6 Reasons Why You Should Connect with Text / SMS / MMS!

The relationships people have with their cell phones and mobile devices really is astounding. Crazy, even. You may have seen some of the statistics already, but if not, check these out...

• The average person checks her phone 150 times per day!

• The average person has their cell phone within arms' reach 14 hours out of every day. For teenagers, that number jumps to almost 24 hours per day! 

• 44% of people take their phones to bed with them so they don't miss an update. 

• 67% of people check their phones regardless of them ringing.  

Clearly, if you want to bypass the clutter and noise of traditional marketing and communications mediums and deliver your message quite literally into your customers' hands where it won't be missed, this is the way to do it. 

97% of Americans between the ages of 18-49 own a cell phone. Canadians, a tiny bit less. These numbers may seem astounding, but it's reflective of a world-wide trend. No matter where in the world you are, and the numbers are similar and reflective of the same trend.

Connecting with an older demographic?

Even seniors are jumping on the band wagon. Today, the Pew Research Center reports over 74% of people over the age of 65 have a cell phone... because often, texting is the easiest way to stay connected with their children and grand-children.

Bottom line?

Today, there are very few people you can't reach on a mobile device, and that number gets smaller every day.

In order for any technology-based solution to gain critical mass and be accepted by the population at large, it has to be simple to use and non-intimidating. It has to have few barriers to implementation. And it has to be cheap.

Texting fits the bill, and recent research from Pew reflects this; 90% of cell phone owners over 50 use texting regularly. That number jumps to 98% for users between 30-49, and 100% for users between 18-29.

Better yet, SMS does not require anything special to work; it functions readily on phones long considered obsolete, and does not require a smartphone, specific software or an expensive data plan (i.e., internet access).

Although it varies slightly depending on whose numbers you look at, the "open rate" for SMS messages is between 95-99%, with most of the messages opened within 3 minutes of their arrival.    

That means that for every 100 messages you send, between 95-99% of them are seen and acknowledged by your audience.

When you consider that the industry average open rate for email newsletters is between 22-27% and the reach of your Facebook posts and updates is between 2-6%, it becomes clear that nothing else even comes close! 

Compared to traditional advertising options, text messaging marketing is downright cheap. Where else can you connect directly with your audience for as little as a nickel apiece?     

Plus, because sms marketing is opt-in marketing only, there is absolutely ZERO wastage. Your messages are sent only to those people who have an interest in what you're providing! No more "spray and pray" advertising!

Local Text Marketers has bulk text message packages starting at as low as $9.99 / month!  

People are busy. Like, really busy.      

That's why the industry average open rate for email newsletters is only 22-25%. That means for every 100 newsletters you send out, only 22-25 are opened. People just don't have the time to read all your emails. After all, they receive a ton of them each and every day. And each one requires an investment... of time.

But text messages are read.

After all, they're non-intrusive, take only a few seconds to digest, and originate from someone with which the recipient has an intimate relationship.