SMS is a general mode of sending short messages across cell phones or mobile phones. Typical benefits of SMS Marketing are speed and cost-effectiveness. But there are other benefits as well.

 

There are several advantages with SMS. It is more private than a phone conversation, making it ideal when you don’t wish to be heard. Mostly it is less time consuming for sending a text message than to send an e-mail or make a phone call. SMS does not oblige you to be in front of your computer like Instant Messaging (IM) or e-mail. (But some phones may be equipped for e-mail and IM). SMS is also a convenient way for communicating for deaf and dumb persons.

 

SMS is a store and forward service, implying that when you send a text message to someone, the message does not enter the target’s phone directly. The benefit is that the target’s phone does not need to be in range or be active when you send a message. Message is stored in the SMSC (even for many days) or SMS provider till your target moves into range or switches on his cell phone. The message remains stored in the sim card of your target till she deletes it.

 

Apart from person to person messages, it may be possible to send SMS to convey a message to numerous persons at a time. This may target users within a particular area or from a list of contacts. This service is called broadcasting and companies use this method to contact groups of customers or employees to deliver information and news to subscribers.

 

A 2004 study by University of Plymouth on the psychology of users of SMS found that mobile phone users could be divided into ‘talkers’ and ‘testers’. In comparison to talkers, texters were found to send nearly double the number of SMS messages and conducted lesser than half the call per month. Texters preferred to send SMS than make calls for the sake of convenience and ability to review a message prior to sending it.

 

Other than usual person to person messages, companies have emerged with many uses for the service. Since SMS does not overload the network like phone calls, it is often used by TV shows to attract viewers to vote for a contestant or on a poll topic. Also it can be used as a promotional tool, enabling wireless carriers to put up giant screens during concerts and other big events for displaying text messages from audience.

 

Text messaging subscription services may be used to arrange medication reminders sent to your phone apart from news headlines, weather alerts or even long content divided into 160 character chapters. Search engines such as Google and Yahoo have SMS services which enable users to garner information like movie show times, listings of local business, driving directions, all by just texting a query. Some social networking sites like Dodgeball make use of SMS to alert individuals living in big cities when their friends are nearby.

 

Benefits of Using SMS

  • SMS has a personal nature. It is delivered directly to the mobile phone, almost like delivering to the hand.
  • It is possible to have two-way, real time communication via SMS. You can get replies to your bulk SMS messages.
  • One can get message delivered to a target group
  • An SMS can reach a person, wherever she is.
  • One can send group messages or individual messages
  • Even if mobile phone is out of signal range, the message will be delivered to the phone when it is switched on or gets signal within 48 hours of sending
  • It is possible to forward an SMS.
  • SMS messages can be stored for later use.

These are some benefits of using SMS.