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5 Reasons to Adopt Texting into Marketing Strategies

Contributed article by Jason Tatum, Vice President of Product at CallRail  

There’s no longer any doubt that buyer communication preferences have changed with today’s customers expecting the ability to text with businesses due to convenience, speed, and familiarity. The numbers tell the story: 78% of consumers want to text with businesses, according to Twilio, but only 48% of businesses are prepared to do so. Ignoring this demand means missing out on a high-value, customer-preferred communication and lead generation channel.   

The days when calls and emails were the only acceptable forms of customer communication are quickly fading in a world dominated by smartphones and social media. Texting has become a trusted, low-stakes alternative for consumers – especially in contrast to channels riddled with robocalls and spam. The businesses that have not optimized communications strategies to include text messaging risk losing relevance, responsiveness, and ultimately even revenue.   

For today’s consumers, texting often replaces calling and many agencies are already seeing the results. For Hypenow Digital Marketing, this includes more leads and higher conversions for clients thanks to the fast response times texting enables. Here are five reasons why your business should consider sliding into your customers’ messages.  

1. Texting saves time and is more efficient for everyone

Compared to phone calls and emails, text messaging offers a greater sense of immediacy. With 57% of consumers expecting a response from businesses within 15 minutes, speed matters more than ever. Calls and emails come with their own set of challenges, such as spam filters, missed voicemails, or situations where calling simply isn’t practical. These hurdles can result in repeated outreach and wasted time.  

Texting, by contrast, helps reduce these inefficiencies. Messages are typically delivered and read quickly, rarely filtered out as spam. New industry regulations, like the 10DLC rules set by The Campaign Registry, also help standardize business texting practices and ensure messages reach recipients reliably and legally.  

Texting gives consumers the flexibility to reply when it’s convenient, and it offers businesses the same benefit. Unlike phone calls, texting allows for asynchronous communication, which can be perfect for moments when real-time conversation isn’t feasible. Additionally, with open rates reportedly as high as 98%, it’s hard to argue with the effectiveness of a well-timed text message.  

2. Texting keeps your conversations more focused

Text messages demand brevity. With preview texts and notification banners limiting how much can be seen at a glance, businesses are forced to eliminate filler and lead with the core message. It works too, with 86% of consumers now opting in for business texting, a 20% increase since 2021.  

For businesses that adopt this strategy, texting can be an efficient way to engage and follow up with new leads, especially because of its simplicity and speed. It also enables businesses to streamline communication workflows, helping teams stay focused and responsive.  

Registered 10DLC numbers play an important role in this. They ensure that messages are properly vetted, reducing the likelihood of spam blocks and enhancing trust with consumers. Consistent use of opt-in/opt-out messaging and automation tools can also help teams manage higher volumes while maintaining a high-quality customer experience.  

3. Consumers prefer to communicate with businesses through texting

Cold-calling is increasingly ineffective – 74% of people ignore unknown numbers out of concern about scams. With the rise of spoofed numbers and deepfake scams, people are more cautious than ever about taking calls from businesses.  

Texting, on the other hand, is often perceived as safer and more convenient. In fact, 86% of consumers say they’re more likely to engage with or redeem mobile offers sent via text than through email or mobile apps. It’s no surprise, then, that 91% of consumers worldwide have signed up for SMS marketing campaigns.  

Using a verified business number adds a layer of trust and helps ensure that messages don’t go ignored. Some businesses also leverage texting for richer media communication (via MMS), like photos and videos, as a useful tactic for industries that provide estimates, visual quotes, or on-site services.  

While phone calls will always have a place, especially for more complex or sensitive matters, many consumers would rather receive a quick text than navigate a phone call. That preference is increasingly shaping how brands approach customer communication.  

4. Handle more conversations – without impacting the customer experience

Texting naturally supports multitasking, a major advantage for both teams and solo professionals. While waiting for one person to reply, you can reach out to another. That’s impossible with phone calls, where one voice means one conversation at a time.  

Texting also enables collaboration. If a team member steps away, another can pick up the conversation mid-thread without missing a beat without any awkward handoffs or call transfers. 

To stay organized, businesses often use message tagging or filtering systems to track conversations based on time of day, product type, or customer stage. Combined with features like auto-replies and desktop alerts, these systems help manage customer communications efficiently, without sacrificing responsiveness or personalization.  

5. Texting enables you to connect with customers in the way they prefer

Whether it’s friends, family, or service providers, most people have a clear preference between calls or texts. The same applies to your customers. And if only 48% of businesses are texting, that leaves a large share of potential leads going unmet.  

Texting feels more casual and less intrusive. For many, phone calls feel stressful or overly formal, especially when coming from an unknown number. And unlike calls, texting allows people to reflect before they respond, reducing the risk of miscommunication.  

By giving consumers a communication channel they’re already comfortable with, businesses can lower barriers, boost response rates, and capture more leads without forcing customers to adjust their preferences.  

Looking ahead: Texting’s Role in the Modern Communication Mix

As businesses continue to evaluate the most effective communications channels to reach customers, texting has proven to be an increasingly popular form for consumers that shouldn’t be ignored. This capability signals to consumers that you have it together where many others do not and can be the deciding differentiator for many small businesses. 

By adding this new piece in a larger puzzle of communication channels, businesses can not only engage in the ways that are most convenient for customers but also ensure those conversations can move between mediums with little friction. When implemented thoughtfully as part of a broader, multi-channel customer experience strategy, texting can open the door to previously unreachable audiences and especially those who are phone-averse or expect quick, low-pressure interactions.