Email vs. SMS Marketing – Which One To Choose?

Did you know that over 97% of SMS messages are read within 15 minutes?

Let’s assume that you’ve got a last-minute cancellation at your venue and want to fill in the empty space in the evening.

If you send an email to your customers at lunchtime, there’s only a small chance you’ll fill that cancelled booking. 

However, if you use SMS and combine it with an enticing offer, your chances are much higher.

Increase Sales With SMS Marketing

A while ago, we shared some SMS marketing tips and how SMS can generate a better response compared to email alone.

Read the full article here.

Here are 5 key takeaways from the article:

1. Quick set up – short text, no images
2. Immediate delivery and higher engagement – reach customers where there are
3. For best results: keep your messages simple and follow ‘what-where-when-how’ (get 10% off this Friday, simply show this CODE to our staff)
4. Ideal channel for promotional boosters and reminders
5. Always include a call-to-action and URL to a landing page, i.e. booking platform

The Combined Power of SMS & Email Marketing

The most important takeaway, however, is that it’s not a question of email vs. SMS marketing. It’s about using them in tandem to get the best out of both channels.

There are some factors to consider when picking the right channel: the type of campaign, the timeline for your promotion and your audience. 

For example, SMS campaigns are very effective for time-sensitive messages. Such as the last-minute availability offer that you could send to your local and regular customers.

If you want to keep customers updated about what’s going on at your venue, email, of course, is the medium to go for.

SMS can do more than just reminders and booking confirmations. Stay tuned for part two of this series to get additional converting SMS campaign ideas.

In the meantime, if you want to start sending your first SMS campaign, our team is happy to give you a hand if needed.