Mass Text Service for Business

Can’t seem to improve your customer base? Too many slow working days hindering profitability? Mass text service for business is the perfect solution! It has taken the advertisement and marketing industry by storm. The Return on Investment and features that it offers are far better as compared to the conventional methods of marketing. But what is mass text service for business? Mass text service, also known as bulk text messaging, is the process of sending out a text message to a large number of mobile phone users all at the same time.

Who Uses Mass Text Service?

Mass texting can be used for a variety of different purposes. Currently, it is used by media companies, enterprises, banks, consumer brands and entrepreneurs. These organisations/individuals may use it for entertainment, customer support or mobile marketing. 

How to Get Started

To learn how to use mass texting services, visit ExpressText. All it requires is a few clicks to get started with SMS marketing. Sign up with an online SMS platform, add or upload a contact list and you’re good to go! ExpressText is one of the leading SMS providers in the US. Its growing popularity owes to its efficient services and affordable packages. With clientele including international companies such as BMW and McDonalds, ExpressText is a widely trusted SMS service provider. The website offers a number of help videos at each step to help guide its customers through the process. It also offers a variety of features and an easy opt-out process; no contracts or obligations! Each account holder is assigned a shortcode and one or multiple keywords depending upon the payment option which they select. This enables them to conduct an SMS campaign to which customers subscribe in order to receive notifications, updates and promotional text messages from the company.  

Features of Mass Text Service

2-way Messaging

ExpressText and other online platforms have now introduced the feature of 2-way messages. Suppose a company sends out a promotional text. A client interested in details can simply reply with a query and receive a response from the company’s customer representative. Similarly, suppose a customer purchased a product from the company and is not satisfied with it. He/she can send in a complaint or feedback via text. In conclusion, SMS services have now become a platform with communication that goes both ways, thus bridging the gap between consumers and businesses. 

Monitor account  

The process of mass texting does not end when an SMS is sent out. Keeping a track of results is highly important and can make all the difference to an SMS campaign. ExpressText provides real-time reporting for its users. With graphed reports, it becomes much easier to pinpoint which areas of the campaign are doing well and which are not. Suppose a fast food chain is sending out promotional text messages to various local districts around the area. However, a number of respondents in a specific district have a low open rate, perhaps because that district is located a bit farther from the restaurant. The company can then omit the contacts from that district and focus its resources on areas that are close by – thus saving its time and resources, ergo making the campaign more effective. Without tracking, there would be no direction for a company’s marketing campaign to move towards in order to be effective.  

Staying organised  

For well-run and profitable businesses, time management is of the essence. A little investment in organising an online SMS account can go a long way. ExpressText provides its users with the option of dividing their contact list into various groups. A larger business with a diverse product portfolio can create groups based on products e.g. Samsung can make contact lists under the headings of electronic goods, phones, home appliances etc. They can then use different marketing strategies, each focused towards its own group. Similarly, a business can create groups based on customers e.g. loyal customers, new customers etc. Text messages focused towards loyal customers can be aimed at providing benefits and promoting exclusivity in order to retain them and heavy discounts for making first purchases can be used to attract new customers to the firm.

Uses of Mass Text Service

It’s remarkable how beneficial marketing with text messages can be for a business. Some popular ways of using mass texting include: 

Communicate with groups  

With SMS, a company can send out hundreds or even thousands of texts all at once. Whether it is to text employees to inform them of a change in working hours or informing customers about a sale, SMS helps to get the word out within minutes. Not only does it target the mass market immediately, but it also targets each individual personally – thus creating a sense of intimacy. Does marketing get any better than that? SMS platforms now allow businesses to address each text with the recipient’s name. This is an automated feature that a company can opt for and is a highly efficient marketing tactic in making customers feel valued, ergo creating customer loyalty.  

Grow a business  

Mass texting services are of such value that they play a major role in the expansion of businesses. A successful marketer manages to catch the attention of consumers. But where is this attention? The answer is in your hands – literally. Because this attention lies their phones.  

According to Brandetize, the average adult spends 23 hours a week texting. So the perfect way to create brand awareness is to reach these consumers on their phones. Millennials are on their phones all the time. A newly established business or even an existing one that is looking to expand can simply text consumers with basic details about their brand e.g. ‘Looking for a dental clinic? Dental Spa is now open on Fifth Avenue. Visit our website for further details’. Adding a hyperlink to the word website will prompt a call to action and also provide contact information to interested customers. Similarly, suppose a company shifts to a new location. They may use SMS to inform their customers so as to retain and gain new clientele in the area.  

Provide information on demand  

The business industry has turned into a consumer-driven one, and to remain competitive, the bottom line for each business is to keep its customers satisfied. One way to do that is by making sure customer representatives are available at all times. This provides customers with updated information whenever they require. 24-hour customer support via SMS is the best way to go about this as it is fast and reliable. Customers are always willing to purchase from a brand that offers their time and services for pre-purchase decisions.  

Generate Leads  

Text messages are the fastest and effective means of communication. They do better in terms of performance as compared to other channels of marketing. Thus, it is best to use SMS in order to generate leads. Suppose a customer sees a company’s ad an wants to contact them. The only contact information given is an email address, but the customer does not have an internet connection. Later, he/she might forget to contact the company and so the ad did not generate a lead. Similarly, suppose the only information given is the company’s website. Customers who visit the website will probably be required to fill out a form in order to contact the company. Many of them may not be willing to make this effort and are likely to abandon the site. The solution? SMS. Contacting a company via SMS does not require an active internet connection and so it is fast. Furthermore, it only requires texting a single keyword to a shortcode so the process is quick and simple. Hence, all companies should add SMS to their marketing strategy in order to generate leads and gain a wide customer base. 

Use SMS API 

In a world with ever increasing technology, competition in the business environment increases simultaneously. Automation is the key to staying ahead of the game. It simply makes life easier. Integrating an API into mass texting software ceases the need to manually log in to an application or platform in order to send out text messages. The process of sending out text messages becomes entirely automated. This includes automation of:  

1. Instant notifications in case of system failures 
2. Unique activation codes sent to customers 
3. Confirmation SMS when bookings are made 
4. Appointment reminders  

Do’s and Dont’s of Mass Texting

To achieve the most effective marketing campaign, businesses need to keep in mind the following factors: 

Get permission  

The rationale behind acquiring a keyword and shortcode for SMS campaigns is so that businesses can gain permission from customers. Instead of directly sending them promotional text messages, businesses need to go through the whole process of SMS campaigns. Fortunately, in the long run, it proves to be beneficial. Customers are likely to respect a business more that asks for permission before communicating with them on such a personal platform. It is not only ethical but also legally binding for a business to gain permission before advertising its brand or products to customers.  

Frequency of texts  

The number of texts sent to customers per month is an increasingly important factor that contributes to the effectiveness of a marketing campaign. You don’t want to annoy your customers with a number of texts of every day, but neither do you want to contact them so less that they forget about the brand! The optimal frequency of texts is 2-4 texts per month. 

Opt-out option  

Businesses advertising their products via SMS are also required to give customers a clear opt-out option e.g. “Reply STOP to 545454 to stop receiving messages.” If customers are assured of their rights, they are likely to feel at ease and thus, trust the brand.  

Provide value  

If a customer has given permission to a business to message them, it is important to make it worth their while or else they may opt out. Providing value means to send out exclusive and exciting offers that customers simply cannot resist. The way an offer is portrayed is highly important as well. Customers need to believe that an offer is limited on time and different from others, otherwise, it is unlikely that they act on it.  

Take advantage of SMS immediacy 

On average, texts are read within the first 3 minutes, which is almost immediately. So if a sale is on Friday, why text customers about it on Monday? Doing so will probably result in most customers forgetting about it. The perfect time to inform them would be one night before. They can make the necessary arrangements, and its the next day so they won’t forget about it either! 

In conclusion, mass text service for business is an essential tool for every company’s marketing strategy. It is intimate, immediate and convenient for both customers as well as businesses. Automation has made everything easier and less costly, so the process of SMS marketing is quite smooth. With minimal manual effort, almost all businesses can afford it. Perhaps the businesses which have the resources to hire professional marketing experts have an edge over others, as they provide insight into the best marketing tactics for a successful marketing campaign.