Is SMS messaging in business a good idea or a bad idea? Should businesses be texting their customers? The short answer is YES. It’s a great idea.

Why is it Important for Businesses to Text Their Customers?

Text messaging is the most used feature on a smartphone. The average American adult sends about 100 text messages every single day. Your customers have their phones with them all day long, and they’re often looking at it. Whether we like it or not, people tend to look at their phones about 80 times a day according to the NY Post. Maybe this isn’t ideal in all situations, but for small and local businesses, this is your key to conversation with your valued customers. They want to talk to you in a way that is most convenient for them. Meet them where they are and allow them to talk to you through SMS messages.

Be Where Consumers Are

Millennials are especially accustomed to communication that is done through technology. They grew up in a world where calling someone to chat on the phone is almost unheard of, because text messaging is so much easier and quicker in many situations. Texting is a go-to form of interaction for most people and the truth is, consumers want to text your business. It’s common for someone to remember that they need their HVAC system tuned up while they’re sitting in a meeting, and they can’t call to schedule with you, so they want to text. Maybe your customer is at their child’s doctor appointment and realize they forgot to schedule your business for their carpet cleaning. Allowing your customers to text you makes their lives easier. You are busy and so are your customers. Providing a quick and easy way for them to get in touch with you through text messaging is convenient and shows your customers that you have their best interest in mind. 

Improve Customer Experience

What better way to personalize your interactions with customers than to engage with them on a platform that they prefer? Targeting your marketing and communication methods to your specific customers is vital to business growth. The best part about texting customers is that you’re targeting pretty much everyone with this form of communication. You can easily improve your customers’ experience with your business each time by allowing them to quickly and easily ask you questions, schedule an appointment or provide you with feedback through text messaging. 

In short, your business should be texting your customers. Your customers should always have the option to contact your business in a way that is most comfortable to them, to put you at the top of your industry. There are many benefits of SMS messaging in business, including: 

• Your business becomes the most convenient choice for them.
• The quick response time through text messaging puts you ahead of your competition. 
• Everybody texts – If your business does too, you become more appealing to consumers. 
• Texting makes your business communications more personal.
• Texting helps your business stand out from the crowd.

If your business isn’t already communicating with customers through text messages, now is the perfect time to change that. Your employees lives will be easier, your life will be easier and most importantly, your customers life will be easier because of you!

For more insights on marketing strategy that actually works for small business, connect with Jay Bean, Founder of FreshLime and Small Business Marketing Expert on LinkedIn and Twitter. If any of these tips have helped you or if you have anything to add, please comment below. We’d love to hear from you!