Updated on 27/06/24
As critical messaging channels, SMS and email remain an important part of our personal and professional lives.
Email has been around longer than SMS, and since its invention in 1971, has become the norm for businesses to send messages in bulk and reach audiences.
That said, as the use of mobile phones grows exponentially, SMS is becoming an undeniably convenient way for businesses to communicate with customers.
If you’re wondering how to choose the right messaging channel for your business, we’re here to help. But first…
What is SMS and Email Messaging?
In short, SMS messaging is a text messaging service component of most telephone, Internet, and mobile device systems, which uses standardised communication protocols to allow mobile devices to exchange short text messages.
Email messaging on the other hand involves sending electronic mail using the Internet, and these emails can be sent and received via various email clients and webmail services.
As critical messaging channels, SMS and email remain an important part of our personal and professional lives.
When choosing between SMS and email messaging, you will need to consider a few factors, including:
- Account creation
- The rate the market is growing
- View rate
- Content length and type
- Cost and budget
1. Account Creation
The first consideration to bear in mind when choosing between SMS and email is account creation.
How seamless is account creation? What drawbacks are there? We at Mobilesquared put account creation to the test using the Amazon Web Services account creation process. Here are our findings.
Email Experience
While the account creation process was relatively simple and easy to follow, there were significant drawbacks.
Although we recognise it’s essential and positive that Amazon put verification in place for security, the fact that receiving a verification code via email can take as long as 5 minutes emphasises the inefficiency of email.
When you pair this with the fact that this code can be sent to your spam folder, and only remains valid for a total of 10 minutes, it’s clear how limiting the email experience can be for audiences.
SMS Experience
Alternatively, when it comes to creating an account through SMS, it was an entirely different experience.
This is emphasised by the fact that a code was sent through SMS in 2 seconds, compared to the 5 minutes it took via email.
SMS’ drawback is that it relies on there being signal. That said, in the context of account creation, these findings still work to highlight just how convenient and easy using SMS for business purposes is in comparison to email.
At Mobilesquared, our A2P SMS data shows that from 2017 to 2027 business traffic is set to increase by 91.2% and the average message per sub per month will increase from 25.92 to 49.55, emphasising the rate with which the A2P SMS market is growing.
2. The Rate The Market Is Growing
Another key factor to bear in mind when determining whether SMS or email is better for your business is the rate the market is growing.
At Mobilesquared, our A2P SMS data shows that from 2017 to 2027 business traffic is set to increase by 91.2% and the average message per sub per month will increase from 25.92 to 49.55, emphasising the rate with which the A2P SMS market is growing.
The more businesses incorporate SMS messaging into their way of working, the more customers will get used to SMS as a part of the customer acquisition process. As SMS increasingly becomes a larger part of the customer journey, then, this will lead to more innovations within SMS and user acquisition in the future.
In comparison, while the email market is currently larger than the SMS market, conversion rates are declining as automation increases in reference to eCommerce businesses.
When paired with the fact that ‘spam messages accounted for over 45% of e-mail traffic in December 2022’, it’s not surprising that conversion rates for email campaigns are decreasing.
Whichever channel you choose, then, you should be aware of the fluctuations in both markets.
3. View Rate
Lastly, an important factor to bear in mind when weighing up SMS and email for your business is view rate.
We at Mobilesquared have found the view rate for SMS is 100%, giving it the highest engagement rate of any other messaging channel, whereas email is nowhere near this high.
This largely comes down to the sheer volume of emails that flood your audience’s inbox in a single day versus the handful of texts they receive in a day.
Bearing this in mind, it’s becoming increasingly challenging for businesses to stand out amongst the noise when it comes to using email as a messaging tool.
That said, while email can still effective when using highly targeted campaigns, the higher view rate of SMS cannot be denied.
As such, in terms of having your messages seen by your audience, SMS reigns supreme.
We at Mobilesquared have found the view rate for SMS is 100%, giving it the highest engagement rate of any other messaging channel, whereas email is nowhere near this high.
4. Content Length and Type
Another consideration when choosing between the two is the length and type of content. These are two critical factors in choosing between SMS and email because they directly influence the effectiveness of the message delivery, recipient engagement, and overall communication goals.
If you’re looking to communicate essential information quickly, the 160-character limit of SMS forces you to be concise and to the point, which is highly effective when getting across this type of message.
Short messages are also more likely to be read in full as recipients can grasp the entire message at a glance, ensuring your key points are conveyed without being overlooked.
5. Cost and Budget
Last but certainly not least, cost and budget are crucial considerations when deciding between SMS and email for your communication strategy.
Typically spealing, SMS is usually more expensive on a per-message basis compared to email. However, as mentioned above, SMS have a much higher open and engagement rate, which for many businesses, will justify the higher initial cost.
With SMS, you get more immediate and actionable engagement, making every pound spent more impactful.
Also, the high engagement rates associated with SMS mean that fewer messages are needed to achieve desired outcomes, potentially lowering the overall cost of achieving your marketing goals.
We hope that this article has given you a better understanding of whether SMS or email is a better channel for your business.
We are Mobilesquared: mobile engagement specialists delivering the very best independent mobile market intelligence to our clients. We are the established #1 global authority on business messaging and CPaaS, with our data shaping business plans, strategy, and customer engagement modelling, for some of the world’s leading brands, mobile operators, and messaging providers.
To learn more about our services, including the Messageverse, be sure to get in touch via telephone (01182149 777) or email (info@mobilesquared.co.uk) to learn more about what we do and discover how we can help your business.
Written by Jemima, for Mobilesquared.
