Texting vs email: Which is better for your business?

Texting versus email. Most small businesses will have to deal with this question sooner or later. Which one is best suited to product launches, lead generation and customer service? If text vs email marketing is on your mind, here’s everything you need to know.

Email marketing has been around for a while and most businesses will have given it a try. But the texting vs email analysis has renewed significance because things have changed.

To help you understand whether you should use emails or texts to grow your business, let’s compare the two using parameters that are important for small businesses. But first, let’s understand these benchmarks.

Texting vs email: How to compare the two

As a small business owner, you want people to easily opt into a marketing channel.

Secondly, not only should the channel be easy but the content should also be comfortable to open. There shouldn’t be any friction in the process. While comparing texting with email, the third aspect should be the response you get from the recipient. It should be easy for them to respond without having to take multiple steps.

The fourth factor is functionality. The medium and the technology you choose should give your small business added features. It should be affordable, feature-rich and automated. Now that we’ve identified the key parameters, let’s compare texting with email to know which one will suit your business needs.

Texting vs email open rates: Which is better?

The number one criterion to compare text with email marketing is the open rate. It shows the percentage of recipients who open the piece of communication against the total number of recipients. If the open rate is low, nothing else matters.

According to a recent survey, the average open rate for emails is 21.5 per cent. The open rate for SMS is an astounding 98 per cent! That is a massive difference when it comes to open rates.

An SMS is delivered instantly and in all likelihood, will be seen by the recipient immediately. With a mere tap, they can open the text. They don’t have to log in to an account or open an app. In contrast, an email could land up in the spam folder and go unnoticed.

Texting vs email: Response rates

To understand the response rate between texting and email, you need to keep in mind the objective of the activity. If you want the recipient to click, register or sign up for something, your email has to be opened first. Then, it should be able to correctly display the message with the appropriate call to action.

With SMS, your response rate can be higher because of its simplicity. There are no images or videos, so the reader doesn’t have to wait for it to open. That ease of use can improve the response rate.

The response expected from an SMS can be a simple action. For example, you can notify the recipient about their upcoming appointment or payments and request them to reply with a ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’

Texting vs email: Functionality

Email used to have a significant advantage in terms of functionality. Users could see text, images, and later, embedded videos. Businesses could also share links with various calls to action. This made email the superior medium for a while. But then texting caught up.

Now you can send multimedia documents via text. With WhatsApp Business, for example, you can share images and videos. You can also conduct polls and send personalised messages.

Chalkboard allows you to organise your business contacts and broadcast messages to entire groups. This empowers you to effectively use text and build relationships with your customers.

Texting vs email: Which is more professional?

The short answer is that both are professional provided you know how to use them. If you only send necessary emails and don’t spam the recipient, they will be more likely to open them. You can share articles, blog posts and relevant information, which will help build authority on a domain.

Once you learn how to send business texts, which are different from personal SMS, you can make your texts seem professional. The key is to craft the right message using a tried and tested template and not overdo it.

Which is better for business use – text or email?

Both email and texting have their unique advantages. Email offers you greater opportunities to engage with your customers. You can share anything from an offer to an article. If done well, you can eventually build a community around your business.

Texting has enormous advantages for small businesses. Unlike an email, your text is much more likely to be opened and read. Whether it’s an appointment reminder or a limited-time sale, you can notify customers, knowing that they will get your message.

Sending timely texts can improve several aspects of a small business. You can resolve customer complaints quickly and send requests for online reviews. These will help retain customers and build your brand equity.

Finally, texting is easy. This is a significant advantage for SMS in the texting versus email debate. You don’t require a graphic designer, copywriter or a digital marketing team to run an SMS campaign. If you have the right tool, you can handle it yourself, that too at affordable costs.

Chalkboard: A mobile app built for small businesses on the move

Chalkboard is a virtual number app built for conversational marketing. Using its advanced chat, you can organise customers into groups and talk to them as friends. With this second line for work, now you can share your work phone number on your website and encourage customers to initiate chats with you.

Download Chalkboard and try it now. It’s the perfect tool to chat with your customers and grow your business. 🚀