Business & marketing in Latvia: why bulk SMS in Latvia became necessary

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• In 2022, 6.65 billion people have smartphones which is actually more than 80% of the world's population.
• 75% of customers do want to receive any kind of offers via SMS.
• The CTR rate for SMS ads is currently being 9.18% higher than for any other digital channel.
• In comparison to email-marketing, SMS marketing has an open rate of 98%.
• 60% of customers read SMS messages within 1-5 minutes after receiving those.

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Turning now to our country, we might see that the efficiency of SMS bulks in Latvia in 2022, as according to a global trend, continues to grow so rapidly that almost 98% of adults in Latvia now do have access to mobile devices with SMS text messaging function.

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Taking into consideration facts mentioned above, we can already conclude that SMS in Latvia is an extremely useful and efficient tool for any kind of business despite its focus and specialization.

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Instead of theoretical profanation, we have selected some real stories of different entities whose business activity and its impact have changed significantly after the implementation of SMS-marketing to demonstrate practically why SMS in Latvia has a significant potential.

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Story #1:
Stop only listening, begin also writing: radio station's 5,500 new customers.

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A major radio station (Radio xxFM) had an opinion poll. Listeners were offered a GSM number which they used to send text messages with their opinion including one simple word: «yes» or «no». After that, radio station’s staff accumulated all answers and published those on a specially designed webpage. This turned out to be extremely convenient for both radio station workers and users who both didn’t had to do much while getting a huge and useful feedback. Thanks to the efficient and customer-oriented approach, the number of regular listeners of xxFM radio increased by 5,500 people approximately

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Story #2:
With the cup of coffee in one hand and mobile phone in the other: how to increase sales by 180%

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According to A. — a widely spread coffee franchise — a two-month interactive mobile advertising campaign in a neighboring Baltic country resulted in increasing sales by 180%. Coffee lovers were suggested to sending a short SMS messages to given numbers and receiving immediately free gift coupons or special offers that could be then used at any of the franchise points. The record growth of 180% occurred during the first three weeks of the campaign, allowing to the government of A. to reduce expenses on other communication methods (email marketing, cold calls, etc.).

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Back to basics: SMS is a key to success!

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As we could see, SMS is a great way to dive into a huge and fragmented market of mobile device users. The key to success for many campaigns, including the ones mentioned above, is an effective and delicate use of SMS messaging features, without interfering client's privacy with unwanted spams. A. entity’s marketing manager, in a private interview with Sendberry, came to the conclusion that the decision to integrate SMS in Latvia was a positive experience in creating a unique brand:

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"We reach our targets with a direct message, clear and understandable to our clients. Promotional SMS are not awkward or annoying advertisements, but definitely a serious marketing tool aimed at people and at communication with them."