Email marketing remains a fundamental tool for marketing professionals. However, SMS has gained ground in recent years, standing out for its clarity, immediacy and effectiveness in promotions.
Email vs SMS marketing, which is better?
The truth is that the best option is often a combination of both channels to attract customers to your business. Although integrating both methods can be complex, exploring their individual advantages and how they complement each other can be highly beneficial for your brand.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Email vs SMS marketing: what are the differences?
1.- Audience and reach
2.- Content and format
3.- Interaction and response
4.- Opening and conversion rate
5.- Regulations and consent
6.- Frequency and Timing
7.- Personalization and segmentation
8.- Costs and ROI
Email vs SMS marketing tips to combine them with MDirector
1.-Use an automation tool
2.- Plan strategically
3.-Work on a coherent segmentation
4.- Synchronize the timing
5.- Make exclusive offers by channel
6.- Provide complementary content
7.- Make sure you comply with privacy regulations
8.- Perform A/B tests to optimize campaigns
9.- Use clear and specific calls to action
10.- Evaluate performance
Email vs SMS marketing: what are the differences?
Example of SMS and email marketing
In the Email marketing vs SMS marketing dispute , there are several fundamental factors that make the difference between both techniques. Below, we will discover the most significant ones:
1.- Audience and reach
Email marketing stands out for its ability to reach a wide audience through contact lists, where users have voluntarily provided their email addresses. This strategy allows you to reach both potential and existing customers.
However, SMS marketing is characterised by its immediacy, as it involves sending text messages to mobile phone numbers. Although it offers more personalised communication, its reach is more limited, as recipients have deliberately provided their phone numbers, resulting in a more targeted , albeit highly engaged, audience .
2.- Content and format
In email marketing, the key lies in visual richness and the extent of information. Brands can tell captivating stories with quality images and videos . In addition, they can strategically add calls to action (CTAs) to direct recipients towards a specific objective, such as purchasing a product or subscribing to a newsletter .
In SMS marketing , however , brevity is one of the key features. Every word counts, so messages must be direct and convincing . An SMS marketing platform helps you squeeze every character out of the message you are going to send.
3.- Interaction and response
Email marketing can include website links, sign-up forms, and other elements that invite recipients to further interact with your brand.
On the other hand, SMS marketing stands out for its immediacy and ability to send promotions and notifications directly. The essential thing with this strategy is to request direct responses from the user, taking advantage of the brevity and simplicity of the format.
4.- Opening and conversion rate
Open rates and conversion rates are intrinsically linked to the quality of the email list, the visual presentation of the email, and the relevance of the content. Having clean and up-to-date lists ensures that messages will reach interested recipients. Additionally, quality design and engaging copy can encourage engagement with the content.
SMS marketing, on the other hand, tends to achieve much higher opening rates. Accor france whatsapp number data ding to a study by Labsmobile , the figure is around 98%. The explanation is that text messages tend to be read almost immediately after being received, compared to emails that sometimes pile up in the inbox.
5.- Regulations and consent
In the field of email marketing, both in the European Union (EU) and in the United States, explicit consent from the subscriber is required to receive commercial emails. This means that recipients must actively position themselves to receive these messages.
SMS marketing is even more heavily regulated due to the personal nature of text messages. Prior consent from the recipient is also required here. But in this case, regulations are often stricter in order to protect users' privacy and ensure that they only receive text messages from companies they have given permission to communicate with them.
6.- Frequency and Timing
In email marketing, it is possible to plan strategies in more detail, as you can schedule emails and automate campaigns to maintain regular contact with users. In addition, you can send emails more frequently.
SMS marketing , on the other hand, tends to have a more limited frequency to avoid annoying subscribers. In this sense, timing is crucial since they must be sent at key moments to maximize their effectiveness.
