10 Uses for SMS in Small to Medium Sized Businesses

Over the past fifteen years the mobile phone has become the world's communication device of choice- far more preferred than the use of land-lines, television and radio, for example; and not surprisingly so. The magic of the mobile phone no longer lies only in its portable nature, but also in its simplicity, its usability and its adaptability. As a personal device for individuals, it can literally be said to have revolutionised the way that friendships, families and relationships function. Importantly too, however, thousands of successful businesses have recognised the power and reach that can be achieved with Mobile Marketing. Why? Because a mobile phone represents an immediate and highly personalised channel to the consumer that other media battle to attain.

One of the most successful forms of mobile marketing has been in the use of Bulk SMS (SMS Marketing). Although SMS Marketing has spread like wildfire between businesses of all sizes, the small to medium sized business, particularly, stands to benefit from this form of advertising.

Because we so strongly believe in the power of SMS and because we like to help out, we have here listed ten ways in which SMS Marketing can powerfully enhance the advertising capacity of your small to medium enterprise:

1. Mobile messaging can effectively level the playing field between large and smaller enterprises because of its cost-effectiveness. Small businesses with limited budgets are able to reach as wide an audience as larger enterprises, due to the low per-message costs.

2. Global coverage means that as a smaller enterprise with a fittingly smaller advertising budget, you are no longer restricted to reaching local audiences only.

3. Messages are targeted and always based on the consensus of the consumer; and if you know your target market well you will be able to relax in the knowledge that your messages are appropriately tailored and that you have spent your money in a worthwhile way.

4. Due to this targeted nature of SMS Marketing, response rates with mobile messaging are much higher and the revenue of your small to medium sized enterprise thus increases.

5. Mobile Marketing is instant- you can reach people wherever they are, whenever you need to. There are therefore no long delays that may draw out the process of seeing a return on one's investment.

6. SMS Marketing is viral in the sense that messages can easily be forwarded from the original recipient to additional consumers.

7. With Mobile Marketing, small enterprises are able to retain their existing customers, as well as gain new ones.

8. The interactive nature of SMS Marketing creates the opportunity for a dialogue to ensue between you and your customers, meaning that you are more informed about your clients than you would be using other means of advertising.

9. Access to real-time reporting of each message that is sent out means that the small to medium sized business is able to exercise control over its communication.

10. Finally, messages can easily be automated and there is no need for personnel to have to monitor the process: You save both time and money.

With Africa fast becoming the most exciting emerging market to be in, small to medium sized African businesses can benefit (and certainly already are benefiting) from the uses of SMS Marketing as they expand their horizons. Panacea Mobile is the leading SMS provider in the industry- both locally and abroad, with its exceptionally low pricing, expert campaign management and the most advanced, stable and reliable platform for text messaging around the world. Indeed, having just re-established its competitive edge at the World Mobile Congress in Barcelona, the company is approaching its African and overseas clients with renewed energy and confidence.

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