Opinion: Why don't all businesses use text?

[Textlocal]

Hi all, I would appreciate a little feedback from you.

If your customers asked you to communicate news and offers to them via SMS text message - and it only cost around 3p per person - would you consider it?

If you collected customer numbers via paper forms, via your website, by people texting a WORD to a shortcode (e.g text CHIPS to 60777) and you steadily grew an opt in list of your customers - would you send messages to them? If not, why not - considering that they have requested it?

If you consider that everyone carries a mobile phone in the UK, yet only around 50% of the population (ONS) have a Facebook account (and many less are regular users) - why are we hearing so much about using Facebook and Twitter for business when SMS text is possibly the more obvious first choice? With the ability to deliver messages instantly to the recipient, isn't that more effective than waiting for the next time they log into FB/Twitter and hoping they see your message?

If it takes the same effort to grow a social media following as it does to collect opt in mobile numbers - why do so few high street shops use mobile messaging when the reach of SMS is so much greater?

Why are so many businesses embracing QR codes, when SMS short codes (or a QR code that auto generates an SMS text) work on all handsets today, return an autoresponse message containing the URL + much more, and the business captures the mobile number automatically for follow up communication?

Many thanks.

 

[Esk247]

If it takes the same effort to grow a social media following as it does to collect opt in mobile numbers - why do so few high street shops use mobile messaging when the reach of SMS is so much greater?

Why are so many businesses embracing QR codes, when SMS short codes (or a QR code that auto generates an SMS text) work on all handsets today, return an autoresponse message containing the URL + much more, and the business captures the mobile number automatically for follow up communication?

Many thanks.

Because we can convey a better message, with images, web links, trackable code, competitions etc through social media or a QR code.

We cannot do that with an SMS text message.

One of my businesses deals in giftware, our customers would want a monthly email with promotional offers, they won't want a text message, it's too personal and only contains 100 odd letters of text. A bit like Twitter..but at least we can add links and photos to Twitter using TwitPic

 

[Textlocal]

Agreed, but you wouldn't consider SMS text for all those clients that don't use Facebook or Twitter regularly?

Also, you can use text messages to drive clients instantly to the new Facebook content just in case they don't log in for a few days and miss it? Something like "We have just updated our weekly specials board on Facebook.. click here to view http://www.facebook.com/xxxx". Or better, build the weekly deal page on your own website or Wordpress and link to it from Facebook, Twitter, SMS and email...?

We work with over 90,000 businesses who are finding that the intimacy and immediacy of SMS text is vastly more effective than email or Facebook - if that permission is respected of course.

 

[Cornish Steve]

Who pays for the text? In the US, both the sender and receiver pay per message, so unwanted incoming messages are a real nuisance. I suppose it all depends on whether individuals like receiving unsolicited messages. Most people I know do not, but I'm sure there are some demographic groups who would accept it and might sign up.

Let me give you another example. When I arrive in a different country, I'm barraged with informational messages offering wireless data and so on from local providers. I hate that. I want to check whether I've received important messages from family or friends, but I can't for a while because of all these unwanted messages. Now, if text messages were categorized so that I was presented in real-time with priority messages while informational messages were sent to email for later viewing, I'd be a happy camper.

Maybe that's the convenience of Facebook, etc. You can view an entire screen, not just a small window, and you can jump around easily between friends. Text messages come across as too linear, so I can't manage them as effectively. Yes, you can hop between messages, but message management just seems primitive.

For some things, though, I'm happy to receive alerts - such as for road closures or traffic delays. Now, the immediacy of text messages comes to the fore. Facebook would be useless for that. Maybe the immediacy of urgent messages would be another reason for using text.

 

[Textlocal]

Hi Steve,

It is free for the recipient to receive a text in the UK, and this discussion is purely about opt in SMS where the recipient has proactively requested it (I hoped that was clear in the initial question.. I'm not sure how I could have been more explicit?).

If you are only receiving a few messages a month from your own favourite businesses (restaurant offering free pudding with any main meal, a school snow closure alert, a dentist appointment, a team sheet for the local football club..) then this would not need filtering and organisation - they are just a few friendly messages from chosen sources.

In this context, of pure opt in, why don't more businesses use text messaging? And where rich media is required use SMS text to drive customers to that media?

Thanks

 

[emmylou74]

I only use text to let a local customer know their custom work is finishd and ready for collection. To use text for advertising would not work for me - I prefer email for that. I hate getting promotional texts through on my phone.

 

[Textlocal]

Would you still hate it if it was your favourite local restaurant, that you had opted in to receive texts from, sending a "free pudding with any main meal this week" offer?

Good to see that you use SMS for alerts. Out of interest why don't you always use email for this?

Thanks

 

[Vectis]

..........why do so few high street shops use mobile messaging when the reach of SMS is so much greater?........

Because the vast majority of customers don't want to receive text messages from shops, businesses etc. I certainly don't, but I'd visit a shop's web page etc when I felt inclined. There's a huge difference.

 

[emmylou74]

Would you still hate it if it was your favourite local restaurant, that you had opted in to receive texts from, sending a "free pudding with any main meal this week" offer?

Good to see that you use SMS for alerts. Out of interest why don't you always use email for this?

Thanks

yes I would still hate it - they would have to offer a lot more than a free pudding to stop it from being annoying

Text for alerting local customers for pick up of their custom work just works better. A lot of the people who get custom work do not check their emails regularly enough. And it isn't advertising - its just an alert to come pick up their items.

 

[David Griffiths]

Because the vast majority of customers don't want to receive text messages from shops, businesses etc. I certainly don't, but I'd visit a shop's web page etc when I felt inclined. There's a huge difference.

Exactly. Text adverts are intrusive. Visiting websites or Facebook is instigated by the customer.

Besides most "special offers" are of little or no interest. Take the example given of the offer of a free pudding - for a start the decision to eat out isn't driven by price or special offers anyway, and besides that I'd almost never have a pudding.

I'd never opt in, but I do sometimes get text from other businesses. In that case I'd ask the sender to consider some other course of action - like dropping their mobile from a cross channel ferry. (and yes I do know that bulk texts aren't sent from a mobile, but you get my drift)

 

[Textlocal]

How can it be intrusive if the customer has chosen to receive it?

Take a fish & chip shop. We have many examples where they grow lists of opt in subscribers over a few months by collecting numbers at the counter and merging with numbers from people texting in "eg text FISH to 6xxxx to join our VIP club".

A message to 100 people a fortnight costs the business around £3, and we have heard of response rates as high as 40%... Better than any other marketing medium.

I agree, of course it doesn't work for all business sectors - but if used intelligently, with permission, then it is very powerful.

 

[David Griffiths]

How can it be intrusive if the customer has chosen to receive it?
.

I made the point that text adverts are intrusive, compared with visiting Facebook or a website which is done when convenient for the customer

I'd never opt to receive one. If businesses can't get all customers to opt in, the value of text advertising messages is reduced in consequence.

Sure it works for some businesses, presumably for those people who seem to have the phone glued to their hand, and who can't walk 20 yards up the road without looking at it, and usually heedless of the people that they bump into.

 

[crphillips]

We use text messaging a fair bit. Not for advertising but just for keeping customers informed. If they've booked an appointment with us we send a text the day before reminding them. When we deliver our product we send a text with an approximate time it will be with them. They love it.

 

[sysops]

As a customer, I find texts annoying, intrusive, and not in any way useful. I would much rather receive an email than a text. When I receive an email, it is immediately available to me on my phone, my tablet, my desktop, and my laptop. My emails are archived, and searchable. They contain a lot more information than a text ever could.

I can easily add someone to my blocked list if they bug me too much, and I can remove them again if I want to.

As a business owner, I recognise that some percentage of customers must share my views, and I choose not to bother them with texts.

 

[sysops]

We use text messaging a fair bit. Not for advertising but just for keeping customers informed. If they've booked an appointment with us we send a text the day before reminding them. When we deliver our product we send a text with an approximate time it will be with them. They love it.

What made you decide to use SMS and not email? Do you think they love texts more than they would love email?

 

[mariacntg]

Test messages have their own advantages but they are also limited forms of advertising, you are limited for example to a certain amount of characters (preferably few), no images, no links - you get the idea.

 

[Psl]

I think SMS marketing on an OPT IN basis is a great way to generate extra business.

Here's a case study that I found. I know it's a large US company that undertook a targeted campaign in the US but the basics are the same worldwide.

Btw folks, if you don't want to receive SMS advertising simply don't OPT IN
And if you do receive unsolicited SMS advertising then get onto Ofcom as some companies do not play by the rules.

Domino's Pizza SMS Marketing Case Study
Founded in 1960, Domino's Pizza is the recognized world leader in pizza delivery operating a network of company-owned and franchise-owned stores in the United States and international markets. The Domino's Pizza Franchise at UNC-Charlotte is an Ez Texting client.

Where They Started:
Ryan Swanson is the Area Director for Prairie Pizza, a Domino’s franchise in Charlotte, North Carolina. Located near University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s campus the franchise primarily serves the 25,000 enrolled students. Mr. Swanson relies on data to make decisions so the first thing the franchise did was conduct focus groups to identify the best way to reach as many students as possible. Group after group revealed that Facebook was the place to engage. Mr. Swanson identified a target audience of “students who like pizza, who are price driven, and those whose loyalty to another pizzeria could be swayed. His goal was to attract every one of those students to the franchise’s Facebook group, where he promoted offers to interested students. Mr. Swanson saw the school’s basketball arena as the place to promote his Facebook group. Each game attracts over 3,000 students as the 49ers are the most popular team at the school.

Mr. Swanson’s franchise has successfully used Ez Texting to market to students since 2009. In early 2011, he realized that text messaging was the perfect way to promote his Facebook Group, and most importantly, sell more pizza.

What They Did:
Mr. Swanson had previously advertised the franchise’s web address, which redirected to the Facebook group, on the big screen and other displays at the basketball arena. The arena’s announcer read the advertisement while it was displayed. The spots typically lasted between 30 to 60 seconds. The problem with this approach, according to Mr. Swanson was that “most students are not going to jot down a website during a basketball game.” While many students have smartphones, he felt that they were unlikely to spend a couple of minutes during a basketball game to visit the Facebook group. “But,” he says, “taking a couple of seconds to send and receive a text with the URL of the group makes sense.” After the game ended they could then review the text and visit the Facebook group on their smartphone or using a computer.

Mr. Swanson now had a plan to market his Facebook group, grow his SMS marketing list, and do so in a way that was measurable. To kick things off he created a new ad for the arena displays offering a free pizza to anyone who texted 49ER to 313131, Ez Texting’s Short Code. They received the following response:

To get FREE pizza join our facebook group at UNCCDominos.com once you join post a message (I GOT A TEXT) & you will get FREE pizza code Reply STOP 49ER 2 Optout

This ad, clearly a loss leader, was meant to prove the concept. Roughly 10% of the 3,000 students attending the game texted in within a few minutes – and another 5% did so by the end of the night – resulting in nearly 600 opt-ins. Approximately 350 students had joined the Facebook group by the morning. Nearly all of them redeemed the offer. The response to the advertisement confirmed Mr. Swanson’s hypothesis that texting would be dramatically more effective at driving conversions than simply displaying a URL. Mr. Swanson revised his creative for
subsequent games, offering deals like discounted pizzas. Every time he ran an ad he saw 100 to 200 opt-ins, nearly all of whom also joined the Facebook group to get the deal.

By the end of the semester the Facebook group had collected nearly 2,000 fans. They had also added over 850 students to their SMS marketing list. Being a member of the Facebook group entitles students to a discounted menu; being a member of the SMS marketing list is even better. Mr. Swanson sent marketing blasts through the semester like the following:

49er Fans get 50% OFF ALL MENU PRICE PIZZAS & Bread Sides All day TODAY for playoffs! Coupon Code (FACE50).Call us at -------

Coupon codes allow Mr. Swanson to measure the effectiveness of his SMS marketing campaigns – and each campaign has seen redemption rates between 20 and 25%. That particular message reached roughly 500 or so students, resulting in 125 additional orders. The cost of sending the message using Ez Texting was about $25 dollars. Over the course of the entire semester, the franchise spent $125 dollars on SMS marketing, resulting in several hundred orders.

Why SMS Marketing Worked
“The sales at the store,” Mr. Swanson says, “when we send text messages, or [use them to] drive people to Facebook, are unprecedented.”

SMS Marketing was the perfect way to accomplish Mr. Swanson’s two goals: growing the franchise’s Facebook group and selling more pizza. He had identified the perfect place to reach students – the arena – and the place he wanted to send them – his Facebook group – but it took text messaging to get them there.

In the fall, when students return to campus Mr. Swanson plans to continue sending campaigns to his nearly 1,000 member text message marketing list. As soon as the basketball season begins he expects to grow that list.

 

[Esk247]

...but to people really opt-in to receive random text messages from local restaurants? really? I find it annoying when they pop up on my Facebook tbh let alone bug me by text message, on my private number, in my private time.

I can imagine people opting in and then opting out straight away as soon as they receive the next text.

I think using SMS as advertising is a nuisance, however, using it in a service based role is the way to go e.g. Delivery Update (we get these, thats fine, its of use to me), sending of passwords by text (thats fine too).

To advertise though, my phone would constantly be buzzing with offers from takeaways and computer shops...it would be so annoying.

 

[crphillips]

What made you decide to use SMS and not email? Do you think they love texts more than they would love email?

For random advertising I think email would be a better option but to inform you when your shopping will arrive or when your parcel will be delivered I feel SMS is far better. Everyone has a mobile and everyone will receive an SMS. Not everyone uses email and people definitely don't check them ever day.

I think you may be a bit naive on how many people have email addresses, how often they check them and if they can receive them on their phone. I'd guess it depends what type of business your involved in and what age group your dealing with as I reckon a good 60% of my customers won't receive email on their phone.

For B2B I reckon email may be a better way but for B2C I reckon text is better. Once again though i don't believe in sending SMS for pure advertising but if it's an 'opt in' situation then the person has expressed interest in your product/service so SMS may be a great way to communicate with them.

 

[JEREMY HAWKE]

I wont do anything by text I hate texts !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not many customers have my moblie but I refuse to comunicate in this way it is for spoty teenagers and sending jokes to people you know for me they have no place in business and should not be taken seriously !!!

I have to laugh at the people that send their bank details or invoice by text !!!!

 

[denvitroy]

really, Visiting websites or Facebook is instigated by the customer.

 

[crphillips]

I wont do anything by text I hate texts !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not many customers have my moblie but I refuse to comunicate in this way it is for spoty teenagers and sending jokes to people you know for me they have no place in business and should not be taken seriously !!!

I have to laugh at the people that send their bank details or invoice by text !!!!

Maybe you should let Asda, Tesco, Sainsburys, TNT.....etc know Those damn fools don't know what they're doing

Like everything SMS has a time and a place.

 

[sysops]

Maybe you should let Asda, Tesco, Sainsburys, TNT.....etc know Those damn fools don't know what they're doing

And you call me naive...

Two things. First, just because [large company x] does something, does not mean it is right, effective, or worth doing.

Second, I find the fact that telcos have managed to con society into paying several pence to send 160 byte strings highly offensive. The cost to telcos is essentially zero. SMS should have died off a long time ago.

 

[Talay]

Texts are limited to delivery of cursory information, such that my dentist texted me the other day to remind me that my appointment was on Monday. That is fine, it is information.

The fact is that you cannot advertise 2013 style via a 1990s medium.

 

[crphillips]

Fact is though more folk are set up for receiving SMS instantly rather than email.

 

[sysops]

Fact is though more folk are set up for receiving SMS instantly rather than email.

So you keep saying, but unless you define the demographic and back your statement up with some data, it's just your opinion.

 

[Esk247]

Fact is though more folk are set up for receiving SMS instantly rather than email.

Perhaps but that doesn't make it the right platform for advertising your product.

I still regard SMS as a platform for important information or personal information only. E.g. password confirmation, delivery update, appointments

To send an advert saying "Hey, did you know you can buy 2 pizzas for the price of one at Big Daves tonight" is completely irrelevant and intrusive, i haven't asked for that information, i don't want my phone buzzing or dinging every 10 seconds with adverts from pizza shops or whoever else they sell my details to.

People even find emails intrusive from time to time, even when they've double opted in. We've had people complain that we sent them an email promoting our giftware, even though they entered our competition AND entered their email address for our newsletter :|

 

[Textlocal]

What is most interesting about this is how many of you are ignoring that this is a discussion about "pure opt in"... where the general public CHOOSE to receive the messages. Whether or not you personally like to receive messages on your handset is frankly irrelevant.

If you hand out a card with every order saying "we would like to contact you via email and/or SMS text" and the recipient fills in their number, then why would you not use this to send information (time limited offer, news about your business, links to new blog update, draw attention to a Facebook competition) directly to them? NOT bombard then - just send messages that you know will be welcome, offering something compelling or interesting news about your organisation.

This is a business forum, where we discuss business issues and solutions. If you don't like SMS marketing then you won't opt in - and it won't be an issue for you. If your customers are receptive to it and CHOOSE to receive it, just because you don't like it, does not mean that it should be ignored - if you do then you are missing out on a channel that is instant and generates higher response rates (when opt in) than any other form of marketing communication.

It is a fact that a high percentage of the UK population under the age of 30 are happy to opt in to receive SMS texts from their favourite brands and local companies. If you were, for example, to select 4 of your own favourite local organisations (1 chip shop sending monthly, 1 church sending weekly, 1 football team sending weekly and your local supermarket sending fortnightly) this would hardly swamp you - you would be receiving messages that you have chosen to receive and would not be intrusive.

Discounts at chosen local businesses may not be of interest to all of you, but you can be assured that in this "age of austerity" offers will be very well received by a substantial percentage of your demographic.

Yes, SMS text is a highly intimate relationship between a business and their customer, built purely on trust and obviously it should not be abused otherwise you would only damage your own business and reputation. There are (at least, there should be!) customers in your business that love you enough to allow you to build an intimate relationship on their mobile phone - linking the SMS to new rich media content online, using a message that will be read almost instantly and cutting through the noise of email, Facebook and Twitter.

ESK247... you say "is completely irrelevant and intrusive, i haven't asked for that information, I don't want my phone buzzing or dinging every 10 seconds with adverts from pizza shops or whoever else they sell my details to."... which yet again completely ignores that this is a discussion about *pure opt in* communication. There a MILLIONS of people in the UK who have opted to receive Pizza alerts alone - and it is proven to generate 30% response rates month on month. That can not be overlooked - and works in all other sectors too.

 

[Textlocal]

The fact is that you cannot advertise 2013 style via a 1990s medium.

Actually.. you can. If you gain the consent of your customer, using weblinks within SMS text becomes the bridge between your business and all online content (websites, blogs, social) delivering updates, news and time limited offers to your very best customers (fans..) instantly and ensuring they don't miss out.

If you client has chosen this medium, then it would be foolish not to use it. You can't depend on all your best customers checking Facebook regularly or reading and digesting your emails.

 

[Textlocal]

. A bit like Twitter..but at least we can add links and photos to Twitter using TwitPic

... and only a small percentage of your clients will ever access Twitter, yet nearly 100% access a mobile phone every hour. And if you set up a free Blogger account you can upload anything you like and link to it in an SMS text. Vastly more effective than Twitter and can potentially hit all your clients in an instant (assuming they have chosen to receive it).

Liking on Facebook, Following on Twitter, Opting in to receive SMS... all are a proactive choice from the end user. SMS has by far the greatest reach, and you can be assured that it will be read by the recipient faster then other mediums, can be forwarded on to any other interested people in the recipients phonebook and you cut through all the noise.

The fact that people even consider Twitter for business before setting up their own SMS text service is simply bizarre.

 

[Esk247]

The fact that people even consider Twitter for business before setting up their own SMS text service is simply bizarre.

The second biggest social media network should be placed well behind SMS text messaging people?

Twitter we can track and add links all day long, I can link to a dozen products, blogs, news articles, product reviews etc and track the conversion from those links.

I can't imagine SMS txting customers every few hours with updates to our latest blog post, product review page or youtube video.

Even with double opt-in there has to be a limit to the amount of messages you can send per customer/member e.g. i'd imagine we couldn't send more than 1 SMS a week without it being really annoying or completely ignored or blocked.

With our email newsletters we can include 12 product links, latest news blog post and even include a video while tracking all links, all customers, open rates, reader engagement etc.

Same with Facebook. We can post any links up during the day, see the reach, see the engagement through replies to posts and messages.

For our business (cushions, homeware, giftware) our customers would never ever sign up to an SMS advertising programme

 

[Textlocal]

That isn't what I said

I said that anyone that considering Twitter before SMS is bizarre.

Twitter is great, we use it ourselves for the same reasons as you... But you can't in all seriousness believe that your clients (the few that actually use twitter) are reading all your fantastic output?

For your most vital news or promotion (monthly) SMS should be considered, backed up with all the regular social media work too. You can link to your online content (say the newsletter) in the SMS to ensure your best and most loyal customers don't miss it in the sea of emails and other social media noise.

 

[Billmccallum]

What is most interesting about this is how many of you are ignoring that this is a discussion about "pure opt in"... where the general public CHOOSE to receive the messages. Whether or not you personally like to receive messages on your handset is frankly irrelevant.

Is it not true that you can be biased on the subject?

You're selling a service based on the model of delivery, so its always unlikely that you will see the downside, no matter what objections you come up against, you will have a response to argue your point.

Similarly, those selling bulk email services will seek to prove their system offers the best option.

No matter how many people on the forum disagree with you, you cant agree with them.

 

[Textlocal]

Yes, absolutely and totally biased - but actually not arguing!

I phrased the initial question to ensure the discussion was, without any doubt, about opt in SMS communication and why more business don't use it - and several people commented that it is spam and intrusive. Biased or not - opt in SMS communication is not spam or intrusive if the recipient has chosen to receive it..!

This thread is an experiment to see just how much proper SMS spam (ppi, loans etc sent to random numbers via SIM cards on the m25!) has effected the consciousness of UK SME owners... Even when explained carefully that we are discussing opt in only text comms via stable legitimate operator routes. It is clear that there is an issue.

 

[Esk247]

Biased or not - opt in SMS communication is not spam or intrusive if the recipient has chosen to receive it..!

No but it can become spammy and irrelevant in the same way email communications can, despite people signing up.

I'm not against SMS text messaging from companies. I just don't believe it works for advertising, people don't like being advertised to, they want something they can dip in to as and when they want to. They can do that with emails, facebook and twitter, they can't with an SMS message.

 

[Psl]

No but it can become spammy and irrelevant in the same way email communications can, despite people signing up.

I'm not against SMS text messaging from companies. I just don't believe it works for advertising, people don't like being advertised to, they want something they can dip in to as and when they want to. They can do that with emails, facebook and twitter, they can't with an SMS message.

I have opted in to a number if SMS advertising/marketing services and if they become 'spammy' I simply opt out, problem solved.

It seems that many people do not like receiving SMS advertising, even when they haven't opted in, but don't mind receiving the same advertising delivered via social media.

I think an SMS campaign run in conjunction with other social media would work well for a lot of businesses.

 

[fisicx]

Would you still hate it if it was your favourite local restaurant, that you had opted in to receive texts from, sending a "free pudding with any main meal this week" offer?

After a while I would get annoyed. The main reason being that their marketing is so dire that they just keep sending the same offers.

A local pizza places does that, and even though I've sent 'stop' they keep sending me junk.

I am bombarded with messages, emails, alerts and all manner of marketing. So much that I ignore the whole lot. The problem with marketing always is that just don't seem to understand that the more you do the less effective it becomes.

So that's why I don't use SMS in the same way I won't sign up for marketing messages.

 

[David Griffiths]

What is most interesting about this is how many of you are ignoring that this is a discussion about "pure opt in"... where the general public CHOOSE to receive the messages. Whether or not you personally like to receive messages on your handset is frankly irrelevant.

But that wasn't the question in your original post. The title of your original post ask "Why don't all businesses use text?" Several have come on here to explain that businesses don't use opt in text because not enough of their customers will opt in.

It's a bit rich having a go at posters for answering the wrong question when you don't know what it was yourself.

 

[Esk247]

I think an SMS campaign run in conjunction with other social media would work well for a lot of businesses.

In my opinion, for my businesses (giftware, homeware etc) it just wouldn't work.

As a service based system it works very well, you could miss an email saying your delivery will arrive at 2pm but you wouldn't miss a text.

As an advertising platform though a) non of our customers would sign up for it, they already ask how many times we'll email them when signing up for a newsletter and are quick to unsubscribe b) at 3p per text, there is an added cost there that we don't have to worry about on Social Media.

I'm yet to be convinced that SMS works for advertising, i see it as an information service to be honest.

 

[DotNetWebs]

...SMS has by far the greatest reach....

I disagree because you are missing one VERY important advantage social media, particularly Facebook, has over SMS - the viral effect.

A good social media campaign can reach far more people than the message was originally delivered to. An SMS however usually terminates at the customers phone.

Regards

Dotty