Is text message marketing the new email marketing? Why/why not?

No. SMS has its place, but it will certainly never replace email marketing for so many reasons. SMS can have high engagement rates, but it has so many limitations for the marketers that it just isn't feasible for it to exist on its own.

Andrew Kordek
Co-Founder, Trendline Interactive
A Email Marketing Agency
Twitter: @andrewkordek & @trendlinei
Email: andrew@trendlineinteractive.com

I don't believe text messaging marketing will ever replace e-mail marketing. As Robin said, sending unsolicited texts is a sure way to lose a customer. You would need your users to opt-in, as receiving texts still cost many people money.

Having said that, there is a huge advantage with SMS marketing: your message will get read. I know I can easily ignore an e-mail, but it is much more difficult to ignore a text message.

I agree with Andrew and Scott - SMS had its window of opportunity several years ago - pre smartphone, pre mobile apps.

The biggest challenge with SMS is the lack of real estate, images, links - when you include the necessary opt-out text in an SMS message there simply isn't much room for a marketing message.

This doesn't mean SMS doesn't have a place. Again, agree with Scott - if marketers focus on service-oriented messages - gate changes, Webinar reminders, sale deadlines, flash sale alerts, birthday reminders, etc. Anything that has a service component to it.

The other area of opportunity for SMS is to use SMS to email opt-in. So at trade shows, on billboards, at point-of-sale - promote opting in by texting to sign up for email newsletters, promotions or content. This Wednesday at Dreamforce I'm doing an SMS to opt-in demo during a presentation - the folks in the audience that do so will receive and email in seconds with a link to a white paper related to the presentation.

I don't think SMS marketing has a place. I used to get unsolicited SMS marketing (aka SPAM) until I told my service provider to block ALL SMS sent from these 5 digit numbers.

SMS marketing will guarantee that I am never a customer of yours ever! The only time I would accept SMS from any company is:

1) If I specifically requested a particular message

2) It is has absolute relevance to my business with that company.

Scott's suggestion was good, e.g. "Your webinar starts in 5 minutes". This is acceptable. Anything else like "we have a new product" - go away. If I'm a customer of yours or interested in doing business with you, you can be assured I will already be looking at your product offerings.

I don't think it's an either or issue. SMS "alerting" is often well received and is likely to stay around - but the limitations of content richness constrain the channel and medium for marketing purposes.

It is, after all - just another form of email. Just shorter.

The initial popularity of SMS (especially group texts) now seems to have morphed into Social Network updates, Tweets and emails with only a subject line...... EOM.

Can't help associating short messages/tweets/subject lines with the single sentences that used to promote Newspaper sales on street billboards, and Newspaper headlines that when absorbed over time and in conjunction can shape public opinion.

I don't think there is a case in which I would want to receive text marketing messages. Just like telemarketing's death, text messages marketing would fall. Text messages are more personal and intimate (Scott's point).