Text Message Marketing Software for Business

SMS or text marketing means sending promotional campaigns, transactional alerts, or time-sensitive offers for marketing purposes via text messaging. SMS marketing can yield incredible results for small- and medium-sized businesses because of its low costs, excellent delivery, and open rates.

Text messages represent the most direct line of communication with prospects. As long as there is consent for contacting, SMS will remain the most effective marketing strategy for most businesses.

Text marketing is widely used by local businesses such as dental clinics, real-estate agencies, restaurants, and more. Online businesses and eCommerce marketers are also beginning to adopt it as a strategy to connect with their clients.

Before you get started, you need to understand that SMS marketing is permission-based. You can only send a text to a number if that person wants to hear from you this way. Never send unsolicited texts to your customer base.

Here’s how you can get started with SMS marketing:

• Step #1: Create an account with the TextMagic bulk text messaging software.
• Step #2: Reserve a dedicated number for your business.
• Step #3: Import your existing contact list with a few clicks and send an opt-in text to receive express written consent for your future communications.
• Step #4: Start sending your first text marketing campaign. With TextMagic, you can compose personalized text campaigns that you can forward to your entire customer base or specific audience segments. Texts can also be scheduled months in advance, sent directly from your app via API, distributed with email to SMS, and more.
• Step #5: Create a branded sign-up form to start collecting phone numbers from your website.
• Step #6: Automate frequent interactions. TextMagic allows you to configure automations based on various triggers, behaviors, or filters. Unlike manually composing an SMS marketing campaign, automated texts trigger every time your customer base takes a specific action.
• Step #7: Experiment and measure. TextMagic provides detailed reports for every text campaign and automation you create. Analyze your campaigns to figure out what is working and what isn’t.

Collect preferences from your customers to perform better targeting or get to know your audience better with SMS surveys. This will help you develop more relevant campaigns in the future.

The cost of text messaging campaigns varies from one texting app to another. While other SMS providers offer monthly subscription plans, you pay only for what you use at TextMagic, so you have complete control over your budget.

Text campaign costs also depend on the country to which you are sending the texts. For example, the average price per 160-character text in the United States is $0.040, while in the United Kingdom it’s $0.045. This means that an SMS blast sent to 1,000 numbers in the U.S. will cost exactly $40.

SMS length can also impact the price of your communications. The number of SMS parts determines the final cost of your campaigns. The longer the text, the more you pay for your bulk campaigns. TextMagic calculates these costs as you compose your messages and lets you know exactly how much you will pay. You can also use our SMS length calculator to estimate the cost of your text messaging campaigns.

Please check out our SMS pricing page for details on all countries. We also offer a free calculator to help you estimate the average cost of sending mass text campaigns.

Sending multiple texts from a mobile device is extremely time-consuming. Sign-up for a free trial with TextMagic to start sending hundreds of bulk texts in seconds. To start sending texts from the computer, navigate to the Compose tab, write or import a recipient, and type in your text message. It is also possible to import an existing text template and use merge tags to personalize the SMS with client data.

Once your text is ready, hit send or schedule for later. All your conversation history is stored on the web app, so you can check it at any time. To reply to an existing conversation, navigate to it and input your reply. Texting from your computer has never been easier!

Business texting has strong engagement. Studies reveal that texts have a 98 percent read rate. Furthermore, the average click-through-rate for SMS is 35%, over ten times the CTR of emails.

The pervasiveness and low cost of texts make it an obvious choice for marketing teams. Here are a few simple ways to empower your customer base:

• Get to know your customers with two-way texting. Collect data about your customers’ buying patterns, preferences, or needs to help them develop a stronger connection to your brand. You can do this through automated texting, SMS surveys, questionnaires, or follow-ups after a purchase.
• Segment your audience and personalize your calling and texting efforts. 71% of consumers feel frustrated when a shopping experience isn’t personal. 91% say that they are more likely to shop from brands that tailor offers to their needs. Our messages app makes it incredibly easy to segment audiences based on their behavior and personalize bulk texts in seconds.
  For even more personalization, you can integrate with your favorite CRM and send personalized discount codes or URLs that trigger a custom experience for each lead. This will not only increase the trust score of your business, but also significantly boost customer loyalty.
• Configure custom campaigns based on keywords. Synchronize your other marketing efforts by assigning SMS keywords to your campaigns and tailoring unique experiences for customers that text you.
• Show customers you care by reminding them of appointments, events, pending purchases, or simply wishing them a happy birthday. All of these texts are set-and-forget in TextMagic because they trigger based on rules that you only need to configure once.
• Make your clients feel like royalty. You can target your most loyal fanbase based on their demographics or buying habits. Ensure that your brand’s personality shines through and offer timely help to satisfy their every need and make them feel special.

A toll-free number is a phone number that is free of charge for the calling party. Toll-free numbers are commonly used by businesses that want to encourage clients to reach out to them without charging extra fees for long-distance calls.

These numbers can also receive SMS as long as they are text-enabled. You can identify toll-free numbers by their three-digit prefixes similar to area codes (e.g., 833, 866, 888, 844, and 800 numbers). In North America, you must send your larger campaigns using a toll-free number because the maximum number of texts per day for local numbers is 500.

You can use our text message app to send almost any file, including pictures, videos, PDF files, Excel spreadsheets, and more. TextMagic transforms these files into download links that are more cost-effective than SMS. Attach more information to your bulk texts without having to send expensive MMS with our SMS attachments feature.

We also offer true MMS capabilities of up to 525kb for the USA and Canada. SMS attachments support up to 10MB of data. Furthermore, MMS in the USA and Canada can only be sent from toll-free numbers, whereas SMS attachments are available globally, on all numbers.

You can text enable a landline number in the United States or Canada from your TextMagic account by navigating to the Numbers page. Text enabled landlines cost an additional $4 per month and support person-to-person text messaging.

Capture more phone numbers from your website and show your availability to customers with click-to-text forms. SMS forms are compatible with any platform or device and are easy to configure. To add SMS functionality to your website, follow the steps below:

• Create a free trial with TextMagic and add credit to your account.
• Navigate to our Services section and click on Forms. You can create a new form for capturing phone numbers in a few minutes.
• Customize your form to better represent your brand by adding your logo, brand colors, fonts, buttons, and contact details.
• Once you are satisfied with the form, hit save and copy the SMS widget code. Paste this code into your website or the pages where you want it to appear.

You can create multiple forms with different settings or formats to segment contacts as they sign up to your SMS lists.

With so many business texting terms thrown around, it’s easy to become confused. We’ll explain the most common ones that you may encounter, as well as the differences between them:

• Bulk SMS (or message blast): a texting method that allows you to send a large number of texts simultaneously, without having to send each message individually.
• Group SMS: can be sent from a texting app to a specific group of contacts already on your list. All recipients of a group text will be added to one room. TextMagic does not offer group SMS capabilities. The main difference between bulk SMS and group SMS is that you can send completely different messages for bulk SMS, while group SMS are all the same.
• Mass texting: is a marketing technique that enables businesses to send SMS, text notifications, and SMS appointment reminders to multiple subscribers instantly.
• SMS marketing and text marketing refer to the same thing, but are used interchangeably. SMS (short message service) and text messaging describe the form of communication that allows users to send messages up to 160 characters to and from GSM devices. TextMagic allows you to send texts up to 918 characters long.

10-digit long codes or A2P 10DLC numbers represent messaging solutions that allow businesses to send a large number of texts from a local number. In the past, 10-digit numbers were only used for P2P (person-to-person) messaging, but carriers have approved 10DLC for A2P (application-to-person) messaging.

10DLC numbers represent an ideal service for small businesses and enterprises because they have a higher throughput rate. Furthermore, these numbers are more effective than a vanity number or shortcode because they have a lower risk of spam. Lastly, 10-digit long codes are more cost-effective than shortcodes.

We are entering a new era of mobile texting as carriers are moving away from shared short codes. Starting March 2021, the main methods of sending bulk texts with TextMagic will be:

• Via 10DLC (example: 409-432-2009)
• Via toll-free numbers (example: 1-844-783-8888)
• Via text-enabled landlines (business owners can text enable their business numbers to send and receive texts).

But which option is best for your business? Below are the main advantages and disadvantages of each business texting method:

• 10DLC numbers
  • Advantages: can support high volumes of texts because they were explicitly designed for SMS marketing, more affordable than dedicated shortcodes, excellent deliverability, and better engagement rates.
  • Disadvantages: registering a 10DLC number can take up to three days, and 10DLC numbers have lower throughput rates as compared to dedicated shortcodes.
• Toll-free numbers
  • Advantages: very easy to obtain, one-way and two-way SMS capabilities, high SMS throughput without extra fees, and secure.
  • Disadvantages: lower delivery rates because toll-free texts are subject to carrier filtering.
• Text-enabled landlines
  • Advantages: the same number for all business communications, reliable, and low spam rate.
  • Disadvantages: low volume, many carrier restrictions, and slow throughput.

Thousands of businesses have been growing alongside TextMagic since 2001. Here are their most common use-cases:

• Appointment scheduling. Send automatic text reminders, instead of calling or emailing to schedule and confirm routine appointments. Our texting software has helped businesses free up time, reschedule appointments faster, and save money.
• Customer surveys. Use texts to gather customer feedback and improve brand engagement. We make it easy to create text sequences for short surveys and polls. In addition, micro surveys via text are more effective than email surveys.
• Customer support via SMS. Move some of your customer support requests from call to text. Automate responses for common inquiries and offer context for every interaction with the support team utilizing SMS chat.
• Targeted promotional texts. SMS provides a more personal way of connecting with your audience. Use our segmentation and personalization features to spark conversations with your customers and promote the products or services that best fit their needs.

Other examples of use-cases: billing reminders, recruiting and staffing texts, OTP authentication, shipment tracking, emergency alerts, and reminders. Do all of these and more with our SMS marketing software.

Out of all marketing channels available, text message marketing is probably the easiest and fastest to set up. We make it even easier! Sign up for a free trial with TextMagic and choose the preferred number for sending SMS campaigns.

Make sure you have the legal right to contact your existing subscribers, and you can immediately start texting or capturing new numbers with SMS forms.

TextMagic has over 20 years of experience helping businesses of all sizes improve their mobile communications. With over 100,000+ users since 2001, an average 98.4% delivery rate, and 15.2 million texts sent every month, we are confident that we can satisfy all your texting needs.

Please don’t take our word for it. Read any of our 400 reviews. TextMagic has an average rating of 4.9 stars and 66 NPS score. To find out exactly how we can power your business through texting, check out any of our success stories and case studies or reach out to us directly.

Despite its numerous benefits, text messaging is still overlooked by many small businesses. Here are a few reasons why you should consider SMS marketing for your business:

• 3.8 billion people own a smartphone and, as of 2021, 5 billion people can receive text messages on their devices.
• 67 million U.S. clients redeem coupons via mobile phones.
• 75% of clients WANT to receive business communications via SMS.
• The CTR rate of text messages is significantly higher (9.18%) than other marketing channels.
• 90% of texts are read within 3 minutes of being received.
• Consumers redeem SMS coupons ten times more than any other coupon type.

If you’re still not convinced, please check out 62 more fascinating SMS marketing stats.

Texting isn’t used only for marketing purposes. Many of our customers also use texts to coordinate their teams and communicate internally. Here are a few ideas on how you can improve communication with texting:

• Share schedules as SMS attachments
• Automate text alerts in case of emergencies
• Share company news with bulk SMS
• Send messages to the correct department with segmentation
• Forward reminders for team events, holidays, team-buildings, and more
• Communicate deadlines via text.

A dedicated number is an essential component for business texting. Our dedicated numbers are exclusive to your business and can receive inbound messages from your local territory. At the moment, we offer dedicated numbers in more than 30 countries. Please note that you need to pay a monthly fee to keep your virtual SMS number active.

If you’re not ready for a dedicated number, you can also reserve a toll-free number in over 25 countries and start sending high-volume campaigns.

It is possible to use your personal number to send texts. Your recipients will see your mobile number in the sender field and replies will go directly to your phone. TextMagic has no control over them. Find out more about sender settings from our support article.

We support porting only virtual local (US/Canadian) number for sending P2P messages. Once the number is ported to the TextMagic network, you must pay a $4 monthly subscription to keep the number active. To port a number to our network please contact our support team. Please note that it is not possible to have the same number active with two different providers and that the porting process takes around 10-14 days.