Google Glass Adds Text

The official release date for Google's consumer version of their infamous wearable device, Google Glass, is expected to be announced soon. One intriguing feature that's extremely promising in the world of SMS text message marketing is that Google Glass will enable such messaging via the iPhone, as it does on Android devices. Thanks to this update, iPhone users will be able to use the iOS Bluetooth settings' “show notifications” option to view SMS text messages through this high-tech eyewear.

SMS texting has already proven to be a flexible, far-reaching, and cost-effective marketing tool with a high conversion rate; the fact that text messaging notifications will now also appear in the immediate view of consumers wearing Google Glass is an incredible boon to companies that employ SMS text messaging as part of their marketing campaigns.

The Convenience of SMS Text Messaging

It is almost impossible to imagine a more immediate, more convenient, and more certain way of reaching a consumer base than through SMS texts, but it looks like Google Glass may have just found that way. The overwhelming majority of consumers today have mobile phones, and that percentage is only growing. Needless to say, consumers tend to keep those devices nearby – although not directly in front of their eyes, necessarily – at all times, and they check them frequently. Mobile users are wary of answering phone calls from strange or blocked numbers, so text has become a solid alternative for getting messages in front of consumers.

Considering that texts take only take a few seconds to read, and that the receiver controls when and where he or she opens it. SMS text messaging is far less intrusive than a phone call. As a result, studies show that 97% of texts received are actually opened and read, most within just minutes of their receipt. The fact that text messages are concise, that they reach consumers on their own terms, and that they are one of the most intimate ways to engage users likely explains why the conversion rates for text marketing campaigns are, in turn, so high. Now, with Google Glass, the open rate may reach even further! 

The Answer is Right Before Our Eyes

The time it takes a company to send out automated marketing messages to the instant receivers actually view the message is already extremely quick. After all, the only marketing message that's faster and more likely to be seen than one sent to a mobile device would be a message that literally appears right before our eyes. That's exactly what the Google Glass SMS text messaging update for the iPhone does. The only caveat is that iOS users will not be able to send text messages with Glass, only receive and read them. This is due to a “limitation with iOS” according to Google.

Nonetheless, this update and the imminent launch of Google Glass will spell worlds of difference when it comes to marketing and communication in general. What will Google come up with next?! Give us your ideas below!