Email or Text? What’s Best for My Business

Are you trying to reach more customers for your business? Of course, you are; that’s why you’re here. But with all the marketing channels out there, what’s the best way to go about it?

Today our content queens are sharing two of our favorite ways to stay in communication on the go: email and text. Let’s dive into what’s best for your business!  

Evolution of Mobile Messaging

Advertising has come a long way from billboards, brochures/catalogs, and television commercials. With the advancement of the Internet and mobile devices, businesses are now able to communicate with their customers in ever-evolving ways.  

Until recently, marketing messages have mainly been sent through email, but now there is a new contender—texting or SMS—to reach clients and prospects on the go.   But before you can start marketing your business through email or text you need to ask yourself:  

• who are you trying to reach?
• what is my objective?
• what are you trying to distribute?
• what type of frequency, volume, and response rate you want to achieve? 

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These channels or a combo effort of the two can suit what you’re up to for your company’s overall success. Both are opt-in style messages (no spam here!), but there are definite pros and cons of each.  Email can keep you in contact with a longer more detailed messages to continue the conversation later on your website.

Where a medium like text is great for quick updates, pick me up messages and images that share something important with your audience.

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Related > Staying connected with Content

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Digital Marketing Through Email and Text

This form of digital marketing allows for individuality and personalization as well as two-way communication in ways older traditional marketing cannot.  The chart below lists some basic commonalities and differences when it comes to email versus texting. This is a good starting place to figure out your business's needs when it comes to marketing.

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*Emails they can simply click forward but on their phones, they’ll need to copy and paste your message to share it which takes more time. This makes it less likely that your content will go beyond who you shared it with. Need help with adding to your content marketing mix? Charisma Communications can help you! We are seasoned pros with both email and text to help you see the best ROI. Let’s chat - contact us today for a free 30-minute consultation.  

Texting for Business

Texting or sometimes referred to as SMS (short message service) is a newer form of marketing. SMS marketing is a great avenue to explore if you are looking for a higher probability rate of your messages being viewed as well as a quicker response rate.

There is on average a 98% open rate, which means almost every time a text message is sent it will be opened. Compare this to email which is less than 25%. Text messages are also viewed on average within 90 seconds versus email, which is about 90 minutes.  Marketing through text is recommended when your information is simple and concise, time-sensitive, or requires immediate action.

These can include:  

•  Appointment confirmations
•  Limited product offers and discounts
• Purchase & shipping notifications
• Donation requests
• Urgent updates and notifications
• Event invitation and updates
• Personal alerts (ex. Inspirational messages for a gym)

Remember with text messages your message needs to be short, I like to use Twitter as a guide and stay below 280 characters (but you have some wiggle room up to 306 characters) to get your thoughts and intentions out. Unlike email, you are usually not using colorful images and pictures to catch your customer’s attention.

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Related > Text Support for Better Customer Service & Marketing

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Emailing for Business

Email marketing has been around a lot longer than text. While it has a new formidable opponent, there are still many great benefits to emails. It is the best form of communication when the info is not time-sensitive and needs to be longer than a short text message.An email allows businesses more freedom in length and layout. Upon opening an email, a customer may see colorful graphics that capture their attention immediately then link back to a post like this one. Your prospects and clients are able to read different content, stories, or updates on their own time. Remember: people buy when they are ready too, not just when you’re ready to sell. Email marketing is more appropriate when the information you want to send out includes:

• Newsletters
•  Educational content
• Press releases
• B2B campaigns 

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Overall, if your information you are sending out is not time-sensitive—as customers take longer to view emails over texts—then this is a great route to take. 

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Related > How much is too much when it comes to emails?

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Balancing Marketing Messages

When you are contemplating the use of email marketing vs. text marketing it is good to remember that you can also use both. They can truly become the perfect pair when used together properly.

Stay one step ahead of your competitors and use both forms of digital marketing to generate leads, acquire new customers, and retain existing ones!

If you are interested in taking your digital marketing to the next level, reach out to Charisma Communications today and our content team is here to help you communicate better with your customers! Let’s chat - contact us today for a free 30-minute consultation.