The world is on our fingertips and there is no denying that the time we spend on our mobile devices is only increasing day by day. We use our mobiles to communicate with colleagues, friends and family on a daily basis, to find out information of what is happening all around us as well as to browse social media, set alarms, research, shop, simply surf the internet and so much more. This is one of the many compelling reasons businesses around the world are paying extra attention to mobile marketing and communication as one of their primary channels of engagement. So much so that it is estimated that by 2020, more than 70 percent of the marketing budget will be spent on developing and executing advertisements and applications for mobile devices. With access to entertainment, text messages, social networks, emails and more, modern phones are all-encompassing.

Marketers have an abundance of options when it comes to mobile communications but there is and always has been one platform with un-paralleled open and click-through rates; SMS. There are now texting services that provide direct, personal, cost-effective and easy to use platforms and SMS gateways which allow users to connect with customers for notifications, alerts, promotions and other reasons for engagement. Many businesses are now looking to execute 2-way communication with customers following the shift in consumer trends now towards conversational marketing and real-time information. This is where 2-way SMS comes in, which allows business to exchange text messages at any time for marketing or peer communication.

2-Way SMS

The benefits of 2 Way SMS are many as communication is most effective when it’s a two-way street with businesses conversing with their prospects to get a better understanding of their needs and in return, enable them to serve customers much better. According to research, more than 71 percent of millennials and 85 percent of people in total prefer to communicate using 2-Way SMS with their businesses of interest.

There are a number of ways businesses can use 2-Way SMS so let’s take a look at our top three reasons why businesses use it;

1. Growth of Database

Businesses has many priorities when it comes to marketing and building an extensive and organized database is one of them. One of the easiest ways to grow your database is through customer segmentation which uses factors such as age, gender, preferences and location to distinguish customers in order for businesses to cater to them accordingly. Moreover, keyword-based marketing is hot right now with thousands of businesses using short codes to send their latest deals and promotions. This allows users themselves to subscribe to their favorite businesses with signup widgets on websites, forms, flyers, QR codes and even commercials. So, they can basically just text “BlackFriday” to “12345” and be added to the future campaigns of Black Friday deals of that particular business. Many businesses use social media or email campaigns for promotions but a text message is more direct and easier for users to respond within just a few seconds.

2. Streamline your Business Operations

2-Way SMS is a great tool for streamlining everyday process and communications with customers or prospects. With automation at your fingertips, appointments and booking reminders along with instant notifications, receipts and alerts can allow businesses to communicate efficiently and get responses as well.

3. Gaining valuable feedback

Many businesses around the world owe it to the criticism and feedback from their customers to improve their operations and services. Traditional methods of engaging with customers, such as phone calls and emails now have a number of drawbacks. No one likes a survey call and many emails simply go to spam or are simply ignored. 2-Way SMS makes respond to these feedback requests, quick and easy for customers, making them much more engaged and involved with the business. For instance, many businesses launch a new product or a feature, and they simply ask for the user experience, reviews and ratings of that new product or feature.