If you checked your phone right now, how many unread texts would you have compared to unread emails? If you are like most people, your phone makes that all-too-familiar sound to let you know you have a notification. You look at the screen, and if it is a text, you open it and reply right away, but if it is your email, you slip it back into your pocket and maybe get to it later. This pattern emerges for a reason. It is a primary reason SMS marketing has exploded over the last few years. Texts have a sense of urgency you don’t get with emails. They are more personal. But not all texts are the same. A bulk text from a shortcode number isn’t going to land the same way as one you send from a phone, using a regular number.
Why Text Messages Get Faster Responses
There is a reason text messages gained momentum so quickly and haven’t really slowed down since. Text messages are convenient, effective, brief, and easy to reply to. Most view texts as urgent, which is why they are often opened within seconds of being received. Emails aren’t generally viewed with the same urgency. Most think similarly that if it is essential, they will text or call.
The Problem With Traditional SMS Marketing
Traditional SMS marketing has a built-in problem that many companies keep ignoring. When you get a text from a shortcode, you already know what it is, and you clear the notification. It isn’t someone getting in touch; it’s an automated platform sending off identical messages to everyone on their list. These mass-produced texts negate the whole purpose of texting. To create a back-and-forth dynamic.
Traditional SMS marketing feels like the junk mail you get every week in your mailbox. You know it’s mass-produced and comes across as a digital flyer. It is no wonder response rates stay low while their customer lists keep growing. Everyone is tired of chatbots that pretend to be personal.
How Send From Phone Changes the Game
When someone gets a text from what looks like a normal phone number, it tips the scales in your favor. Since it isn’t a shortcode, it looks like every other message on their phone. This slight difference changes how your customers respond. Instead of recognizing a marketing message and filing it away for later, or never, they treat it like honest communication because it is. When you send from your phone, you can communicate with your customers in real time. This back-and-forth fosters relationship building and strengthens the trust customers have in you and your business.
What Works for Your Business
Sending from a phone gets faster responses than traditional SMS marketing, but that is only half the solution. Your customers want to feel like they are talking to a real person who cares about solving their problem. Automated platforms lack that ability. Response times improve as customer relationships improve. This approach may not be the best solution for every business at every scale, but it might be what sets you apart from competitors who are still mass-producing SMS marketing messages. The best part is that you can try it on a small scale and gain valuable feedback. Send ten customers a personal text instead of adding them to yet another marketing campaign, and see the level of response you get.
CTA: Want to increase customer response rates through send from phone? Contact us today!
Reference
Lufkin, B. (2022). The crippling expectation of 24/7 digital availability.
