There's no getting around it: Americans are addicted to their cell phones. It's hard to walk around a busy sidewalk without bumping into somebody with their nose buried into their phone. Walking around without a cell phone is likely to bring nervous, cold sweats and a desire to return to the safety of home quickly.
The good news is that this presents a terrific opportunity for businesses to use text message marketing to reach an over-increasing audience. Before delving into the implications of this epidemic, let's take a look at some statistics:
The Numbers Don't Lie
The statistics about cell phones in America are startling. Recent research found that in the United States, an estimated 90% of adults own a cell phone, and an estimated 58% own a smartphone.
Here are some additional statistics about cell phone use in America:
- 2 out of 3 people check their phones for messages even when they don't receive a notification.
- 29% of owners say they couldn't live without their cell phone.
- 98% of Americans between the ages of 18-29 own a cell phone, and 97% of Americans aged between 30-49 own one.
- 34% of Americans use their phones as their primary internet device.
Could these statistics just prove that Americans are addicted to technology in general? Possibly, but there is still a larger opportunity in text message marketing than other methods. Compared to the 90% of Americans with a cell phone, only 83.8% of American families have a computer in their home as of the 2013 census.
It's clear that cell phones are a major part of our daily life, and it's our duty as marketers to take advantage of that.
No matter how much we wish they did, numbers never lie!
Text Messages Are Perfect For Our Brains
The National Center for Biotechnology Information, located in the U.S. Library of Medicine, found that the average human's attention span has dropped 33% between 2000 and 2013. This leaves us with an average attention span of only 8 seconds.
Text messages fit this new mentality perfectly. A text message can be easily opened, scanned, processed, and deleted. Email messages or other, lengthier marketing materials take more effort and are more likely to be ignored. By taking advantage of our increasing need to process information quickly, you will find that less can be more.
Text messages are like perfect little appetizers for your brain!
Nobody Reads Emails
Not only are we dependent on our cell phones, but we trust our text messages much more. MailChimp conducted a survey on email open rate by industry, and found that rates varied from a 13.2% open rate (daily deals and e-coupons) to 30.71% (hobbies). The majority of open rates fell between 20% and 25%.
Consider, however, what happens when you receive a text message. It's usually opened right away, and read before it's deleted. There's no spam filter blocking your messages and making it difficult to reach your targets. In fact, it's estimated that a text message's read rate is 98%!
It's clear that there is significant opportunity for text message marketing. If you want to give it a try for your business, we'll give you the chance to do so for free! Sign up for your free trial by clicking here!