The Difference Between Push Notifications and SMS Text Messages

To master the art of communicating with audiences, brands need to brush up on the capabilities of different channels—and know when to use each one. When engaging customers quickly, push notifications and SMS texts probably come to mind. But what's the difference between push notifications and SMS text messages?

SMS text messages are messages that individuals opt into to receive communications from a brand. They’re limited to 160 characters (or more for MMS) and can include features like links, emojis, and two-way texting.

On the other hand, push notifications are sent from apps that an individual has downloaded and are not interactive. Rather, the individual receives them if they have allowed push notifications for that specific app on their phone or desktop. They typically appear as banners.

In this article, we'll explore the four key differences between push notifications and SMS text messages so that you can better understand which one fits best for your business, nonprofit, or organization.

4 Differences Between Push Notifications and SMS Text Messages

Let's start with a quick discussion on the difference between "SMS" and "text" messages.

In short, an SMS text message allows users to send text messages up to 160 characters in length via a text client. Many businesses and organizations use SMS to send reminders, text event invitations, SMS review requests, and more.

In contrast, a push notification is a brief message or alert "pushed" through an application to recipients who have downloaded that application. The application does not have to be open to receive the notification.

Let's look at four differences between push notifications and SMS.

1. Receipt

To receive an SMS, recipients must text a specific phrase to a specific number. When a customer texts this phrase, he or she has officially opted into the business's text marketing campaigns and promotions. Mass text messaging is an extremely powerful tool for building a high-value text marketing list.

To receive a push notification, recipients only need to download an application, click a button, and allow the push notification to be sent.
 

2. Delivery

An SMS text message is delivered straight to users' inboxes. Recipients don't need to download any special application to access these messages, and they can access them at any time.

With push notifications, messages are delivered to the recipient's desktop or mobile device, regardless of whether he or she has the application open. In some cases, push notifications may be missed or ignored depending on the volume of push notifications that the recipient receives.

3. Visibility

When recipients receive an SMS text message, they will usually see the text message right from the phone's lock screen or in their text inbox. nidustry data indicates that most text messages are opened within just minutes of receipt!

Again, these messages may be missed or ignored depending on the volume of push notifications. Moreover, once the push notification has been viewed, recipients can no longer go back and reference the message.

4. Content

An SMS text message allows users to send messages up to 160 characters in length. Additionally, users can easily insert hyperlinks and more. An SMS campaign is ideal for any industry, including retail, faith-based, food and hospitality, fitness, nonprofits, real estate, and more.

Usually, a push notification can only be a sentence or two in length.

Benefits of SMS Text Messages Over Push Notifications

There are some key benefits of sending SMS texts instead of push notifications:

• Two-way communication. SMS messages allow brands to communicate with their audience — and receive messages in return. With 89% of customers preferring to text businesses, this is a huge win over push notifications.
   
• No download necessary. While push notifications require recipients to download the app, SMS texts don’t require any special platform. Audiences receive the alert, notification, or other message in their inbox.
   
• Higher response rates. Fifty-nine percent of text message recipients read and respond within 5 minutes, a big difference from the reaction rate of push notifications, which tops out at less than 5%.
   

How SMS Text Messages Enhance User Engagement

Several features or capabilities of SMS text messages boost engagement among recipients.

Personalization

The capabilities of texting allow this channel to be more personalized than push notifications. Text messages give brands the ability to speak directly to the person receiving the message, from including their first name to mentioning other details, like what’s waiting for them in their online cart. Personalized text messages can make audiences feel important and more human, thereby making them more likely to engage.

Customer Segmentation

Customer segmentation goes beyond simply personalizing texts to intimately knowing each customer base or audience segment. Brands can use their text marketing platform to group contacts based on insights on purchasing behaviors, interactions, location, and other demographics. By doing so, they can more effectively target each person and meet them precisely where they are in their relationship with the brand. This text marketing feature motivates audiences to take action because the message is relevant.
 

Two-Way Texting

As we’ve touched on previously, two-way texting is a key marker of SMS marketing and what sets this channel apart from the rest (including push notifications). The nature of two-way texting encourages contacts to interact with brands, leading to more leads and longtime customers. It allows brands to communicate more intimately with their audiences, requesting feedback, answering questions, and providing a more one-to-one experience for their customers. 

SMS Text Message Best Practices

When incorporating texting into your marketing campaign, here are some best practices to remember.
 

Stay Compliant

Business text messages must comply with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the CAN-SPAM Act. For example, contacts must opt into SMS text messages and must be provided with a way to opt-out. Businesses have to honor opt-outs and only send messages during certain times of the day.

Additionally, certain states have specific text messaging laws and regulations that businesses must abide by.

Keep Tabs on Message Frequency

Texting contacts too much can be a turnoff and lead to more opt-outs. A good rule of thumb for general communications or promotions is to send no more than one to two messages per week. But, of course, the right frequency depends on your audience; continually monitor at what days and times your messages perform best as well as opt-out rates to determine what works for your contacts.

Incorporate AI

Did you know that you can — and should — incorporate AI into your SMS marketing strategies? AI features like chatbots and virtual assistants enable a more seamless workflow, with task automation and the ability to respond 24/7 to contacts. AI can also help with content creation. For example, EZ Texting’s AI Compose harnesses generative AI to craft large-scale conversations that are aligned with your brand’s voice and campaign goals. 

Use Analytics

No text message marketing strategy is complete without analytics. Through your SMS marketing platform, monitor click-through rates, response rates, event signups, and opt-outs to ensure your messages resonate with contacts, motivate action, and hit your campaign’s targets. If they’re not, use these analytics to inform how you tweak the strategy.

 

Start SMS Text Messaging With EZ Texting

Your search for an SMS text messaging partner is over. See how some of our 230,000+ customers have found success with text marketing. During that time, we've helped thousands of businesses and organizations, both large and small, to deliver targeted text communications to prospects and customers.

Featuring an easy-to-use and customizable text messaging dashboard, EZ Texting customers are given all the tools needed to maximize the effectiveness of text marketing communication. Moreover, EZ Texting offers powerful tracking and reporting features designed to help users to develop a deeper understanding of text recipients and campaign effectiveness.

To get started, start your free 14-day trial today!