There’s never been a more important time for Aussie businesses to think about how they’re reaching customers. Following the pandemic, and the many restrictions we still face, customers are now more mobile-based than ever before. As businesses try to explore new ways to reach and capture potential customers (and keep them loyal) they need to be ready to adapt to new customer behaviours and expectations. And those expectations now hinge on text messaging. If you want to find out more about how to prepare for these expectations Podium will be hosting a webinar on 13 October to talk more in depth about local business messaging trends, register here.
With 3.8 billion smartphone users across the planet and 95 per cent of texts being opened within three minutes, it’s easy to see that text has taken over. Text boasts an open rate of up to 98 per cent, far surpassing email’s average open rate of 18 per cent and click-through rate of just 2.6 per cent.
But what do these trends mean for local business? At its core, messaging (texting through SMS channels or other apps) gives your customers the convenient 1:1 connection they want in a way that’s more personal and effective than advertising. And in Australia, where smartphone penetration is already at almost 80 per cent in 2021, local businesses have a huge opportunity to use it to give customers what they’ve been asking for.
Podium’s findings show that the majority of consumers still interact with businesses through channels such as phone call or email – but that’s only because they think that’s how local businesses are set up to interact. Nearly 66 per cent actually think being able to text businesses would significantly increase convenience. If the majority of consumers are using these older channels, yet there’s an opportunity to get 98 per cent of your communication seen within the same day you send it, the value of using messaging is incalculable
However, businesses simply aren’t seeing this chance to beat their competition. Only 12 per cent of local businesses use text as a marketing tool though Podium’s findings indicate that it’s wildly effective for marketing and building relationships. In fact, when it comes to text, local businesses have a unique opportunity to connect with customers in a way that digital businesses can’t compete with.
To learn just how critical text messaging has become for local businesses, Podium interviewed more than 300 Australian consumers to gain a deeper understanding of their sentiment and familiarity with texting local businesses, and how ripe the opportunity is for those businesses who leverage it. We want to share this information with you so you can communicate with your customers more effectively, that’s why Podium is running a webinar on the 13th of October at 11am.
Join this webinar to learn:
How messaging has evolved over the last decade, and how customer preferences impact trades businesses
- How to create an effective text message strategy (and what to avoid).
- Tips and examples on managing the entire sales cycle over text.
- How promotional text messages can be an effective marketing channel for automotive businesses.
