Dr. Amy Vanderbilt

CEO & Chief Strategist

the TrendPOV Show

http://DrAmyVanderbilt.com

Dr. Amy Vanderbilt is the Founder and Chief Strategist at TrendPOV.com, next generation social omni-media that over 600 thousand executives call GPS for your business strategy. She is an award-winning author, show host, executive coach, speaker, and commentator.Her career has enjoyed a fast climb through the ranks of academia, large business, small business, and even the Government by harnessing the power of emerging trends and her unique ability to understand where they are going, and how to use them for competitive advantage

Using email newsletters as a form of marketing may soon be as outdated as receiving packs of coupons in the mail (snail mail) thanks to the upsurge of short messaging services (SMS) already popular for many years among the nation’s youth. In the 40 years since the first electronic mail message was sent, email has evolved into a useful marketing tool as well as a form of communication that has given snail mail a good run for its money. If it wasn’t for the burden of email spam and the influx of short messaging services (SMS), it may well have been a front runner for many more years. SMS really took off in the 1990s as a form of communication used by youth because it was quick and initially, it was free. As people began to suffer from information overload with email, text messaging seemed like light relief. Meanwhile, marketers were finding that a large percentage of their email newsletters were wasted. According to a report on mobitize.com is, “Out of 100 marketing emails sent out, only 22 percent are actually read, with a response rate of less than two percent. Whereas with text (SMS) messages, 97 percent are read within a few minutes of receiving, and have an approximate 23 percent plus response rate.” Although SMS texts can be blocked, heavy regulation and the 160 character limit means messages are more carefully crafted and relevant. From the customers’ point of view, so long as they feel in control, they are more willing to opt in. Phone numbers may be fiercely guarded initially, but marketers are realizing the importance of building a relationship with customers to establish trust and loyalty. With many customers already on the receiving end of SMS led strategies, marketers need to keep up with evolving technology and move on from email marketing to secure a place in an increasingly competitive world. To turn this trend into an advantage for your company, consider the following. Email is giving way to SMS. Plan for how you will make the email-to-SMS transition. If you cannot express your offering in 160 characters, rethink it. mSMS is not suitable to everything. Lastly, do not expect people to hand out their mobile numbers so easily.