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Text message marketing is getting out of control

Writer's picture: John BrandtJohn Brandt

I’ve received a good five text messages this morning from companies I don’t remember subscribing to and have no past history of them sending me texts. And this happened in just the past few hours. 


Even as a marketer who has almost 250k unopened emails sitting in my collective inbox—I’m not a fan of “inbox zero” obviously—the text message marketing is getting out of control. 


I’m willing to bet at least half the texts I’m receiving are actual security risks and phishing attempts. 


And the other half? 


Bozo brands who believe everything their “SMS guru” says without realizing that sending unsolicited is, in fact, illegal. 


Now, I don’t expect the government to come in and take any real action: They are the government after all. But this spells trouble for the future of SMS marketing. Especially if the government decides to crack down. 


So, let me properly warn ya: 


Sending SMS messages to folks who didn’t subscribe to your emails is no bueno. 


More: 


If your forms to sign up for your email list also require a phone number, I’d reconsider nixing that part or at least making it optional. 


Here’s why: 


Even for things that I desperately want and need, if I see a phone number option on a form, I’ll stop in my tracks and go find someone else to give my money to. I’ve given my phone number out far too many times on forms only to be called—and now, texted—relentlessly. Even if I leave a note that I prefer to communicate via email. These brands don’t listen, and it’s costing them money. My money at least. Mayhap others’ money too. 


If your business is heavily reliant on selling over the phone, then, well, you’re in a bit of a pickle. But there are better ways to get interested leads on a call: Like showing up in their inbox every day, teasing how you can solve their problem, and putting the burden on them to call you vs the other way around, which naturally leads to higher quality leads. 


As for the SMS stuff… 


For years, sciolists have been beating their chest about SMS’s hIgH oPeN rAtEs. 


Even a quick google search tells me that email, on average, only gets 20% open rates while SMS gets 98%. 


But this misses all of the nuance: 


* Everyone generally opens text messages - I even opened all the ones I received today to hit “delete & report junk” 


* Just because someone “opens” a text doesn’t mean they’ll buy from it - as I prove above 


* SMS doesn’t give you much room (if any room at all) to be persuasive 


And several other reasons I don’t feel like explaining. 


Point is this: 


SMS ain’t ever gonna replace email. 


Not today. 


Not tomorrow. 


Not ten years from now. 


In fact, I think the opposite is more likely to happen: 


SMS will fizzle out the same way chatbots, mobile apps, Facebook Groups, and [insert your favorite bright, shiny marketing tactic here]. 


Why can I predict the future? 

Well, the increase in spam text messages I received this morning alone is a clue. 


But the other, more important reason is this: 


Tactics don’t work long-term. You need to be strategic in the fundamentals. Tactics always die off, and businesses who base their entire marketing strategy on tactics face an early death. 


Anywho:


If you need help implementing an email strategy based on the fundamentals that will work as effectively today as it will tomorrow, hit reply, and let’s chat. 


John 

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