Smartphones and tablets have changed virtually everything about our day-to-day lives. It’s changed the way we plan and coordinate our schedules through calendar and other productivity-based applications. It’s changed the way we socialize by revolutionizing social media platforms and the way we use them. It’s even changed the way we communicate with family and friends to the ease of video and wi-fi calling solutions. So it’s no surprise that mobile technologies are also changing the way that consumers interact with their favorite brands and companies.

Businesses big and small are reallocating their marketing budgets to make sure they’re communicating with their customers across their favorite channels. Though mobile technology is constantly advancing and there are always new ways to communicate via mobile, the one that has really stood the test of time and remained at the center of companies’ mobile marketing efforts is SMS (or texting). Here’s why.

It’s the most reliable

Not all mobile phones are smartphones. Some aren’t connected to the internet and can’t have apps installed. But nearly all mobile phones can send and receive texts. Of all the mobile channels, SMS is the one that is the most likely to work for every customer.

Not only does SMS work with most phones, they’re more likely to be received. Push notifications through apps can be turned off the moment a user installs the app. Mobile optimized emails (though more likely to be read than regular emails) still aren’t as good as texts because many email services filter out promotional emails as junk and they’re never seen yet alone read. Texts, on the other hand, have a 98% open rate so it’s almost guaranteed that the recipient will receive and read the message.

SMS is a doorway

A perceived weakness of text messaging as a marketing channel is actually a strength. Most cell phone service providers limit texts to 160 characters. But a text message can include a link that is a portal to other interactive mobile content. Simply put, text messages can be used to link customers to mobile-optimized websites, video content, and social media pages. Another benefit to the 160 character limit is that it forces businesses to be concise and direct and carefully consider the absolute best way to convey a message. Many emailed messages lack the power of a carefully worded text because of the longer format.

The top brands like Coca Cola recognize the power of SMS marketing and have been known to spend up to 70% of their mobile marketing budget on texting. If you’re considering expanding on your mobile marketing efforts, SMS needs to play a central role.