your customers are waiting.

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