20 SMS Marketing Statistics You Must Know In 2021

Firstly, What Is SMS Marketing?

Ever wondered what the big deal is about SMS marketing and not know exactly what it is and how it works?

SMS marketing (also known as mobile marketing), is a marketing communication strategy utilized by businesses to send promotional messaging to target audiences’ mobile phones via SMS (or text message).

Well luckily for you, with so many different SMS marketing providers offering a range of services, SMS marketing could not be easier in today’s society.

Businesses in 2021 can send and receive text messages in bulk volumes straight to their target audience’s mobile phones. These mass texts can be sent instantly, delivering up to thousands of SMS to phone numbers around the world, whether this be for promotional purposes, SMS marketing campaigns, or even push notifications, reminders and verifications. All you need is to choose an SMS provider, get audiences to opt-on, collect their phone numbers, and simply send your message within a matter of minutes.

Marketers are able to use SMS marketing as part of their omni-channel marketing strategy to gain and maintain strong relationships with customers and stakeholders. Whats more, is that text messages can be customized to each recipient and text message automation is also available with many SMS services making the marketing tool extremely handy for small businesses to large enterprises.

SMS campaigns are also able to be tracked through a dashboard, with the ability to analyze open rates, customer engagement, conversion rates, click-through-rates, and more.

General Text Messaging Statistics

1. 8 billion people worldwide own a mobile phone
2. In USA alone, over 272 million Americans own a smartphone – Millions of smartphone users means that business owners have the ability to send photos, videos and other multimedia as part of their digital marketing campaigns
3. 98% of all SMS messages are opened
4. The USA SMS market will reach an evaluation of $31.7 billion by 2022
5. The average user will check their phone 58 times per day, adding up to a total of over 3 hours of screen time – In fact, over 40% of millennials have said that they check their mobile devices once every 20 minutes
6.  75% of customers say they check their cell phone within 30 minutes of waking up

SMS Engagement Statistics

7. 95% of SMS messages are read and responded to within 3 minutes – With most consumers keeping their mobile phones within arms reach at all times, if you want your message seen immediately, text messaging is the way to do it!
8. SMS have a 19% CTR, compared to 4% CTR for Emails, and around 1% for Facebook – Whilst email marketing and social media marketing are both very popular marketing channels, the mobile marketing have shown the highest click-through-rates, response rates and engagement rates
9. Almost 50 million customers chose to opt-in to receive text messages from businesses in 2020
10. Around half of all branded messages are responded to by consumers – As US consumers are bombarded with many messages every single day, brands must be creative and offer value in their text message campaigns to promote desired consumer behaviors
11. ½ of all consumers have said they would opt-in to SMS loyalty programs when offered deals, promotions, or coupons

Customer Communication Statistics

12. When it comes to direct communication from brands, 48% of consumers prefer text message communication – Customers expect a high level of customer support and service from businesses, so directly communicating with existing and potential customers is crucial
13. 9 out of 10 customers prefer SMS messaging over direct phone calls – Whilst still being personal, SMS communication is far less invasive and respondents are more likely to react positively to the messages, especially having opted-in to receive the message
14. Two-way communication is crucial, with 60% of customers wanting to be able to respond to SMS messages they receive from businesses – SMS automation and chatbots are an effective way for businesses to conduct two-way communication on a large scale when completed correctly
15. 8 out of 10 customers say they would like push notifications such as appointment reminders and booking confirmations via text messages
16. Almost 45% of consumers have said that they have proactively reached out to businesses via text message – 1 in 3 customers have said that they have reached out to businesses via SMS and never received a response

SMS Marketing Industry Statistics

17. The top industries utilizing text message marketing is E-commerce/Retail, Real Estate, and Healthcare
18. Over 60% of businesses have said the biggest advantage of SMS marketing software is the fast delivery times – SMS text messages can be delivered within minutes, if not seconds, making mobile messaging one of the fastest communication channels
19. In 2020, retailers have increased their spend on SMS marketing strategy platforms by 56%
20. The top 3 types of successful SMS marketing messages sent to customers are shipping and delivery tracking status, order or booking confirmations, reminder text messages

Summary

Ultimately, there is no doubt that the use of SMS marketing is, and will continue to be a vital part of any marketing campaign. With the widespread adoption of mobile technology, and the ability to target specific demographics, SMS communication is the best way to reach existing and potential customers alike. 

With many SMS providers available to USA businesses, including Twilio, ClickSend, Bulk SMS, Simple Texting, Zipwhip and more, you have the ability to choose an SMS platform service that suits your needs and marketing budget. 

If the texting statistics don’t speak for themselves, discover more about SMS marketing with our guide to mobile marketing in 2021 or compare a range of SMS marketing services with our collection of comparison tables.

SMS Marketing Guide SMS Marketing Comparison