Engaging your customers â being in the right place at the right time

Business mobile messaging is a truly convenient communication channel – allowing you to truly communicate with your audience on their terms. 97.5% of all SMS are read within 5 seconds of being received* and response rates are four times higher than other direct marketing mediums** – creating a constant and reliable method of engagement and ROI for your business.

Mobile messaging, when utilised correctly, provides relevancy and immediacy that is unrivalled in terms of business conversion by any other channel. However, timing is everything and mobile messaging is no different. The moment in time that your customer receives your message can influence whether or not you will see a return on your efforts, or even if your brand is looked upon favourably by your target in the future.

Research tells us that the most appropriate time for a business to send a message is during the week. During the week, 13% of respondents to research that we have conducted, would welcome a message anytime, while 12% say that the most appropriate time to send a message is between 0700 – 0900, and a further 12% between 0900 – 1200. Over the weekend the most popular time to receive a message is between 1200 – 1500.

Additionally, the customer offering on the table and the nature of your business will also influence the best time to send a message to an opted-in recipient.

For example, for a restaurant or take away, a weekend afternoon can be an ideal time to promote special offers on your menu as consumers are more likely to be flexible in their plans for meal times and entertainment on weekend evenings; therefore increasingly responsive to the idea of a spontaneous evening out or take away weekend treat.

Alternatively, a weekday can be a better choice for a recruitment or legal service firm, due to the nature of the business. Respondents typically associate this business sector with traditional weekday office hours.

And so, as I say, timing is everything and when used with your customer in mind, business mobile messaging can have fantastic results for your business. 40% of UK consumers are interested in being contacted via mobile by advertisers*** and this figure is increasing every day. Therefore if you are not currently using business mobile messaging to reach your customers at a time that suits them, I urge you to start today.

*(Ofcom – 2011)

**(Mobile Data Association – 2011)

***(thedrum.co.uk – 2012)