With technology developments driving a revolution in the way we communicate, the marketing world has been forced to shift its focus towards mobile marketing. Once the domain of only a few major brands, the sheer number of mobile phone users has caused mobile marketing to move into the mainstream.

Somewhat neglected while social media and email continued their rise, the improved connectivity of mobile now links mobile marketing with social media and email like never before. The way we use our phones has changed forever, and marketing needs to change to make the most of this powerful device that we all carry in our pockets.

• Pew Research reports that 95% of Americans now own a cellphone
• 100% of 18-29 year olds own a cellphone in the US.
• Between the end of 2011 and June 2014, global text usage grew from ~395 billion to 561 billion messages per month - a growth of approximately 140%.

Because mobile was overlooked in favour of social media and email marketing, it remains a marketing channel that many companies are unsure of. If you’re hesitant to add it to your marketing mix, or still believe any of these mobile myths, think again. Kaboom!

Myth 1: Mobile Marketing Isn’t As Effective As Other Marketing Techniques​

While SEO, social media, email and traditional marketing remain standard, time and again studies have shown that mobile marketing beats these alternative when it comes to solid results:

• Open and read rates - 98% of texts are opened compared to only 20% of emails
• Conversions - mobile voucher redemption is 10x that of print offers
• Response times - consumers respond to texts in 90 seconds or less, compared with 90 minutes for email

Myth 2: People Prefer Interacting with Companies via Computers

The way we access the web has changed. More people go online now via their mobile devices than a computer, and mobile internet usage makes up 70% of today’s internet usage.

As websites become increasingly mobile-compatible, apps develop and mobile internet connectivity becomes faster, this percentage is set to grow. Google’s latest algorithm favours mobile-ready websites than those that don’t look good on a mobile screen.

The growth in this kind of mobile interaction is fueled by convenience. Texts provide a quick and easy way for customers to get in interact with businesses, whether it’s receiving an SMS order confirmation or delivery update, to rescheduling an appointment or contacting customer services.

Myth 3: It's Just a Fleeting Trend​

Text and mobile marketing is expected to grow to become an increasingly important part of the marketing mix. The growth of mobile, internet connectivity and technology like AI and automation will help mobile marketing become more sophisticated. Integration with messaging apps means mobile marketing is the way forward.

Myth 4: Customers Don’t Like to Receive Texts from Businesses

While consumers have been bombarded with ads on social media, spam emails and pop-up ads online, the relatively unmined area of mobile means they don’t associate mobile with marketing in the same way. Around 75% of consumers want businesses to communicate with them via text rather than targeted internet ads. In addition to receiving messages and relevant offers from the business, many consumers want to interact with businesses via text for customer service.

Myth 5: Texting Alienates Older Customers

With 100% of 18-29 year olds owning a mobile, text marketing is an ideal way to reach out to young consumers. But it’s not just young people who love to text:

• 98% of smartphone users aged 30-49 text
• 92% of 50+ smartphone users text

Far from alienating older consumers, launching a mobile marketing campaign can actually help you target older demographics.

Why not test some of these persistent mobile marketing myths yourself? Start your own SMS marketing program today and see what it can do for your business.