Because weâve made our smartphones the device of choice, text messaging provides you with a messaging option that doesnât have to navigate social media algorithms to get in front of your customers.
Whatâs up with that? Youâve connected with a customer on a social media network like Facebook or Instagram. Theyâve signaled that they want to see and hear what you have to say. But now, whether you pay for it or not, social media network algorithms are deciding how visible to make your posts.
A single post on a social media network no longer instantly makes your message availableâeven to those who have specifically asked to see it. The âdirect reachâ to these important people hasnât been disconnected, but itâs certainly now a convoluted route. If you want a direct connection thatâs not at the mercy of being cut by social media algorithms, you need to switch to text message marketing.
By the numbers
Even the government is not immune to being distanced from users on social media. A recent article on a website for government technology reports that some government entities are reporting a reduction by as much as five times.
What are these algorithms doing, anyway? The major social networks donât officially release all the details, and the algorithms constantly change. But, letâs say you want to reach customers who have opted to follow your Instagram account. There are seven key factors you have to juggle to make sure your message actually reaches them.
- How much engagement your posts receive
- How long your posts are viewed
- Who engages most with your posts
- The time of day you post
- The type of content you post
- How often your account is searched for
- How often your posts are shared as direct messages
Itâs easy to see that this is all about engagement, but it creates a âchicken or the eggâ situation because you canât get engagement unless your posts are seen. Unless, of course, you pay for it.
A direct connection
You already know where your audience is, but it has become more important to know how your audience is getting there. From browsing the internetâincluding participating on social mediaâor communicating with friends, itâs by using their mobile device.
And, because weâve made our smartphones the device of choice, this provides you with a messaging option that doesnât have to navigate social media algorithms to get in front of your customers. Itâs a direct connection. Here are the top four benefits to using text messages as a way to have direct access to your customers.
 1.  Visibility
Social media can get your brand in front of a wide audience, but in most cases, youâd rather have it seen by your target market. Even if you pay to post or promote it, youâre still a victim of social media algorithms. Plus, you still have to find a way to stand out and capture attention. Itâs easy to get lost in a sea of posts, even if you are promoted. You get no special attention.
Itâs a different story with text message marketing. Youâve got a direct connection and usually deeper attention. Your message has a tendency to be treated less casually by recipients than yet another notification from Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter about a post. Many companies report higher visibility as a result.
2. Connectivity
Thereâs a balancing act you have to accomplish with social media marketing. Youâve got to engage them without annoying them. Many companies judge their marketing content by how frequently it gets shared because we all love to pass along helpful or entertaining stuff to friends and loved ones.
What we donât appreciate is coming across something we find interesting and want to follow up on, but we know weâll probably never see it again when we look for it later. Yes, the social media networks have ways for us to save posts for later viewingâif weâre so inclined to figure it out. A text message, on the other hand, canât get easily lost. We can quickly view it and decide to act on it later.
3. Convenience
What weâve always loved about social media is the ability to reach an intended audience quickly and easily with just one post. The social media platforms set up tools to make that possible, which means we donât necessarily equate the same capability to text messages.
SMS marketing platforms offer this same powerful convenienceâbut with one important difference. You skip dancing with social media algorithms and connect directly with every single one of the people you set out to reach. Text messaging hands you more direct contact for the same effort.
4. Cost
A standard Facebook post is free, as is a post on Instagram, or a tweet on Twitter. It costs you nothing to build followers or engage with existing customers. However, you first have to hope you make it in front of peopleâs eyeballs because of the growing number of prerequisites for your posts.
Facebook and Instagram ads and promoted tweets can be an expensive proposition. Youâre paying for prominence, but youâre still fighting for attention as users scroll quickly to try to make it through everything thatâs been recently posted in order to find relevant content.
Yes, you pay for business text messaging, too. But, when you consider the visibility and the direct connection, the return on investment is much higher. Itâs possible that a single promoted tweet might cost you more than several text message campaignsâdirect text messages free of competition.
Two-way business text message platforms are easy to use and donât even have to be tied to your existing phone service. Find out more and start a 14-day trial.