63 per cent of business owners consider SMS more effective than email in their overall marketing campaigns, according to a report from mobile messaging company Textlocal – and 67 per cent named SMS as their preferred mobile marketing communication channel.

But the same respondents also showed a lack of awareness of its benefits – 86 per cent were not aware of the high response rates of SMS.

“We believe there is still work to be done to educate businesses to communicate with their customers in this way,” says Textlocal MD Darren Daws. “Our survey delved into the hearts and minds of 600 businesses across the UK and asked how they used, and what they thought about, mobile marketing and communications. Our research indicates that many businesses are aware of mobile messaging, but there are still some who are yet to tap into the full potential of how powerful it can be as a business driver.”

The research forms the basis of Textlocals whitepaper, The Great British Mobile Marketing Report, which can be downloaded for free here.