Facebook "likes" are rapidly becoming the new signal on the web. Whether you're a blogger, digital entrepreneur, or local business, "likes" as content tools are becoming increasingly important.
Therefore, making comparisons and connections between SMS and "likes" campaigns, independently and together, are worthwhile since consumers enjoy them both. Some say SMS was the original "like." Others say it is a stronger badge of affinity. Yet according to Ground Truth, a total of 60 percent of all time spent on the mobile internet is on social networking sites. So "likes" and SMS belong together.
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As Alan Rambam of Mobile Behavior says, his SMS's "are sacred." He considers the offers and contests he has responded to as great consumer relationship management (CRM) opportunities. They are much more powerful than just clicking on a "like." Even though "likes" facilitate greater interaction within a social network and can be effective reinforcements of network-approved behaviors and opinions, there is a limit to the depth of involvement that a "like" allows. "Likes" alone are "atta boy" media at best, right next to "poking." However, when coupled with SMS, they become an integral part of the plan.
So why are social media campaigns putting everything on a "like" campaign, when adding SMS would takes the customer right into a better place, a conversation? It should not be "one versus the other." They should be used together.
"Likes" are a "one-click word." It's a nice one, but it is limiting. SMS can create a dialogue of words, the most important being the word, "conversions."
"Likes" are a medium that by itself leads to nothing. You click on "like" and that's it. With SMS, the conversation just begins long before you get your customer to actually text. You can communicate text message offers on radio, on the radio station site, on TV, in-game, in the pre-roll, on the print ad, and on the billboard. From there you can collect addresses into a database; one that has more quality than just a number of people who have "liked" you.
There is great value when the social media experience is combined with how mobile enhances the dialogue with SMS. SMS's tie into social is critical, as brand managers often choose to invest their resources "between" mobile and social. They should work in concert, just as mobile does with other media channels.
Brands are winning fans, but without mobile marketing they are losing a generation of buyers. SMS provides five to ten times increased conversion rates over social and traditional campaigns. If your brand is still on the sidelines as it relates to mobile, the best place to start is with SMS. Tying it in with your other media is a sure way to determine if your collective campaign's efforts are winning conversions. "Likes" alone will only get you half-way there.
According to McCormick Mobile for instance, "Your SMS ad is seen: Over 90 percent of all text messages are read within minutes of their being received. You reach customers wherever they are. They don't have to be online and on social media to see your message. You can send messages to them at the exact time they are most receptive to read them. It's a simple tool for the customer to participate with your brand, and it's a brilliant way for you to track the campaign."
"Likes" are in no way substitutes for SMS. Their advantage is that they are low in cost, when you include labor hours to manage and update. They are easy and are associated with friendly content that customers hopefully like! "Likes" disadvantage is that the marketer must supply fresh content regularly. They are fleeting, have low reach, and can generate negative comments. Still, according to Blind Five Year Old, 27 percent of the top retailers have the "like" button on their product pages, SMS on the other hand is about engagement and conversions. It allows you to engage your customers at the point of sale, be that in-store or during a commercial. Engagement is memorable and creates action. An in-store or in-ad text offer encourages the person to interact. This interacting creates a memorable experience that sticks with the customer and keeps your brand in mind.
