5 differences between SMS marketing and WhatsApp marketing

[Rajsahiseosuo990]

No reviews yet
Article updated 8 months ago by NewsMDirector
Differences between SMS marketing and WhatsApp marketing

Mobile devices have come into our lives to stay and change them completely. Their use has grown exponentially in recent years and, today, practically everyone needs a mobile phone for many of their daily tasks.

Brands are beginning to take advantage of this situation and are developing SMS marketing strategies to attract new customers and increase the sales volume of users who have already previously contracted some of their products or services, gaining their loyalty with offers and cross-selling.

However, the emergence of other instant messaging applications has put SMS marketing in jeopardy. WhatsApp, for example, first appeared in 2009, causing many end users to replace SMS with WhatsApp messages to communicate with each other.

WhatsApp currently has more than 900 million monthly active users, which has revolutionized chile whatsapp phone numbers the way many people communicate. However, despite what many people might believe, SMS and WhatsApp are different channels.

Below we review the 5 main differences between SMS marketing and WhatsApp marketing :

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.- The length of the message
2.- Uses of SMS marketing and Whatsapp marketing
3.- Message format
4.- Stability
5.- Data on your performance
1.- The length of the message
A basic SMS allows you to write up to 160 characters, while in WhatsApp the message can be of unlimited length .

This technical fact is neither positive nor negative. While it seems that WhatsApp has an advantage because you can more clearly develop your value proposition in WhatsApp messages, the truth is that the movements of the main social networks give value to short messages such as SMS. Thus:

Twitter only allows 140 characters, which, far from being a negative thing, has helped this microblogging network to gain more than 300 million users.
The latest data on Facebook updates indicates that short messages perform better and are read more.
Therefore, one of the main differences between SMS marketing and WhatsApp marketing seems to play in favor of traditional SMS.

2.- Uses of SMS marketing and Whatsapp marketing
According to a report by Xopik from early 2015 , SMS sending has grown by 4% in companies while SMS sending between individuals has decreased by 15% .

On the one hand, everything indicates that the reduction in the use of SMS between individuals is due to the emergence of instant messaging applications such as WhatsApp or Line, which are also free while traditional SMS are paid for unless you have a combined plan for voice, data and SMS that has made them cheaper for personal use.

On the other hand, as the volume of SMS sent is reduced, the trend is that SMS campaigns are more effective, which has caused companies to increase their use of SMS marketing.

3.- Message format
One of the big differences between SMS marketing and Whatsapp marketing is that the Whatsapp message format allows for more elements such as images or videos. Traditional SMS messages are restricted to text or, in the case of rich SMS, to text and links.

On the one hand, this advantage of WhatsApp allows for greater creativity in the use of multimedia material, something that is highly valued by end users. But we must not forget that rich SMS can be linked to landing pages that can also include this type of message.

Therefore, the future of SMS marketing involves understanding SMS as part of a chain that begins with the SMS message but ends with a landing page . Of course, this type of landing page must be adapted to be correctly displayed on mobile devices.

4.- Stability
SMS messages are a completely stable service since it is not an online service but a communication system that is integrated into all mobile phones. On the other hand, in order to do WhatsApp marketing, you need to have a data plan.

Furthermore, even though the double check mark on WhatsApp indicates that the message has been received and read, the company itself cannot guarantee that this is the case. On the other hand, if you use a professional SMS marketing platform you will be guaranteed that your message will reach the user . And remember that 99% of SMS received are read.

5.- Data on your performance
However, one of the major differences between SMS marketing and WhatsApp marketing arises when evaluating the actions carried out. WhatsApp does not provide official data on the number of users who have opened the message or on other variables that affect the return on investment made.

On the other hand, creating an SMS marketing campaign with professional platforms such as MDirector guarantees you a control panel with multiple data on openings, percentage of links clicked or, if you relate it to a landing page, the time users spend on the page or the number of conversions you have achieved.