Survey: The number one mobile text promotion consumers want is…

About two-thirds of consumers agree the best type of text-based promotion is one that directly saves them money.

According to the 2021 Local Business Messaging Trends study from customer messaging platform Podium, incentives like coupons, discounts and promo codes are the number one type of promotional text messages surveyed consumers want to receive from local businesses. 

Following were loyalty offers and benefits (52%), back-in-stock notifications (35%), and invitations to upcoming events (28%). Over half (55%) of respondents have redeemed an offer or promotional code shared with them via text message.

Nearly three in four (74%) respondents said they would be more likely to text with a local business if they knew a real person was going to receive and respond to their message, as opposed to receiving automated messages. Furthermore, half of respondents said they are more likely to respond to a text message from a business if the person behind the texts introduces themselves.

Other key findings from the 2021 Local Business Messaging Trends report include:

•    Respondents are 21% more likely to opt into local businesses’ SMS marketing lists than major chain or big-box businesses, and 45% more likely to opt into local businesses’ SMS marketing messages than online or e-commerce businesses.

•    After opting into their promotional text message list, 62% of respondents would like to receive them at least once per week, while 16% would like to receive messages at least once per day. However, 75% would unsubscribe from a company's promotional messages if they received too many.

“Communicating with your customers - the single most important action to a local business - has taken many forms over the last few decades. But nothing we’ve seen has as much upside as using SMS messaging to connect with your audience,” said Neil Patel, New York Times best-selling author and co-founder at Neil Patel Digital.