Understanding the SMS Messaging Market

                                                                                                                     By: Lianne Rhymes

Understanding the age of your marketing audience can help you understand best practices for your marketing strategy. In the case of SMS messages, where the majority if not all of cell phone users have a habitual use, there is a very large audience. By understanding who is best reached by text messages, you can tailor your SMS message marketing to meet those people most effectively.

The Pew Research Center, in 2011, conducted a major study of people’s cell phone habits in the United States. The study was one of the latest in terms of cell phone use and still looked at for understanding the SMS messaging habits of the American people. Considering the rise of smart phones and messaging-based apps since the study was released, we can generally assume that many of the text messaging averages would be a little higher if the study were to be performed today.

Use of SMS Messaging Based on Age

On average, people aged 18 to 29 receive and send 87.7 texts a day. Compare that to an average of 27.0 texts a day for people aged to 30 to 49, 11.4 texts a day for people aged 50 to 64, and 4.7 texts a day for people aged 65 and older.

Understanding who is sending and receiving texts will help you better understand who you need to market to and where to place your efforts. If what you are trying to sell is geared for people who are retired, SMS messaging might not be the most efficient marketing tactic. But if you are looking to sell to people in their twenties, then SMS messaging might very well be the most effective means to market your product or service.

Use of SMS Messaging Based on Education and Income

People who text come in a wide variety of education levels and incomes. For example, on average, people who make less than $30,000 send and receive 58.7 text messages a day. People who make $30,000 to $49,000 send and receive on average 40.2 text messages, compared to people who make $50,000 to $74,000 who send and receive 25.9 text messages, and people who make more than $75,000 send and receive 31.9 text messages a day.

Knowing the average income of those who are sending and receiving text messages is key to get your product or service sold. Consider who is texting the most based on income, then determine which of your products or services will best meet their income type. The same can be true of understanding education levels.

People who have studied less than high school send and receive 69.4 text messages on average a day. Those who have finished high school send and receive 45.4 text messages a day, compared to those with some college who send and receive on average 53 texts, and those who finish college who send and receive 23.8 text messages a day.

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Source: pewinternet.org/2011/09/19/americans-and-text-messaging/