A fascinating question was submitted in response to my last column:
“…to what extent are SMS and email marketing likely to merge in view of the increasing number of phones capable of receiving email? Or will there always be differences, and if so what are they and what will they, individually, still offer the marketer?” – Suze from Howtowriteebetter.net
I posted a quick survey, asking “Do you feel email and SMS will merge?” The majority of responders said no. A sample of the feedback:
“The two channels each give people a different way of communicating. SMS is currently a short burst/update channel to stay in touch with the select few and get information on the fly. Email is for longer communications that people might want archived or searchable later. Each channel is still evolving in relation to the other, but I suspect most people will see a need for both – even if they’re accessible from the same device.” – Gretchen Scheiman, director, CRM, OgilvyOne
“Did radio and TV merge? Have different mediums with different purposes merged in the past? Email is long form and less immediate than SMS–they serve two different purposes.” – Augie Ray, executive director of community and collaboration at USAA
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