4 Reasons Why Texting Is Key For Business Communication

You already use SMS in your daily life. In fact, you probably use SMS texting more than any other communication method, including calling and emailing. But did you know that SMS is just as crucial for business communication as it is for personal communication?

SMS for business communication is vital in today’s world. It instantly and reliably connects people around the globe, providing more communication and marketing opportunities than ever before.

We’ll cover just why SMS is so essential for businesses and the multitude of advantages it holds for every company, no matter the size or what your unique needs are.

SMS Communication For Business & Why It Matters

There many reasons why SMS is the preferred method of communication for so many people. Essentially, it boils down to the three core attributes of texting: it’s easy, quick, and dependable. Any one of these in a communication method is great, but combining all three creates a near-perfect medium.

But those characteristics aren’t the only reasons why texting for business communication is so necessary in today’s world.

Connection With Everyone, Everywhere

In 2019 alone, over five billion people around the world own either a cellphone or a smartphone. That number has only increased since then. A majority of people across every demographic (age, gender, etc.) own a phone and a large percentage of people in both advanced and emerging countries heavily rely on SMS.

As a result, you can potentially connect with anyone across cities, states, and even international borders.

SMS also has more built-in accessibility options than other communication methods, such as voicemail or email. This means that people aren’t limited by visual or auditory disabilities, ensuring your messages are user-friendly.

And best of all, you can use SMS in a variety of ways to connect with customers. Announcing promotional offers, sending delivery updates, and requesting feedback are just a few examples of how you can use texting to boost your business.

Best Rates In The Industry

Texting has the best rates across the board in comparison to every other communication method, including voice broadcast, and email.

The most impressive is a 98% engagement rate, which holds steady across all ages, gender, and geographic locations in the U.S.

Historically, SMS has also garnered a 98% open rate. Even with the rise of business text marketing, this statistic has nearly remained the same. More recently, 70% of people open messages within five minutes; this increases to 90% at the 30-minute mark.

And to demonstrate the effectiveness of this, the same 2019 study that revealed these rate also reported that 86% of small businesses that used SMS had higher engagement rates overall and in comparison to email marketing.

This boils down to one basic true: people prefer text messages.

Scalable For Every Unique Business Need

Another attribute that makes SMS so popular (and crucial) is that it’s scalable to fit every need your business has, no matter how unique it may be. This makes it customizable not only for customers, but for companies as well.

Here are just a few ways texting is scalable and suitable for every type of business:

• SMS Messages – For companies that only need to send basic messages, SMS services are the best way to go. They’re also the easiest and most cost-effective type of text, maximizing your benefits.
• MMS Messages – This type of texting is perfect for companies that want to stand out against the competition. With the ability to send pictures, videos, GIFs, and more, engagement rates quickly increase.
• Long Codes – Long codes are ideal for businesses that want to connect with a select group of customers or foster more intimate relationships with subscribers. Toll-free, international, and local area code options are also available.
• Short Codes – These are perfect for businesses looking to send mass messages or that want to focus on application-to-person communication. Bulk texting capabilities allow you to send thousands of messages in minutes.
• Vanity Short Codes – Increasing brand recognition is just one of the benefits that comes with a vanity short code. These numbers cultivate and reinforce your company’s image, effortlessly providing another marketing opportunity.

Companies can also invest in services like phone validation. These verify, clean, and check the numbers in your contact list to ensure they’re active and accurate.

Combining texting platforms and a phone validator increases deliverability and the conversion rate, creating a more accurate and reliable service overall.

Cost-Effective Plans

SMS is one of the most cost-effective forms of communication with one of the best returns for value. This is especially true for volume-based pricing, since you only pay for what you need and what you send.

Along with a monthly API fee, here’s a quick breakdown of the costs associated with texting:

NUMBER TYPE	OUTBOUND	INBOUND
SMS Messages
Long Codes	$0.0075/text	$0.0075/text
Short Codes	$0.0075/text	$0.0005/text
MMS Messages
Long Codes	$0.0175/text	$0.009/text
Short Codes	$0.0175/text	$0.01/text

There’s also a one-time setup fee and monthly fees associated with number types, such as random short codes, vanity short codes, and long codes.

Long codes are the most affordable to lease. Random short codes and vanity short codes are relatively close in price, though still more expensive than long codes.

Short code carrier fees typically range between $0.005 and $0.0035 per message.

The best SMS companies also offer international rates and custom quotes for your convenience. Either way, you get more SMS for less cost.

Click here to learn how your business can profit from texting, to maximize your returns while minimizing cost.

Leveraging Texting For Your Company

In today’s world, texting and communication for business are nearly synonymous. If you have a marketing and communications plan, SMS needs to be part of it. It offers the best return on investment and has demonstrated success connecting with more people, more effectively.

Esendex's mass texting software and programmable SMS API are two texting solutions that offer all of the benefits described above. Our platforms offer reliable communication (in fact, we offer a 99.9% uptime SLA) for all businesses, no matter what your needs are or what your budget is.

Dash Notify is an out-of-the-box messaging platform and SMS Notify! is an easy-to-use, programmable API. Both offer the same great service with tons of features, including MMS capabilities, text scheduling, lightning speeds, and detailed reports.