Due to the new trends in marketing and development of advertising tools, it’s essential for businesses to choose some effective marketing channels for engaging customers.

The question is which marketing tool to choose to communicate with customers: email or SMS marketing.

This article describes the advantages and disadvantages of both 2 marketing methods to let you conclude which one fits your needs.

A Word on Email Marketing

Most of the businesses use emails to increase sales, customer loyalty and communication. On the job market there are even specific positions for email marketer.

Keep a close look at the advantages and disadvantages of email marketing.

Advantages Disadvantages
Low-cost letters and traffic payment. Just 50% of users check a mailbox every day.
Adding links and CTA buttons to the text of the letter to redirect customers to the website. The open-rate depends on the quality of the title and the letter subject.
Sending some types of emails (informational, service, advertising, newsletter). Both useful and entertaining content allow increasing brand trust. That leads to having customers make purchases. The interrupted work of the Internet connection leads to the inability to receive an email.
An unlimited number of characters. An email may end up in a spam folder.
Adding videos, images to an email to engage customers.  
Creating a brand design of emails.  
Adding a logo to enhance brand recognition.  
Customers can unsubscribe from the mailing.  
Full statistical report. You may integrate with Google Analytics for link tracking and user activity analysis.  
Creating the personalized emails.  

A Word on SMS Marketing

SMS marketing is a popular tool both for online and offline marketing. SMS marketing lets send the special offers, inform customers about a delivery, availability of goods and so on.

Shops, car dealerships, restaurants, travel and marketing agencies, as well as other businesses, use SMS to send notifications to their customers.

Advantages Disadvantages
Mobile phones are always at hand. Limited characters: up to 160.
Customers do not need the Internet to read SMS. Inability to unsubscribe from mailing.
SMS are easy to send. You do not need to build templates, brand style, and spend money on design. Just create the short text of the message and send it. No design, only text, sender name, and a short link to a site.
The high percentage of sms delivery and the availability of a delivery report for each SMS. Mobile users often consider SMS as spam and do not open it.
Increasing customers loyalty by targeting the audience and personalizing SMS.  

Short.cm for SMS Marketing

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Conclusion

After analyzing the 2 methods of mailing, determine which one is more effective for your business.

If you cannot decide which tool to use, apply both methods to conclude according to the statistical report. Send entertaining content and news via e-mail, and notifications and special offers via SMS.

What did you learn?

  • Email marketing advantages and disadvantages.
  • Why do you need email marketing?
  • The importance of SMS marketing.

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