SMS text messaging has emerged as an effective and measurable engagement tactic that can be used by marketers to power a variety of programs targeting sales, loyalty, and brand awareness. The nearly universal reach of text messaging has provided marketers with a platform for reaching and engaging customers who are “on the go.” In the world of multi-channel communications, texting will become part of every marketing campaign. The statistics tell the story. According to Mobile Business Statistics:

- U.S. cell phone subscribers sent and received on average 390 text messages per month, compared to making 230 voice calls a month.
- In the coming year, the number of text messages sent by individuals between the ages of 12 and 45 will exceed the number of voice calls made by 60%.
- One-third of the world’s population currently has mobile Internet access. This is more than twice the number of Internet-connected PCs.
- 60% of the world’s population is expected to have access to the Internet through a mobile device in 1 year.
- Two-thirds of mobile phone users are subscribers of SMS text messaging.
- During 2009, approximately 2.1 billion people were actively text messaging.
- There are two times as many active Short Message Service (SMS) users as there are active users of e-mail.
- In the U.S. alone, over 450 billion SMS text messages were sent in 2009.
- On average, text messages are read within 4 minutes of being received. For e-mail messages, this average is 48 hours.
- While 65% of e-mail is spam, less than 10% of SMS is spam.

The mobile marketing outlet is becoming a very practical channel for corporate marketers to utilize. Factoring the mobile market into a multi-channel campaign enables marketers to reach a larger audience. Some marketers are hesitant to jump on the mobile bandwagon, mostly because they are unsure of where to start and how to effectively utilize it. Service providers must be there to help marketers navigate through the opportunities that are available in mobile marketing.

It is important to recognize that the mobile channel consists of various components, with each playing an important role in the mobile marketing strategy. These components include SMS (better known as text messaging), mobile-formatted Web sites, mobile ad networks, and mobile applications.