Let’s set the stage: Your marketing team finds itself planning for the launch of a new product or service, and you’re eager to create buzz in the market. However, you’re constrained by a limited budget and need to strategically decide how to maximize your resources. A familiar question arises: Will SMS or email have the highest ROI? It’s probably not that difficult to imagine because, for…, What’s the difference between email and SMS?, When it comes to SMS vs email, there’s a lot to consider. Since the first text message was sent in 1992 , Short Message Service (SMS) has remained largely the same – short (160 characters) and direct. This simplicity has driven its massive use and popularity, as SMS is supported by every mobile device in the world (to show just how massive SMS is, that’s 7.3 billion people !). In contrast,…, SMS , Email , Open rates , 98% Between 15-20% , Click through rate (CTR) , Around 20% 3-5% , Affordability, Fairly cheap Cheap, especially for large volumes , ROI , High High , Reliability , Seldom goes to spam Susceptible to spam filters , Reach , Mobile phone users Accessible on various devices and platforms , Response rates , 40-50% 4-6% , Character limit , Limited to 160 characters No limit – can be short or long , Capabilities , Send written text only Send text, images, videos, forms, links, social media buttons, and so much more , Pros and cons of SMS , SMS marketing holds a special place in the world of digital marketing because it feels personal and one-to-one. However, like any tool, SMS comes with its own set of pros and cons. Here are some, advantages of SMS marketing, campaigns:, High open and engagement rates:, Text campaigns have an average open rate of 98%, and their concise nature encourages recipients to engage with content quickly. , Immediacy, : With text message marketing, recipients get notifications immediately, which means that SMS is ideal for sending exclusive offers. , Conversational, : SMS is a two-way conversational channel , meaning you can have one-to-one conversations with customers and easily answer their questions as they come in. , Direct and personal, : Text messages are often considered a personal channel to communicate, giving your brand the opportunity to create a close connection with your customers. , Wide reach, : According to Statista , there are more mobile phones in the world than people! That means you potentially have a huge swath of people available to communicate with using SMS. , Ease of use, : Text messages are sent via a cellular network and don’t require a data plan or internet connection to be delivered to a mobile phone, and users don’t have to download a third-party app or service to receive them. Of course, there are also some, disadvantages of SMS marketing, . Unlike email, SMS messages don’t support images or multimedia content, and the character limit is restrictive when you want to convey detailed information. It’s important to note that because SMS messages are delivered instantly and demand immediate attention, your recipients might find them annoying or disruptive in certain situations if they’re used inappropriately or too frequently., Pros and cons of email, Email has become an integral part of our personal and professional lives. It offers great reach and cost effectiveness but is also susceptible to inbox clutter and spam filters. Let’s go through a few of the advantages and disadvantages of email marketing. Here are some advantages of running an email marketing campaign:, More words to get your point across, : If you’re sharing detailed or extensive content, email is a great way to promote it. Compared to SMS, email doesn’t have many content limitations. That makes it great for things like newsletters and product updates. , Opportunities to engage, : Because you’re not limited by the number of links you can send, email allows subscribers to engage with embedded links, videos, and more. , Easy to share and forward, : People who love your brand can easily forward your updates and promotions to their friends and family. , Interactive, personalized experiences, : Email can help you provide interactive experiences with dynamic templates that include things like forms, product previews, and more. , Less intrusive, : Recipients don’t necessarily get a notification every time they receive an email message, which means they can read them at their convenience. , Great ROI, : On average, email drives a return on investment of $36 for every dollar spent , higher than any other channel. , Email is checked frequently, : 99% of email users check their inbox every day, with some checking it 20 times per day. Of course, email marketing faces challenges like deliverability issues, where messages might end up in spam folders. Email marketers also face hurdles like oversaturation, where the sheer volume of emails competing for attention can lead to message fatigue. That’s why it’s important to make sure your email…, SMS vs email: Should you use just one, or both?, At this point, we know what you’re thinking: Now I know the pros and cons of SMS and email marketing, but which one do I choose? The answer isn't that simple – that’s why we recommend evaluating a few things as you put together your marketing strategy:, The nature of your business, : Consider your brand and your industry. Some businesses need to give instant updates, while others rely on nurturing long-term relationships. Is one more important than the other, or do both have a level of importance? , Your target audience, : Delve into your customers’ preferences and behaviors. Do they need to know something immediately, or would they prefer a more in-depth, visually appealing representation? Understanding your target audiences’ communication preferences and habits is key to tailoring your marketing strategy. , What you want to convey, : Do you need to send a limited-time offer, or are you sharing a content-rich product update? As a rule of thumb, email works better when the information you want to share isn’t time sensitive and SMS is better for things that need immediate attention. Truth be told, email and text marketing have unique strengths in different scenarios, and the key to using both channels lies in having clear…, Best practices for combining SMS and email, Now, you might be wondering: I read this entire blog, and the conclusion is that both tools are necessary? That’s not a straightforward choice between one or the other. And that’s right. A well-planned omnichannel strategy will provide the most effective results, keeping your marketing budget in check and optimizing ROI. Here are a few things to consider as you plan to use an omnichannel…, Start with an opt-in campaign, Regardless of the communication channels you use, you need to ensure that people have willingly opted in to be contacted by you. Email compliance standards have tightened over the past decade and SMS compliance is even more strict. Above all, make sure that your email and SMS efforts comply with relevant regulations, like the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) for SMS and laws like GDPR…, Learn more about opt-in campaigns:, Check out this resource about email opt-in campaigns or learn about SMS opt-in best practices. , Have a segmentation strategy, Both email and text message marketing have unique strengths for reaching your audience with different updates. That’s why it’s important to segment your audience. Segmentation could look like allowing users to choose how they want to receive shipping updates or purchase confirmations when they create an account, for example, and targeting them through the channel of their choice. Segmentation…, Learn more about email segmentation:, Here's how email segmentation has a direct impact on your conversion rate. , Use the channels to complement each other, We’ll leave you here with the analogy of SMS and email being “siblings, not twins” in your marketing strategy. Think of email as being the eloquent sibling who narrates a story in detail including photos. SMS, meanwhile, is the snappy sibling that delivers immediate, punchy updates. Together, they can help you create a cohesive omnichannel marketing strategy – each having a distinct style that…, Get started with SMS and email marketing, Let’s go back to the example we used at the beginning of this blog. You’re choosing the “right” channel for a new product launch with a limited marketing budget. You ask yourself, will email be the right choice? Or SMS? There’s no clear winner here: Both SMS and email have their own place and purpose in a well-thought-out marketing strategy. For example, you could use email to send an overview…
Type: Blog Article
Microsoft Teams recently hit 300 million monthly active users , with five million PSTN seats added over the past 12 months. It’s clear Teams has become the go-to communication and collaboration platform for businesses worldwide. A significant part of Teams’ rapid growth is its flexibility to integrate PSTN calling, which transforms it into a complete UCaaS platform. Microsoft Teams Phone System…, The benefits of choosing Operator Connect for Teams , The world is already using Teams, and this may include your organization. Operator Connect is an easy way to add PSTN calling to Teams without the complex setup or need to change your PSTN carrier. Every business has its own unique needs, and whether you choose Operator Connect or Direct Routing will depend on your specific needs. So, let’s dive into the core benefits of using Operator Connect…, Add PSTN calling to your Microsoft tech stack , You might already have a Teams license if you use Microsoft 365 for your business. Put it to use with Operator Connect by adding PSTN calling to make Teams your primary business phone system. Teams began as an internal collaboration tool but quickly expanded to allow businesses to communicate with outside partners and customers. Once you add Operator Connect, Teams has everything you need for…, Stay flexible with Bring Your Own Carrier (BYOC) , Operator Connect for Microsoft Teams allows you to choose any Microsoft-certified PSTN carrier. Your existing carrier may be an approved partner, but if not, you have countless options to choose from. The certification process is a crucial difference between Direct Routing and Operator Connect. Any carrier can be used with Direct Routing, provided the carrier offers the service. You’ll also need…, Be ready to use new AI products , Microsoft refuses to be left behind as AI continues advancing how we work and create. As a result, the company recently introduced a new feature called AI Copilot , offering new utility throughout the M365 suite. Copilot is intended to improve collaboration and productivity by reducing the manual work involved in repetitive tasks. Initially, Microsoft Dynamics CRM and ERP solutions users will…, Easily scale phone systems alongside your business , Your telecommunications need to scale as your business grows. Otherwise, you’ll face speed bumps and barriers, which may unnecessarily hinder your growth. Operator Connect excels when it comes to user management. You can request more numbers and provision or de-provision users through an easy-to-use interface. As a result, you’ll remove time-intensive user management processes and allow new…, Future-proof your phone system , Ultimately, switching to Microsoft with Operator Connect is a significant step towards future-proofing your phone system. Teams has already become the dominant communication and collaboration platform, and we’re seeing how Microsoft intends to continue integrating Teams into its entire suite. Additionally, Microsoft has heavily invested in AI and will continue integrating AI tools with its…, Add PSTN calling to Teams with Sinch , Operator Connect is a sensible choice for many organizations, striking a balance between cost-effectiveness, dependability, and full integration with Microsoft 365. Whether your organization has basic needs like managing a few numbers or more complex requirements with hundreds or thousands of users, Operator Connect is both accessible and easy to manage. Even though some businesses may only…
Type: Blog Article