What are the Best SMS Marketing Options for Small Businesses?

With 75% of customers indicating they want to receive texts from brands in 2022, SMS marketing for small businesses is making it easier for you to reach and connect with your customers. 

Mass texting services like SMS are an effective way to build trust and let customers know you appreciate their patronage.

Top Benefits of SMS Marketing

You’ve made it this far and it’s time to discuss the benefits of SMS to your growing business:

1. Reach a Wider Audience: SMS marketing allows businesses to reach a large number of people quickly, ensuring that messages are seen and read by the intended audience.
2. High ROI: SMS marketing is one of the most cost-effective marketing strategies, with a high return on investment.
3. Easy to Personalize: SMS marketing makes it easy to customize and personalize messages, ensuring they are tailored to the target audience.
4. Low Cost: Compared to other marketing channels, SMS marketing is relatively low cost, making it accessible to businesses of all sizes.
5. High Open Rate: SMS messages have one of the highest open rates of all marketing channels, with an average open rate of 98%.
6. Fast Delivery: SMS messages are delivered quickly, ensuring that recipients receive the message within seconds of it being sent.
7. Easy to Track: Businesses can easily track the performance of their SMS campaigns, allowing them to measure success and adjust their strategy accordingly.

How Can a Text Messaging Service Help Your Small Business Grow?

Text messaging services can help small businesses grow in a number of ways. Here are a few of the most prominent:

Text messaging services provide a direct line of communication between businesses and their customers. This can help build relationships with customers and allow businesses to provide personalized customer service.

Text messaging services allow businesses to send promotional messages to their target audience, increasing their visibility and helping to drive more sales and leads.

Text messaging services can be used to automate customer communications and reduce the amount of time and effort required to manage customer interactions.

Text messaging services can be used to collect customer feedback, allowing businesses to better understand their customers and tailor their services accordingly.

Text messaging services can be used to streamline processes, such as appointment reminders and order confirmations, helping to improve efficiency and reduce costs.

Choosing SMS Marketing Software: What to Pay Attention to?

SMS marketing is so much more than just sending messages to a large audience. A good omnichannel marketing platform must offer features to make your campaigns very effective. 

Here are some things to put on your checklist when in the market for a good SMS marketing platform:

Bulk SMS is the act of sending a message to a large number of people at once and it is the most sought-after feature in SMS marketing.

Can your customers reach you conveniently? Or do they have to go through a hurdle? With two-way messaging, you can resolve disputes and answer queries in one place.

Schedule posts set auto-respond messages, and confirm subscriptions without needing the human touch.

Can your SMS service provider integrate with other related platforms?

SMS Marketing Pricing

Here are some popular SMS platforms and their pricing:

BSG Pricing

BSG gives you a demo mode to get familiar with their platform and then a test mode to run mock campaigns and test delivery before you roll out your actual campaign. SMS messages are priced at $0.01 per SMS

EZ Texting Pricing

EZTexting has four pricing options and you get 200 credits each month, but you can purchase additional credits at $0.04/credit. They also offer a free trial with 20 message credits. 

SimpleTexting Pricing

SimpleTexting offers a free trial for two weeks with 50 outgoing text messages. Your monthly payment is then based on the number of text messages you can send. 

Textedly Pricing

They offer 50 test SMS and one custom keyword. Their premium plan prices are based on the number of text messages and the number of keywords.

Setting Up SMS Marketing Step-by-Step

The first step in setting up an SMS marketing program is to select a text messaging platform that meets your needs. Consider factors such as the number of messages you will be sending, the type of messages you will send, and the cost associated with the platform.

Before launching an SMS marketing campaign, decide on your target audience. Who are you trying to reach, and how will your message be tailored to them? Consider factors such as age, gender, interests, location, and demographics.

Once you’ve chosen a text messaging platform and identified your target audience, you’ll need to create a list of mobile phone numbers to which you will be sending messages. You can get mobile phone numbers from a variety of sources, such as customers who have opted in to receive messages, or from databases of known customers.

Writing engaging messaging content is key to having a successful SMS marketing program. Think about the message you are trying to convey, and make sure it’s clear, concise, and easy to understand.

Before launching your SMS campaign, it’s important to test it to make sure it’s working as expected. Once you’re happy with the results, launch your campaign and start sending messages.

Once your campaign is live, it’s important to monitor the results. Track metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates to gain insights into how your campaign is performing. Make adjustments to your messaging content as needed.

SMS Marketing: Tips to Write the Best Texts

• Keep it short and sweet. SMS messages should be short, direct, and to the point. Avoid using too many words, as this can make the message difficult to read.
• Personalize your message. Using personalized messages can help increase the response rate to your SMS campaigns. Use the recipient’s name or other personalized details to make the message more engaging.
• Add a call to action. Every SMS message should have a clear call to action. Whether it’s a link to a website, an offer code, or a reply to the message, make sure the message is actionable.
• Include an opt-out option. It’s important to give recipients the option to opt out of your messages. This will help keep your messages in compliance with SMS marketing guidelines.
• Make the message relevant. Make sure the content in your message is relevant to the recipient. Focus on providing value and don’t send messages that are too promotional.
• Test your messages. Before sending out your messages, test them to make sure they look and read correctly. This will help ensure that your message is clear and effective.

Need Help Getting Started?

You can get started today with BSG. We offer your business a full suite of features you can choose from with standby support available to answer your questions and your mind at ease.

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