How Can Artificial Intelligence Affect Your Job In 2018

The job market is changing like crazy, especially given how quickly technology is growing and improving. This is even more true of artificial intelligence that is now being used or plans to be used in most businesses in 2018.

There are the employees who are extremely excited about the changes and working with an artificial intelligence company to build up the company and improve their jobs. However, a lot of people are hesitant about what the new technology will do to their jobs. Here are some ways you can expect artificial intelligence to affect a job in 2018.

Working alongside the technology

In 2018, as more businesses adapt to working with AI, companies will expect employees to learn how to work alongside the technology. At this point, most artificial intelligence technology enhances a job experience rather than replacing it entirely. You might be nervous about learning how to handle new computer equipment, but once you have it down, it will make your job so much easier.

AI has the ability to analyze data and give you real time results and recommendations, which helps employees avoid busy work in order to focus more on creative solutions. It can also work very well in a customer service atmosphere. AI Chatbot can respond to questions from customers that are repetitive allowing agents to focus on problems that take more creative thinking. It can listen in to customer service calls and punch out recommendations based on the customer and the conversation on what a person should say next. A marketing department can use artificial intelligence to increase personalization with customers. This type of technology will remove a lot of the busy work from the day making it easier for employees to destress and work on doing their job instead of filling out paperwork and reports.

Even high-level executives will need to learn to work with artificial intelligence this year, as it can help produce reports and give answers to help with high level decision making. It is not a technology that can only be used in specific departments but rather a company-wide change that will improve the overall business.

What about job creation?

A lot of people are worried that jobs are going to be replaced by the new artificial intelligence technology as it becomes more advanced and capable. We’ve already seen many restaurants and retail stores trying to incorporate more self checkout and kiosks to work with instead of people. And while it’s true that artificial intelligence will be able to easily replace a lot of repetitive jobs, it will also help create many jobs. There will be a demand for more highly trained individuals to program and work with the artificial intelligence as well as new careers we can’t even think of yet. There will be new skills required to work with the technology. More jobs will be created in an industry we haven’t really explored much of yet, which means that even though people are nervous about losing jobs, AI will likely create more jobs than it takes.

Mobile Technology News brought to you by biztexter.com

Source: forbes.com/sites/danielmarlin/2018/01/16/millennials-this-is-how-artificial-intelligence-will-impact-your-job-for-better-and-worse/#1ec4fdbd4533

Marketing by Generation: Tips to Follow

There are distinct differences between all the different generations, which means you need to market to them differently. There are some things that will work across all platforms like using a machine learning company to set you up and punch out insights based on your customer data regardless of age. However, if you are planning to market to a specific age group, knowing how that generation thinks and how they respond to different marketing tactics will benefit you greatly.

Generation Z

Sometimes called post-millennial, the founders, iGen, or even Plurals, this generation has yet to have a nickname stick with them. It is typically anyone born in the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s making this the newest generation of adults and the newest customers to focus marketing efforts. Gen Z grew up with technology at their fingertips, meaning they are able to easily use technology devices. This is the generation that expects to find your company online and easily navigate information. They want to know you are doing something good with the money they give you, so missions and goals to make the world a better place are extremely important to them. Focus efforts on online marketing and communication in order to best reach them.

Millennials

Most people who are considered of the “Millennial” generation were born between the early 1980s and the mid 1990s. This group was the defining generation that completely changed everything with the use of technology.

Smartphones and the Internet really began being popular and important in their teen and college years making them technology based, though not as much so as Generation Z. It was also the generation that went through the Great Recession during their early careers making them a generation of entrepreneurs trying to start their own businesses. This makes them loyal to small businesses and communities, so marketing locally is a good method to use with them.

Millennials also spend a lot of time on social media, so social media marketing is a great place to be. This was the first generation that backed off a bit from loyalty towards companies, but as they’ve aged, their loyalty towards businesses has become more solidified again. If you are able to get their loyalty, you won’t be sorry. Rewards programs are popular, and make sure your customer service is up to speed, so they always feel like you care about them.Generation X Generation X typically describes anyone born between the 1960s and the 1980s.

This is the generation with families and full time jobs to worry about. Any kind of coupon or discount is more likely to bring them in to your store. Many of them have social media accounts but aren’t active users, which means marketing by text or email is going to be more effective than trying to focus on social media advertising. They are also in the throes of parenthood, so marketing in a way that brings the whole family togethers is going to be successful.

Baby Boomers – And the rest

The baby boomers were born between the 1940s and 1960s, though they are typically thrown in with the silent generation too when it comes to marketing strategy. Direct interaction is the best method of marketing to this generation since many of them don’t spend a lot of time on the Internet or on social media platforms. A direct text, phone call, or even letter in the mail might be enough to get them in store. Loyalty is also very important to this group of people. If they know you have worked for them in the past, you’ll get a good turnout in the future. This generation grew up when the economy was good and had nicer things in life. They want the same in their retirement years, so cost isn’t necessarily an issue. It can be hard to get them away from a brand they already love, but if you do, you’ll have a customer for life.

Mobile Technology News brought to you by biztexter.com

Source: tcbusinessnews.com/marketing-to-grandpa-and-everyone-else/

6 Tips for Marketing on Pinterest

One of the social media sites often overlooked by business is Pinterest. Pinterest is a popular site where people are able to “pin” things to their account from all over the Internet to save for later. It is extremely valuable to businesses because one pin from a customer ends up showing up on all their friends boards automatically. And with over 175 million monthly active users, there’s a lot of customers to reach out to on the platform. Not only is this a great resource for creating backlinks to your business, it also is a great way to spread the word about your great products or services other people may want to take advantage of. Here are 8 tips to follow for effective marketing on Pinterest.

1. Machine learning and automation

One of the best ways to market on Pinterest, and really any type of social media platform for that matter, is through the use of machine learning and automation. With the help of a machine learning startup, you can get set up to have a computer analyze all the data from your Pinterest pins and give recommendations on better pins to post and how to post them. Machine learning takes all the information about what pins have been viewed and how many people have posted those pins in order to determine how effective every post on Pinterest is for your business. It will analyze conversion rates per pin to tell you which pins are working and which ones aren’t. In fact, you can even have automation setup, so you don’t have to do hardly anything on your site. Marketing automation is the next big thing in marketing and is going to become the new normal in 2018.

2. Using ads

Another way to easily market on Pinterest is to simply pay for ads. When users are scrolling through the social media site, the ads are technically marked, but it is hard to see unless you are looking for it. They will assume pretty much everything in their feed is just repins from friends and will look at it if they are interested regardless of whether or not it is a paid for ad.

3. Focus on being inspiration

Some people use Pinterest as a way of finding things they really want or need in their lives. Most, however, use it as a point of inspiration. How-to guides and inspirational places or clothes are some of the most popular posts on the site. While most people recognize there is no perfect lifestyle, the goal of their Pinterest boards is to find inspiration in the lifestyles of others to hopefully start heading in that direction.

4. Recipes are golden

If there’s one thing customers identify with super well it is recipes. Everyone needs to eat, and people are constantly on the search for recipes that look and taste good. On Pinterest, there is even a feature where customers can share their experiences with that recipe to help other users know if it is worth their time, so make sure it really delicious. While it may not work for every business, posting recipes and how-to food prep guides will definitely get you some pins and bring people to your site.

5. Video ad content

A somewhat new feature on Pinterest is the ability to do video ads rolled out in 2016. People like it because Pinterest auto plays video content, so customers will definitely see it. People latch on to video content like crazy right now, but they will only ever stick around if you catch their attention in the first few seconds.

Jump right into the point of the video instead of having long introductions because people want to quickly see what you are advertising to them. It is a creative way to reach customers and a way in which they want to be reached.

6. Cheap and easy activities

Another thing people use Pinterest for is getting ideas for things to do, whether they are doing it with their kids or planning a family activity. Posting activities and how-to guides for doing those activities will get the attention of customers and help them develop interest in the products you have to offer to help with those activities.

Using Pinterest to advertise, while often overlooked as a marketing method, can be extremely effective if done right. Just be sure to check the data to see what is and is not working, so you can create better pins that your audience will love.

Mobile Technology News brought to you by biztexter.com

Source: forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2017/12/22/how-your-marketing-team-should-be-advertising-on-pinterest/#7a9109b850b8

Nine Things That Will Make Your Chatbot Easier To Talk To

Chatbots have been slower to catch on than experts predicted. A big part of the problem leading to the slower than desired adoption rate is that in the rush to get in on the chatbot craze, many businesses deployed chatbots that weren’t particularly good at doing the one thing they’re supposed to do: chat. Putting a little effort into conversational design can work wonders. If you want customers to keep using your chatbot, you have to ensure that they have a positive experience each time they do so. Here are nine things you can do to make your chatbot easier to talk to.

Define your bot’s purpose

Before you can get into the specifics of conversational design, you have to have a clear goal of what you want the finished product to be. What do you want your chatbot to be able to do for customers? Will it primarily be an information gathering bot trying to learn more about your audience? Will it provide customer service? Will it drive more web traffic to your website? Increase sales by simplifying the checkout process? Define the purpose of your bot and you’ll be ready to get into the specifics.

Make it proactive

A big reason people aren’t using your chatbot might be because they don’t know it exists or, if they know it exists, how it can help them. A proactive chatbot can introduce itself and provide suggestions about what kinds of questions people can ask it.

Think about conversation flow

Depending on what you want your bot to be able to do, it will need to be able to ask and answer certain types of questions. There’s a natural give and take (or flow) to verbal communication and a bot that doesn’t sound natural can be off-putting.

Design your chatbot to lead

Chatbots are still a somewhat novel idea and many people aren’t totally sure how to use them. Your chatbot can be more effective if you design it to lead the conversation. Still give the user the option to ask questions of course but don’t leave it to the user to lead the entire conversation from beginning to end. Your chatbot can lead by taking the initiative to suggest things that the user can ask and by asking more questions.

Confirm valid answers before moving on

A simple feature that can improve a person’s experience with your chatbot is to have your bot confirm valid responses before moving on. There’s nothing more frustrating than having a chatbot you’re conversing with go off on a tangent and you can’t bring it back all because it misunderstood one thing you said. Instead have your chatbot confirm: “you want to know about [subject], right?”.

Suggested response buttons

Complete open endedness can be difficult for a chatbot. In other words, if the customer can say or ask whatever they want using any wording, there’s a better chance that your chatbot will misunderstand and be unable to assist. Suggested response buttons in which users are given a limited number of ways to respond may lessen user engagement a little, but it may be worth it if your chatbot is able to provide better assistance as a result.

Keep it simple

The more features you try to pack into your chatbot, the less likely it will be able to perform them successfully. Especially with your first attempt at building a chatbot, keep it very simple. You can always slowly add in new features as it masters the initial ones.

Give it a personality

Nobody likes communicating with a cold and impersonal robot. Even though they know they’re talking to a computer, users will appreciate it when bots are conversational and pleasant to talk to. Program your bot to use social niceties but be careful not to go too far and make it overbearing either.

Have a human backup

No matter how much work you put into programming your bot, it will make mistakes and that’s why you always need a human backup. Integrate your chatbot into your human customer support team so that a human is always standing by to take over when your bot gets stuck. People know that bots aren’t perfect and will be understanding when it fails but only if they still receive the help that led them to your chatbot in the first place.

Mobile Technology News brought to you by biztexter.com

Source: entrepreneur.com/article/305457#

5 Ways to Optimize for Voice Search

The way people search for information on the internet has changed drastically over the years. It used to be people would type specific keywords related to the topic they were interested in. Then, it evolved into typing questions into the search bar. Now, it is evolving into voice search questions. With more people getting personal assistants such as Siri, Alexa, and others, voice search is increasing quickly. Last year, 20 percent of searches came from voice search, and that number is expected to jump to over half of all searches by 2020. Here are 5 ways you can optimize your content for voice search in preparation.

1. Get tips from machine learning

Machine learning is the ability for a computer to absorb and analyze large amounts of information. The information is then processed to provide recommendations based on the information to help you determine what type of information your audience needs and wants. A machine learning company comes in and gets it set up and helps show your company how to use it most effectively.

2. Question and answer formats

When people use voice searches, they are typically asking quick questions, and they want a fast answer. That is why companies looking to optimize for voice search need to focus on a question and answer format in their content. Make the heading a question, and give a quick and concise answer under it. This will give search engines the ability to find the exact answers to questions that customers may be looking to find.

3. Longer keywords – get more specific

If people are asking questions instead of typing them, they are more likely to get more specific in their searches. Rather than just typing “house cleaner near me,” they might ask, “What is the best house cleaner near me who uses all natural products?” This gives your company an opportunity to get more specific with the longer keyword phrases you use in order to be found. Businesses are able to get more specific with what their company offers in those search terms.

4. Give as much info as possible

If someone is looking for a business like yours, they need to be able to find you by getting as much information as possible. Your location, reviews, company contact information; this is all information people will be searching for that needs to be quickly accessible and something a voice assistant would be able to easily rehash.

5. Focus on easily repeated content

While many people use voice search and then proceed to look at the results, more people are relying on virtual assistants to repeat that information out loud to them, so they never have to look at the site themselves. It is the main reason why people love having personal assistants in their homes. Everything you are optimizing for voice search should be quick and easy for a virtual assistant to repeat as an answer to a question.

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Source: business2community.com/content-marketing/voice-search-changes-content-marketing-01962482#b8mTDtxEQTvo2d5x.97

Artificial Intelligence: An Aid in Marketing

With advanced technology becoming increasingly less expensive and more capable, artificial intelligence is no longer just a convenience in the workplace; it is now a necessity. It is the hot thing right now. Every business is finding ways to incorporate it into their work environment. One such way is through the way we are marketing. It may come as a surprise that AI can actually work extremely well in a marketing environment. Here are a couple of advantages to working with an artificial intelligence company and getting it set up for your marketing department.

More time for real employees

If you have technology taking over all your most mundane tasks such as sending emails, communicating with customers, and running statistic reports, you can save your real employees for more complex thinking situations. Your advertising team will end up getting more information to use in making decisions while also having more time in their day to actually think about and come up with marketing plans. More time for humans means more creativity and better work.

AI becoming more normal for consumers

As more AI is being used in communicating through customers, whether through text, email, social media, and chats, consumers are getting more used to it. Rather than searching out specific companies or products that they want, they much prefer to be advertising that is specific to their particular situation. At first, we saw some resistance from people who were worried about their privacy, but the more people have had AI determining their advertising, the more they are used to it and happy with the results.

In turn, you are able to advertise to specific customers at specific times and with specific needs. Instead of having to send one piece of advertising out to all customers hoping it will reach them all in the same way, you can advertise to each one differently. A family advertisement is sent to families while dog lovers get one directed towards them. It is more effective for your company, and the customer prefers it too.

Mobile Technology News brought to you by biztexter.com

Source: forbes.com/sites/andrewstephen/2017/10/30/ai-is-changing-marketing-as-we-know-it-and-thats-a-good-thing/#7ca46138dc40

The Current State of Chatbots and Why Now is the Time to Invest in Them

Much of the artificial intelligence research being done today is purely academic. But in at least one area, we’re seeing an intersection between artificial intelligence research and real life. Consumer-facing chatbots are computer programs developed by companies to converse with their customers for any number of reasons. There are shopping assistant chatbots, financial planning chatbots, personal coach chatbots, customer service chatbots, and many other kinds of consumer-facing chatbots and 2017 seems to be their big year.

Chatbots have a lot to offer businesses who invest in them. They can provide customers with 24/7 support without the high cost associated with maintaining a 24/7 support team. For businesses on the fence about chatbots, here are a few good things to know.

Two kinds of chatbots

There are essentially two different kinds of chatbots. One operates on a rules engine while the other uses machine learning and natural language processing. Rules engine chatbots are not so very different from the automated phone answering systems that have been around for years. They are programmed to recognize a number of preset commands and questions and to respond from a bank of prewritten responses. Rules engine chatbots are easier and less expensive to program but they’re also more limited in what they can offer for brands and customers. They work best in highly regulated industries where customers will mostly be using the chatbot for a limited number of functions.

More advanced chatbots use subsets of artificial intelligence such as natural language processing and machine learning. Through natural language processing, chatbots can understand more open-ended queries even if they haven’t been specifically programmed to recognize those specific queries. Through machine learning, chatbots can improve the more interactions they have with customers as they learn to recognize patterns and incorporate information gained from past failures. These are more expensive and difficult to create but they also have a lot more to offer.

Which kind of chatbot you develop for your brand will depend on your particular circumstances and goals. Many choose to start with simpler rules engine chatbots before investing in more advanced AI chatbots.

Do they really work?

Many business owners wonder if chatbots live up to all they hype–and there has been a lot of hype surrounding chatbots. The answer is both yes and no. The artificial intelligence necessary to create a program that can really think and converse like a human simply doesn’t exist yet and there are drawbacks to using chatbots. For one, they will make more mistakes than humans. For whatever reason, the simplest questions can sometimes throw off a chatbot and can result in an inappropriate response. Furthermore, some people are just hesitant about the whole idea of conversing with chatbots in large part thanks to negative portrayals of AI in pop culture.

On the other hand, discounting chatbots because humans can differentiate between them and real humans is a lot like throwing out the baby with the bath water. Chatbots are expected to save businesses more than $8 billion this year alone and many customers will appreciate the option to avoid waiting on hold on the phone by speaking to a chatbot instead.

Why now is the time to invest

Chatbot technology is far enough along to have become affordable and practical for the average small business and the growing popularity of open-source chatbot projects and chatbot building software has made it easier than ever for businesses to design one without spending a fortune. On the other hand, it’s still new enough to be novel and innovative and give brands a head start over ones that are still stuck on the fence.

Mobile Technology News brought to you by biztexter.com

Source: businessnewsdaily.com/10295-chatbot-ai-customer-service.html

Six Helpful Tips for Retaining Your SMS Subscribers

With a 98% open rate (90% within the first three minutes), SMS is the most effective marketing channel when you need to get a message out to your customers. But for all its effectiveness, it can be hard to get SMS subscribers and even harder to retain them. The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) regulations on text message marketing set forth in the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) require businesses to obtain consumers’ express permission before sending a single text and they require that consumers be allowed to opt out at any point. Most bulk SMS services include instructions for cancelling in every text message and are programmed to recognize words like “STOP”, “UNSUBSCRIBE”, “CANCEL,” and others and automatically unsubscribe recipients who reply with any of these words.

Because it’s so easy to unsubscribe, and because SMS is a rather intimate channel where consumers are more aware of unwanted communications, the unsubscribe rate for SMS is approximately seven times higher than email’s (3.7% compared to email’s .5%). Limiting opt-outs and retaining SMS subscribers should be a primary objective for mobile marketers. The following six tips can help.

Don’t make the introductory too good

Making an introductory offer for first-time SMS subscribers is a standard and commonly used practice. But if the introductory is too good, it sets an expectation for future offs that businesses simply can’t afford to live up to and people opt out when future offers don’t measure up. Promising a coupon or deal to subscribers is a fine tactic, but make sure that the introductory offer is in line with offers you will be texting out to your subscriber list in the future.

Let subscribers know who’s texting them

The average consumer who subscribes to your SMS list will probably subscribe to at least several others. Since many won’t bother to save your short code into their phone as a contact, their inbox will just have a number of text conversations from random strings of numbers and you run the risk of being deleted along with all the rest when the person cleans out their inbox. You can encourage them to save the number as a contact under your name but you shouldn’t assume they will. Include your name towards the beginning of each text so that at the very least, they can see from the message preview who is texting.

Send relevant offers

Customers need to perceive value in being an SMS subscriber of your business. If they find that they’re ignoring 90% of your texts or more because they aren’t relevant, it’s just a matter of time before they unsubscribe. You can avoid this by segmenting your SMS audience according to their preferences and interests so that the messages you’re sending is more likely to be relevant to each recipient.

Be mindful of timing and frequency

People unsubscribe when they feel the intrusion isn’t worth the occasional offer. The major disadvantage of text messaging is also its primary advantage: it’s intrusive. Open rates are high because most phones are set to give an auditory or tactile notification to their users when a message is received but opt out rates are high for the same reason. To limit opt outs for this reason, make sure you’re not texting too often or at inconvenient times. It may be wise to segment your audience according to their preferred contact time as well.

Give them the option to resubscribe

Include in the automated response to opt-outs instructions for opting back in. Some customers may make a spur-of-the-moment decision to opt out during a particularly stressful time or when they’re trying to cut down on digital interference but may reconsider later. They may unsubscribe but not delete the text conversation and decide to come back to it later and resubscribe.

Don’t lose sleep over opt-outs

Just come to terms with the fact that you won’t retain every SMS subscriber. Some will opt out and never come back. Try not to lose any sleep over it; they’re not your ideal customers anyways. Instead think of the money you save when the unreceptive subscribers remove themselves from your list and focus on providing value for the subscribers who remain.

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Five Mistakes That are Holding Your Content Marketing Back

Content marketing can be an extremely effective and powerful marketing tool when it’s used right. But for many businesses, content marketing ends up draining marketing funds without producing any measurable results. If you’ve started content marketing and have yet to see results from it, chances are you’re making at least a few of the following mistakes.

You’re not using the right tools

If you have a smaller business and you or an employee is trying to create and share content all alone, you’re not going to be as effective as you could be without the right tools. Platforms like HootSuite, Zoho, Buffer, Active Campaign, MailChimp and BuzzSumo are easy to use and can help content marketers automate some of the processes involved in creating and sharing content. They can also give additional insight into the effectiveness of various content channels and what competitors are doing.

You’re not promoting it

The disembodied voice in Field of Dreams that tells Kevin Costner’s character “If you build it, they will come” clearly didn’t have any experience in marketing. Business owners of all people should know that simply having a great product or service doesn’t guarantee success. The same goes for content marketing. First-time content marketers often think that if they’re publishing good content, people will come seeking it. While some might accidentally stumble across it while searching for keywords that are in a particular blog article or YouTube video, most potential content consumers will never see your content if you don’t promote it. Your existing customer base is a great place to start. Use existing marketing channels like SMS or email that you’re already using to stay in touch with your most loyal customers and encourage them to check out your company blog or your YouTube channel or your Facebook page or any other platforms you’re using to share content. They in turn can share your content with their friends and family that they think might be interested and they can be excellent (and free) advocates for your content.

You’re not testing and adjusting

If your content marketing efforts aren’t working in their current form, it’s not the end of the world. You can make adjustments. But you won’t know which adjustments are working and which ones aren’t if you aren’t keeping a close eye on the metrics as you experiment. Create multiple landing pages and see which ones lead to the best conversion rates. Do some A/B split testing with different headlines to see which ones attract the most clicks.

Write up a few different versions of opt-in forms to see which ones get you the most SMS or email subscriptions. Getting permission to text or email people directly gives you another channel for sharing content with those people. Never stop testing and adjusting; your content strategy can always improve.

You’re not striving for high quality content

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to learn that people aren’t going to keep reading/viewing the content you’re sharing if it’s not particularly good. Every single minute, another 300 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube.

Every day millions of new blog posts are published online. Most of that content is mediocre or flat-out terrible. You can greatly increase your chances of people following your content channels if you take a lot of pride in the creation of content. Promotion of content may get you a lot of unique visitors but it won’t get you a following unless you’re publishing content that is high quality. High quality is a difficult term to define but the easiest way to put it is that your content should be offering real value to people who view or read it.

You’re not studying the competition

The effectiveness of your content marketing will depend in large part on what your competition is doing, and more specifically, what you’re doing to differentiate yourself from the competition. However niche your industry, there are other companies that are in it and doing content marketing and their audience and your target audience probably have a lot of overlap. Keeping an eye on your competition can help you see what they’re doing content marketing-wise to be successful and it may give you some insight into something they’re not doing that you can do to entice some of their audience to follow your brand.

Mobile Technology News brought to you by biztexter.com

Source: entrepreneur.com/article/293197

Four Benefits of SMS Marketing

Of the dozens of mobile marketing channels to choose from, SMS might be the only absolute must. Some channels may work for some and not others depending on their mobile strategy but an SMS marketing campaign needs to be a central part of every company’s mobile strategy. SMS has been around since the early 90s, well before smartphones, mobile applications, QR codes, push notifications, and banner ads were even thought of. But even though it’s ancient compared to other channels, it’s not outdated. It’s still the most cost effective way to reach consumers through their mobile devices and there’s no reason that every brand shouldn’t be investing in SMS. Here are four reasons why.

Immediacy

Consider this incredible statistic: 90% of all text messages are read within three minutes of being sent. That can’t be said about any other marketing channel. About 80% of emails are deleted unread, and for the 20% that are opened, less than 10% of those will be opened within an hour of being received. How about a mobile channel like push notifications from a mobile app. Less than half of people will agree to receive push notifications from the app in the first place. Of those that do receive push notifications, they ignore 90% of them.

To understand the incredible open rate and average time between message sent and message read, look no further than how text messages work. Unless recipients’ phones are on silent, there will be an audible or tactile notification that’s hard to ignore. With most phones, this notification will repeat several more times until the text message is opened. There’s no better way to send time sensitive information than through SMS.

Intimacy

There’s a great deal more trust in giving out your cell phone number than your email address. Unwanted emails are easily ignored or sent in bulk to the spam folder either by the user or by spam filters. People are a lot more selective about who they give their phone number to. It’s usually reserved for friends and family and perhaps a few professional contacts. When businesses are granted permission to send texts directly to a customer’s cell phone, it’s a big deal. All of this means two things: it’s harder to gain access to customers through this channel but there’s much to gain when you are able to gain access to it.

Loyalty

SMS marketing is a very regulated channel. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) sets forth strict guidelines for businesses sending text messages to customers. While this presents mobile marketers with a challenge, it also means that the audience for this particular channel are going to be very loyal. Every time you send out a text message to your SMS subscribers, every single recipient will have given you their phone number and permission to send them texts. And every recipient will have refrained from opting out, when all it takes is replying to a text with a single word: “stop.”

Simplicity

Crafting a text message to send out via SMS is far easier than writing and shooting a TV or radio commercial. It’s easier than designing a print ad or publishing a blog article. Text messages ha ve a 160 character limit. It’s this simplicity that makes it so effective. A one- or two-sentence text concisely worded and complete with a direct call-to-action is all it takes to drive results. Getting started with SMS marketing is also a breeze.

It’s just a matter of choosing a bulk SMS provider, registering a shortcode for your business, and selecting the keyword that customers will need to text to opt-in. Finally, just advertise the keyword and shortcode in-store and across other channels to start building your SMS subscriber list.

Mobile Technology News brought to you by biztexter.com

Source: augustafreepress.com/benefits-sms-marketing-business