In a time when digital communication is key, understanding the impact of various platforms is paramount. It’s only natural to wonder how Subtext stacks up against tried-and-true methods like email and social media. Text subscribers hold a unique position of worth compared to email subscribers or social media followers. The intimacy and directness of texting creates a deeper, more personal connection. It's not about a vast audience, but about nurturing a select group that actively engages with your brand. A text subscriber is an invested participant, someone who has willingly chosen to engage on a more personal level. With texting, the focus shifts from quantity to quality, carrying the potential to drive genuine impact and meaningful outcomes. Let’s delve into the world of Subtext and compare the benchmarks side-by-side.
Open Rates and Engagement Rates
Open rates, a critical metric in digital marketing, take on a new importance with SMS. Unlike other platforms, Subtext's 2-way conversations allow for genuine connections, transforming opens into engaging interactions. With a 98% average open rate and a 96% open rate within the first three minutes, messages not only get noticed but also encourage immediate engagement. Subtext empowers brands to target valuable audiences and spark meaningful engagement while actually listening to those audiences, moving beyond transactional marketing to create authentic connections that drive brand loyalty and collect audience data.
Furthermore, Subtext sets itself apart with high engagement and click-through rates of over 20%, unparalleled by any other platform. This statistic underscores the platform’s ability to capture attention and compel recipients to take meaningful actions. Subtext transforms open rates into a path for creating deeper connections, fostering active participation, and achieving exciting outcomes.
Subtext vs. Email
When we compare Subtext’s 98% open rate to the average 21% open rate of email, the distinction is clear. Email often gets lost in cluttered inboxes and comes across as an impersonal and transactional automated marketing ploy. Subtext's narrative texting approach exudes authenticity, making each interaction feel personal and meaningful, leading to almost 5x times the open rates and 6x the click-through rates. This stark contrast highlights not only the value of a text subscriber but also the shift in audience preferences towards more genuine, personalized communication that opens doors to deeper engagement and rapport.
Subtext vs. Social Media
With social media in a constant state of flux, impression rates, engagement rates, and click-through rates are constantly changing. It seems no social media platform is immune from being in the news these days; from Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter (now X) to privacy and spyware concerns at TikTok, to trust issues at Meta. Each social media platform has its advantages and disadvantages, but no platform competes with the two-way conversation created through SMS.
TikTok’s algorithm supports quick virality for new users to get them hooked on the platform, but most users don’t see repeated success. Most TikTok users see an average engagement rate of 4.25% and that’s decreasing by an average of 28% per year. With Subtext’s consistent engagement rates, clients can target and nurture their most valuable audience for authentic and lasting growth.
While “The Platform Formerly Known as Twitter” has the lowest engagement rates (0.04%) across all socials, what’s even more concerning to most is the lack of brand safety on the site. While Elon Musk claims advertisers will return to the site, the numbers show more and more advertisers pulling out due to concerns about brand safety. Subtext provides an opportunity to reach, engage, and activate your audience in a private environment, free from trolls.
While Meta has seen some growth on Instagram in its efforts to keep up with TikTok, Facebook has been slowly declining over the last few years. Facebook audiences are skewing older with Boomers being the biggest group joining the platform in recent years. Facebook has also been emphasizing groups over individual or page content, making the once king of engagement slowly slide down to a 0.07% engagement rate. Instagram still has some of the highest engagement rates (3.5%), but with its complicated algorithm, a lot of time and energy is needed to stay at the top of followers’ home pages. Meta also recently released Threads, its answer to Elon Musk’s new X Corp (Twitter). While people were initially excited and the app had a flurry of activity, the user base has fallen over 80% since it launched.
Platform Monetization
As the subscription model becomes increasingly popular, many social media platforms have started offering monetization forms.
TikTok is unique with its Creator Fund but comes with strict requirements for users. This causes many creators to struggle when monetizing, and when they do, they don’t see much money. Once a part of the Creator Fund, most creators average 2-3 cents per 1,000 views.
Twitter and Instagram have both opted for a more traditional subscription model. Twitter breaks down their payment to show a creator that charges $4.99/month would only net $3.39/month up until the creator makes $50,000, and then they're eligible for 80% after in-app purchase fees. Instagram is a bit more straightforward in its payments. Currently, creators receive 100% of their revenue but only after Google and Apple take 30%. Using $4.99/ month as an example, creators would take home $3.49 per user per month.
At Subtext, there are various ways to generate revenue with SMS. One way creators can monetize the platform is to generate monthly recurring revenue. We make it simple, straightforward, and accessible. Our creators set their price and Subtext splits the revenue with 80% going to creators. Using $4.99/month as an example, creators with a monetized text channel see the most money per user per month at $3.99. Other ways to monetize include adding an SMS channel as a value add to an existing paid bundle, acquiring sponsors for your channel, or executing an affiliate strategy via text.
Takeaways
While social media and email are still excellent ways of promoting business and sharing news, they are no longer the most efficient ways to disseminate information and engage with your most loyal audience members. Subtext’s unparalleled open, engagement and click-through rates paint a strong picture of the way forward. The contrast against traditional email and social media is stark, emphasizing the need for meaningful, personal interactions that resonate deeply with audiences. In a digital landscape where genuine engagement is the holy grail of marketing, Subtext stands at the forefront, helping businesses forge lasting relationships and reap the rewards of their marketing efforts.
If you're interested in learning how Subtext can work for you, schedule a call with one of our SMS experts.