Today texting is everywhere and is everything to consumers. However, when it comes to brands reaching their consumers, email marketing is still the more commonly used tactic. Yet, SMS marketing can prove to be just as persuasive and useful, if not a better marketing tool, compared to email marketing.

In fact, when used in tandem with email marketing, marketers can effectively reach their target audience, engaging with a multi-channel communication stream. We are all familiar with the pros of email, but when you take a step back and look at what SMS based programs can offer, you’ll see the huge opportunity that your brand is missing by not embracing SMS.

Below are five reasons as to why it can be hugely persuasive for any marketing campaign:

1. Reach a highly engaged audience

Consumers opt in to mobile programs and make a careful decision on which text campaigns they choose. This differs from email campaigns, where consumers subscribe more generally for brands they may only be temporarily interested in. Because users limit themselves to brands they truly care about when opting into SMS promotions, brands are able to market more directly to a captive, and loyal, target audience.

2. Build your brand conversation

A key area of difference between email and SMS: email communication is a one-way street. People can actually reply to an SMS promotion and engage with the brand through a two-way text conversation. This opens the door of conversation between brand and consumer creating greater customer engagement and building brand trust. By connecting with the customer on a more personal level, your SMS campaigns are already far more persuasive than any email campaign.

3. Sell more and drive awareness

Unlike email, which tends to drive online sales, text promotions drive engagement to bring consumers in-store. Once in-store, the consumer is more likely to buy other attractive products. SMS gets your consumer in the store and opens their eyes to additional offerings they might not otherwise have been interested in. For instance, an exclusive SMS about an up and coming sale is more likely to draw customers into your store than any other form of campaign.

Marketers now know that in order to stay relevant, they have to be where their consumers are – and consumers are mobile. Since we know texting is one of the most popular mobile activities today, brands are missing out on a major opportunity by not leveraging SMS based marketing.

SMS practices are not just an efficient way to reach today’s consumer but also the most relevant way to engage with them, build brand trust, and even track the effectiveness of advertising. It’s for these reasons that anyone can see how much of a persuasive tool SMS marketing is to any brand. If you’re not already engaging with customers via SMS based campaigns, it’s time to go mobile.