We live in a digital world where calling is not the only way of communication. Instead of taking the time and pounding the phone over and over again, the companies are now using mass texting as a great way to get in touch with their target audience. Whether you choose bulk SMS or mass calling, you should acknowledge that both are effective means that businesses, community organizations, and non-profit institutions can all benefit from in the same or similar manner. In fact, they are quite popular communication tools for organizations of all kinds in recent times, especially emergency services, health care offices, employee pools, and private social groups.
But one may think of which method is more effective for communicating with the customers and what makes a good choice for modern marketers. In this write-up, we will break down some of the pros and cons of using SMS text messages and phone calls to broadcast your marketing message, letting you decide on which channel is right for you. Let’s begin.
The Pros & Cons of Using Automated Phone Calls
First, we will take a look at some of the major benefits as well as drawbacks of using automated phone calls.
Pros
It’s simple to get started – You can get the phone numbers of your prospects with an easy opt-in and start sending them your marketing messages right away.
Bulk broadcasting is possible – There are many platforms like DialMyCalls which allow to pre-record your message and send voice broadcasts to hundreds of people. Customizating your message depending on the phone numbers of your list is also possible.
You may cherish a wider reach – Since almost everyone has a mobile phone device, with your automated, pre-recorded phone calls, you can target a wide audience.
Cons
Most phone calls go unanswered – People generally don’t pick up the phone calls when they see an incoming call from an unknown number which could be very unfortunate for your marketing campaign.
Many users don’t check their voicemail messages – As per researchers, there is only 18 percent of people who listen to voicemails from numbers that they don’t recognize. Most people tend to delete their voicemail messages.
The Pros & Cons of Using SMS Messages
Text messaging is relatively a newer trend of doing marketing, compared to phone calls, but never mind the potential and effectiveness of this tool. Let’s have a look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of using SMS text marketing without any delay!
Pros
Sensational open rate – SMS text messages boast a 98% read rate and 90% of all texts are opened within three minutes.
Perfect for time-sensitive promotions – With SMS text messages, there comes a real-time delivery and openness which makes it ideal for high-value, time-sensitive discounts and offers.
Boosts engagement with customers – It is very simple to conduct surveys, polls, and text-to-win competitions to engage with customers using SMS messages.
Sending auto-replies is possible – With advanced SMS broadcast systems, you can easily set up auto-replies and responses about price updates, your services, thank you messages, and more. This means you will have contact with your clients even when you’re away from your smartphone.
Cons
There is generally a 160-characters limitation – SMS text messages, most of the cases, are limited to a short space of 160 characters, making it difficult to broadcast your marketing messages.
(Bonus tip: This might be the reason you decide to go for voice messages or emails but you will be happy to know that modern SMS broadcast tools like our HiTech Terminal allows for up to 1200 character text limit.)
People will leave your service if you overdo it – If you send your marketing messages too often or too many, users may consider it as spamming and leave your service which can reduce your market size.