Why SMS Mobile Marketing Is Still the Best Way to Reach Customers

A person, on average, roughly spends 6 hours daily on their phone. Well, all these hours, people are not just thumb-scrolling and app-switching. They are reading and texting too!

If we talk statistically, 77% of consumers have a positive impression of companies that text. 68% of people would like to receive offers on their mobile.

With endless stats like this, businesses have numerous opportunities and touchpoints to engage their target market through SMS.

SMS mobile marketing makes your voice heard. Emails usually sit unopened. Text messages land directly in people's pockets with a vibration they can't simply ignore. SMS gets read, and it gets read fast.

What Is SMS Mobile Marketing?

Text message mobile marketing uses SMS to communicate directly with customers on their mobile devices. The format for this is very straight to the point. Businesses send targeted messages to subscribers who've opted in to receive them. These messages can include anything. Reminders, updates or invitations.

Two distinct approaches power SMS campaigns

Promotional messaging drives sales and engagement through

• Time-sensitive offers

• Product launches

• Seasonal campaigns

• Loyalty programme updates

These messages create urgency. It pushes customers toward specific actions like discount redemption, event attendance or joining a member sale.

Transactional messaging focuses on service delivery and customer support. This includes

• Payment notifications

• Order tracking updates

• Authentication codes

These texts solve immediate problems. It builds trust by keeping customers informed exactly when they need information most.

Compelling Trends and Statistics That Make Mobile Text Marketing Crucial

Australian businesses are sitting on a goldmine, and the numbers prove it. SMS mobile marketing isn't just effective. It's devastatingly efficient compared to every other channel fighting for attention.

High open rates

98% of text messages get opened. That's not a typo. Your carefully crafted email campaigns hover around 20-30% open rates (if you're lucky). Texts get read almost universally. People don't ignore their message notifications.

High click-through rates

Mobile text message marketing campaigns generate CTRs that leave email marketing in the dust. Someone opens a text and sees a clear call-to-action; they click. The friction between seeing and doing practically disappears on mobile devices.

Rapid read times

90% of messages are read within 3 minutes of delivery. This speed changes how businesses approach time-sensitive offers and urgent communications.

Strong consumer action

Businesses find SMS mobile marketing useful for driving actions, with high reported percentages of consumers attending appointments, paying bills or visiting stores after receiving a message.

Market size

The SMS Advertising market is growing at a pace as more businesses recognise what traditional channels can't deliver. That is, guaranteed visibility at scale. Mobile penetration sits extraordinarily high across Australia. Texting remains a universal activity across demographics.

Generational engagement

Gen Z, millennials and baby boomers. All show high levels of engagement with promotional texts. This cross-generational reach means bulk SMS for marketing campaigns can target diverse customer bases across platforms.

How to Get Started with Text Message Mobile Marketing

There is no doubt that SMS mobile marketing seems daunting at first. But with a clear process and the right tools? It becomes manageable. Using a platform like SMS Solutions Australia, businesses can launch campaigns that are compliant, targeted and measurable. Mentioned below is a 5 step guide to get started.

1. Identify Your SMS Use Case

All starts with clarity. Before sending a single message, work out exactly what problem you're solving. Know which customers need you're addressing. Text message mobile marketing works best when each message serves a specific purpose.

Informative use cases handle essential customer communications:

• Reminder texts reduce no-shows by confirming upcoming bookings with date, time and location details

• Order updates keep customers informed throughout the purchase journey

• Payment reminders prompt timely bill payments and reduce late fees

• Alerts and notifications deliver urgent updates to staff, field teams or customer groups instantly

Promotional use cases drive revenue and engagement:

• Seasonal campaigns use holiday timing and special events to create urgency around limited offers

• Customer loyalty programmes reward repeat business and encourage continued engagement through exclusive perks

• Competitions build databases quickly and generate excitement around your brand

• Prospect engagement reaches potential customers at optimal moments in their decision-making process

Transactional use cases support sales and service:

• Authentication and verification add security layers for account access and sensitive transactions

• Feedback and surveys collect customer insights immediately after interactions

• Staff rostering coordinates schedules and improves communication across dispersed teams

2. Build a Compliant Consent Process

Australia's regulatory environment puts consumer consent front and centre. This actually works in your favour.

SMS Solutions Australia includes auto opt-out functionality that professionally manages unsubscribe requests. Every message should clearly explain how recipients can stop receiving texts. Generally, by replying with "STOP" or "UNSUBSCRIBE."

3. Set Up Your Business for SMS

Before sending your first campaign, registration protects deliverability and your sender reputation. SMS Solutions Australia streamlines this setup process significantly.

• Do business registration first

Basic company details are required here. Legal business name, website URL, industry category and business registration number. This verification step prevents spam and builds recipient confidence.

• Get dedicated numbers next

All messages from your account originate from the same mobile number. Customers recognise your communications instantly. Alternatively, alpha tags (sender IDs) display your business name instead of a phone number. This increases brand awareness and read rates.

4. Plan Your First Campaign

With the intuitive template and personalisation features of SMS Solutions Australia, campaign planning becomes remarkably straightforward. Create message frameworks that pull customer data dynamically. This way, every recipient gets contextually relevant content.

Start by segmenting your contact list based on customer behaviour, purchase history or engagement level. Targeted messages to smaller, well-defined groups consistently outperform generic blasts to entire databases. A returning customer deserves different messaging than a first-time browser.

Consider timing, too. Mid-morning or early evening? Schedule messages when recipients are most likely to engage. Prevent overwhelming response volumes. Respects time zones and customer preferences.

5. Write Actionable SMS Copy

Text messages compete with personal conversations from friends and family. Your copy must earn its place in that intimate space.

Keep it brutally concise. State who you are, why you're reaching out and what action you want recipients to take. Cut every unnecessary word.

Book now, Claim your 20% off or Confirm your appointment. Make the call-to-action crystal clear. Include shortened URLs when directing customers online.

Create genuine urgency. Time-limited offers work because they're honest about scarcity. Artificial urgency feels desperate and damages trust.

Personalise whenever possible. First names matter, quite simply. But contextual personalisation (referencing a recent purchase or upcoming appointment) creates a deeper connection.

Track Performance and Optimise Results

To make sure your SMS mobile marketing campaign's running as planned, track every message in real-time. When you choose SMS Solutions Australia, you get live delivery reports functionality that makes this possible.

Monitor click-through rates, track conversion rates or calculate ROI. Response patterns show optimal sending times. Engagement rates reveal which message formats and copy styles work best for your audience. Unsubscribe rates signal when frequency or relevance needs adjustment.

Use this intelligence to refine subsequent campaigns continuously. Small improvements compound quickly when you're reaching thousands of customers instantly.

The Path Forward

SMS mobile marketing isn't replacing email or social media. It's filling the gaps those channels leave wide open. When immediacy matters, when open rates can't be negotiable, when customers need information now rather than eventually, text messages deliver.

Australian businesses that integrate SMS strategically gain measurable advantages. Higher engagement, faster conversions and stronger customer relationships built on permission and relevance. The channel's simplicity is its strength. No algorithms, no creative assets, no complex tracking pixels. Just direct communication that works.

You can get started with mobile text message marketing with SMS Solutions Australia today. Visit our website to set up your account and launch your first campaign within minutes.