To continually provide an excellent customer experience, Mitto recently surveyed the top marketers in the U.S. working at the largest enterprises to find out the most effective digital marketing channels used in the past year. 75% of marketers in these large organizations said that SMS was the most effective channel that they use, or have used, that is directly tied to revenue growth in 2020. This was a win for Mitto as they are leaders in the SMS marketing field. Not only did SMS excel as an independent marketing channel, but 75% of companies surveyed said it outperformed chat, voice, and email marketing. Of course, a conversation about marketing effectiveness in 2020 has to consider the impact of COVID-19. Customer expectations were up overall, with COVID driving higher expectations. Nearly a third of marketers struggled with the deliverability of their content to users.
For the majority of 2020, people were forced to stay inside, which meant in-store advertising was useless and the reach of billboards was limited. However, people remained engaged with their phones and mobile devices. The brands that remained relevant and thrived during a financially tumultuous year were the ones that met the audience where they were. The past year’s challenges drive home the message that delivering an exceptional customer experience is more important than ever. Only 3% of enterprises are currently not using digital channels to support customer engagement. However, digital channels such as live chat, chatbots, SMS, and voice significantly increase the likelihood that an organization’s revenue will increase in any year.
New Digital Channels Trend for Brand Awareness
An interesting observation in the data is that 77% of survey respondents using SMS to send promotions or offers saw revenue growth. Conversely, only 23% of respondents that did not engage consumers via SMS experienced an uptick in revenue. The use of SMS as a primary digital marketing tool increased conversion rates and financial growth by 54%. The difference (delta) on that same question was 48% for voice and 22% for chat, respectively. Additionally, 68% of companies that use SMS for general brand awareness also saw revenue growth last year as opposed to 32% of companies that did not employ an SMS strategy. Even without promotional offers, companies with an SMS solution are 38% more likely to achieve their fiscal goals.
Overall, the results show that digital marketing on all of these channels is vital. Even the non-SMS channels proved to be at least marginally beneficial in reaching consumers. For instance, 70% of businesses that solicited customer feedback via voice saw growth in revenue over the past 12 months. This survey shows that all of these methods have value and should be integrated with every company’s digital marketing strategy. For B2C organizations, a multichannel approach to marketing is becoming a standard best practice for powerful brand awareness. Especially in the wake of the pandemic, a strategic multi-tiered marketing plan is paramount. Even though Mitto’s primary focus is SMS, they also support voice, WhatsApp, live chat, and chatbots to support enterprise marketing fully.
“In the past, we’ve always placed importance on a good customer experience out of best practice, and we believe that effectively reaching out to customers adds value to customer engagement,” adds VP of Sales Americas, Sean Whitley.
“When we look at this report, it confirms revenue growth and digital communications are directly linked. 87% of respondents that leveraged digital communications to a moderate to high extent saw revenue spikes, solidifying how important digital engagement has become”
