Will Ads Take Over Your Text Messages?

 Don't you wish there was a way to opt out of group messages on your phone?

It's going off 24/7 due to a group message with about 12 people.

The constant buzzing forces one to put said phone on do not disturb.

Well...you may be in for a lot more buzzing, as more household brands may be exploring advertising directly to your inbox.

Why Use Text Messaging as a Platform?

There are very few people I know that don't use the text message app on their phone. I can safely say that almost everyone I know regularly sends/receives texts messages on a daily basis.

We have learned to communicate via text and choose to use it over many other methods.

Most people usually keep their mobile phones close to or in their pocket, and are always checking them.

It is obvious that text messaging highly engages the people that use it.

According to Forbes, 95 out of 100 of your customers who have opted into your text messaging program open and read your mobile messages within 3 minutes.

I have sent thousands of emails, and I know they never get opened up that fast.

People have become so immersed in text messaging that it has become habit to automatically open up a message right when you receive it.

A lot of consumers decide to opt-in because they hope to receive a coupon, discount, or new offer via a text message.

One thing that people don't know is that marketing for texts is highly regulated. This is done in an attempt to get rid of spamming and to protect the consumer.

So when creating a campaign for texting, you need to make sure that you are following the regulations.

This makes it so companies can't take advantage of this platform. As a consumer, I am more apt to open up a text from a company when I know that they are following the best practices for texting.

Texting could be a huge asset for a company because it is integrated in our lives.

Text vs. Email

Could text advertising work better than email?

Text has a lot of positives that email doesn't.

If you want consumers to get a coupon, messaging them on their phone is an easy way to make sure that they are receiving/opening it. More and more companies are getting permission from consumers to send them texts because it is so convenient.

I have my settings set on my phone so it updates my emails every 15 minutes. The problem with this is it destroys my battery life. Many people turn this feature off on their phone so it doesn't drain their battery.

These people will not receive the email unless they open up the app.

The standard messaging app on your phone wastes a lot less battery and, as long as you have decent service, texts are received shortly after the person sends it. Also, most people have it so that when they receive a text they are immediately notified.

Email apps are more complicated and take longer to use. When not on a wireless network, it can be difficult for email apps to run as fast as text messaging ones.

The overall speed of texting is much faster than emailing.

Mashable found a statistic from a 2010 Frost and Sullivan report that marketing based text messages had a 98% open rate. They said the report was unavailable and when they asked Frost and Sullivan, they said the report was sealed.

The statistic shows that texts almost always get opened, the same is not true for email.

With texting technology now you can add links photos, and videos into messages just like an email.

Sending advertisements via text could prove to be a successful way to get people to engage with your advertisements.

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