Marketers are always in search of the latest, best idea for reaching their target market. As media use has changed, the tactics we use to connect and get the message out have changed as well.

Of course, the big punch to the paradigm was the addition of social media sites and the reduction of traditional television viewership. Advertisers flocked to Facebook, et al, and couldn’t spend the money fast enough.

But the bloom soon died. Facebook and Google are now being targeted as monopolies with too much control. The money is till rolling in, but our eyes are wandering in case something better comes along.

One of the bottom-feeding tactics that’s been out there for a while has been text message marketing. The purveyors will tout the 98% open rate for text messages. Whatever…go back 30 years and email had the same open rate, for the same reason: we only got messages from people we know, and whose message we wanted to read.

Using that stat as a reason to wade into text message marketing is short-sighted at best, and will likely wind up costing you customers in the long run. We’re already all fighting the ubiquitous spam phone calls, to the point that no one answers the phone unless they know who is calling.

My fellow marketers, I urge you to resist the temptation wade into this water, or you’ll poison the well for all. It won’t work, you’re just going to annoy those who haven’t signed up, and we will all get the blame for ruining yet another method of communication.