Better SMS Lead Generation for Your Business ApexChat 0i Share this www.apexchat.comreport TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 01 The shift to mobile browsing and communication 02 People are make more mobile purchases 03 SMS as an engagement tool 04 Other channels are annoying 05 Improving conversion rates with SMS 06 Mobile messaging for the modern lifestyle 07 How does SMS/mobile messaging work? 08 Don’t stretch your resources thin 09 Text messaging to capture more leads 10 Chatbots compliment your human team 11 Adding your number to Google listings 12 How to select a mobile messaging vendor 13 ApexChat 0ii Share this report INTRODUCTION Typing and communication are nearly synonymous. Text-based messaging is the primary way we connect with family and friends. In fact, 15,220,700 texts are sent every minute of every day.1 Texting texts /minute is so popular that it’s quickly becoming the preferred channel for engagement between consumers and businesses. Prospects who are sent text messages convert at a 40 percent higher rate than those who engage with businesses through other website channels.2 And the majority of consumers think positively of companies that offer text messaging as an option.3 However, close to half of all businesses don’t have the framework in place to communicate with prospects via text message. By adding a “Text Us” option to your mobile website you can take advantage of the trend toward mobile messaging. This way prospects can begin texting with a business representative as soon as they visit your website. On the other hand, if you don’t add messaging capabilities to your website you could missing out on valuable leads. ApexChat 01 Share this report The shift to mobile browsing and communication This may come as no surprise, but most people use their phones to communicate. Cell phones are the primary messaging device for 69 percent of U.S. consumers.4 And they’re constantly engaged with their mobile messaging apps. Research indicates 82 percent of consumers keep notifications on for their native SMS app.5 By 2021 mobile phone When they receive text messages people are fast to act. The average response time for a text message is 90 seconds.6 internet usage will jump And text message response rates are much higher than the to 86.5 percent. response rates for email. It is clear that smartphones are most people’s primary means of communication with friends and family. But their mobile devices are used for more than personal conversations. As cell phones grow more advanced we rely on them for an ever-expanding list of things. For example, rather than desktop computers or laptops, most people are using their cell phones to access and browse the internet. By 2021 mobile phone internet usage will jump to 86.5 percent.7 More than 40 million Americans went online exclusively with their mobile devices in 2017.8 82% keep notifications on for their native SMS app 69% 90 use cell phones seconds as their primary messaging device average response time for a text message ApexChat 02 Share this report People are looking to make more mobile purchases There’s a small window to Accessing the internet is more convenient than ever thanks to smartphones. The convince mobile shoppers web is available anytime and anywhere, your service is right for them. and people are taking full advantage. Consumers can jump on the web while taking the bus, waiting in line for a cup total spending and e-commerce spending. of coffee or working out at the gym. That M-commerce spending growth surged accessibility is helping m-commerce rise more than 34 percent quarter-over-quarter as the preferred shopping channel. An from the third to the fourth quarter of 2017. accident victim can book an appointment with auto accident lawyer via text message Despite consumers pouring plenty of at the scene of a crash. Or a parent can use money into mobile purchases in 2017 at an app to purchase a same-day delivery a rate that’s increasing by the quarter, soccer ball on game day for his or her mobile spending still lags behind desktop child’s team. spending. This creates a challenge for businesses hoping to improve their The mobile commerce share of all digital conversion rates. There’s a small window to commerce dollars spent in the fourth convince mobile shoppers your service is quarter of 2017 was over 24 percent.9 And right for them. If businesses aren’t engaging it’s growing fast. M-commerce spending mobile web visitors immediately they’re has broken away from the pack, outpacing missing out on leads. ApexChat 03 Share this report 58% of consumers state they view 47% of consumers would react businesses that communicate via negatively if a business failed text messaging more positively to offer text messaging as a communication channel SMS as an engagement tool Engaging with consumers in an effort to build trusting relationships is essential to improving conversion rates. One way to do this successfully is to connect with people on their terms. And these days that means meeting them via mobile devices. Most businesses connect with consumers via voice call or through email. However, this could cost them valuable engagement opportunities. One survey determined 47 percent of the individuals polled would react negatively if a business failed to offer text messaging as a communication channel.10 On the other hand, 58 percent of the survey respondents stated they view businesses that communicate via SMS more positively. ApexChat 04 Share this report Other communication channels are annoying Consumers open Text messaging is the If you’re annoying prospects with too many preferred communication emails or playing phone tag with on-the- only 1 in 4 of the channel among consumers, go prospects, you’re risking engagement emails they receive in part, because the other opportunities. Why take the chance? It’s options have grown annoying a safe bet to give your website visitors or inconvenient. Our on-the-go lifestyles the option to send text messages to your prevent most people from speaking on sales representatives or chat agents. It’s the phone throughout the day. And people the preferred communication channel generally ignore emails. Consumers open among most Americans, after all. And the only 1 in 4 of the emails they receive, engagement advantages SMS offers can one survey stated.11 One reason the open help you improve conversion rates in the rate is so low is that 82 percent of the long run. respondents believe the barrage of emails they receive indicates businesses “don’t understand them.”12 89% would like to connect with businesses using By engaging with consumers via text mobile messaging message you can flip that notion on its head by showing you relate to them. First impressions are important. Making good first impressions with mobile website visitors can help businesses build valuable relationships. The best way to look good off the bat is to give prospects what they want. Afterall, 89 percent of shoppers would like to connect with businesses using mobile but only messaging..13 However, companies have 48% of businesses been slow to catch on to the preference employ the tools necessary. for SMS. Only 48 percent of businesses employ the tools necessary to connect with consumers via text message.14 ApexChat 05 Share this report Improving conversion rates with SMS engagement All the evidence points toward text messaging improving both engagement and conversion rates. But does the data back that up? 82.56 percent of SMS chats resulted in a lead. Our internal analysis indicates that prospects who text with businesses convert at a higher rate. We reviewed lead capture and conversion rates among ApexChat conversations and found that 82.56 percent of SMS chats resulted in a What is a “qualified lead”? lead. Better yet, 31.32 percent of those leads met the criteria for a “qualified lead.” Our research indicates that across the board, once mobile website visitors begin text messaging with chat They provide a name representatives they convert to qualified leads and contact information at a similar rate. One ApexChat user saw 51 percent of its chat They are looking for a leads come in through mobile rather than desktop service you provide visits. That’s about in line with the share of internet traffic sourced to mobile devices, versus desktop computers. Those individuals will be more likely They are located in your to convert than prospects who engaged the client through phone calls, email or form fill. geographic service area ApexChat 06 Share this report Why is live chat preferred? Mobile messaging for the modern lifestyle Engaging with consumers in an understand them. After all, this channel effort to build trusting relationships just doesn’t fit the modern lifestyle. is essential to improving conversion rates. One way to do this successfully There are plenty of reasons why people is to connect with people on their prefer to communicate with business terms. And these days that means through text messaging. But the most meeting them via mobile devices. common ones are directly relevant to that modern lifestyle. People value Most businesses connect with fast conversations that can occur consumers via voice call or through simultaneously with other tasks. SMS is email. However, this could cost them an active, ongoing and convenient way valuable engagement opportunities. to communicate with businesses. And As we mentioned earlier, most people for most people, those qualities make it think emails are a sign companies don’t the perfect communication tool. ApexChat 07 Share this report How does SMS/mobile messaging work? Adding SMS capability through an integrated live chat provider such as ApexChat can make mobile messaging easy for you as well as for your website visitors and leads.