Earlier this month, South by Southwest (SXSW) – the popular film, music and technology festival out of Austin, Texas, showcased a number of innovations in mobile technology. The mobile marketing landscape was discussed in great detail, and a number of experts shared insights to how they view the future of the industry.
One of the key points focused on during the event was the increased emphasis of text message marketing. Many organizations representing themselves at SXSW discussed the benefits of the practice. Perhaps the biggest takeaway was the ability companies have to engage their customers in long-term relationships just with the SMS application.
Serena Ehrlich, a contributor to the online publication iMedia Connection, shared her experience at the event and went over the numbers to promote the potential of mobile marketing.
"There are 1 billion smartphones on the planet today, generating staggering growth of mobile web and mobile commerce usage," Ehrlich wrote. "And as more and more smartphones are activated, more and more engagement opportunities become available. Sixty-five percent of shopping starts on the mobile phone and 20 percent of mobile engagement is done within the retail store. Within a few years, smart phones are going to have a bigger impact on the world than desktop internet ever did."
That's good news for marketers who jumped on the mobile bandwagon early. Those who saw the potential in engaging consumers via their SMS applications have flourished. As mobile technology continues to expand – a point of great focus during SXSW – the one constant will be SMS. That's why text message marketing is only becoming stronger as time goes by.
Companies can still get in on the valuable marketing practice, since it will only become more popular. Swift SMS Gateway offers the tools organizations need to launch effective SMS marketing campaigns.
