How To Select The Right SMS Marketing Software For Your Business
Are you looking to connect with more customers? Are you looking to increase your sales and overcome market competition? If yes, you can leverage the power of SMS marketing.
Investing in short message service (SMS) marketing has several benefits. For instance, it enables you to customize your engagements with customers. With texts, you can easily know people's preferences, like what communications they want to receive and which channels they prefer to use when communicating. Once you customize your communications, you'll develop a more positive customer experience.
You must also know that most modern phone systems integrate automation tools like Power Dialer and others. As such, they can contact more clients quickly with SMS marketing. The right application will automatically dial the next phone number once you finish talking to the previous person. That way, you can save time and engage with more customers per hour.
While that's the case, your SMS marketing campaigns might not guarantee better returns if done manually. You should invest in SMS marketing software to help automate your marketing efforts.
In this article, you'll learn what SMS marketing software is, its benefits, and tips for finding the right solution for your business. Continue reading to get more insights.
An Overview Of SMS Marketing Software
SMS marketing software is a computer application or program that helps businesses automate text promotional campaigns and processes. It also includes other features like integrations, segmentation, contact management, chatbots, and two-way messaging. The right SMS marketing software helps promote brand engagement by delivering timely texts to clients.
Benefits Of Investing In SMS Marketing Software
There are numerous benefits to leveraging the power of SMS marketing technology. They include the following:
Benefit #1: Helps Save Time
Investing in SMS marketing software can be a great way to save time. Manually sending texts to several customers will consume much of your time. It might even become a big problem when dealing with many customers.
With SMS marketing software, you can send bulk messages to many customers. The saved time can be utilized to reach more customers or complete other essential tasks. As such, your business will become more productive.
Benefit #2: Enhances Customer Responses
With SMS marketing software, you can send ringless voicemails to customers. This practice drops texts to clients' phone inboxes without involving phone rigging first. Therefore, a customer will open your messages at a convenient time to them. You can partner with a firm like Drop Cowboy or any other similar firm to learn more about ringless voice mail technology and how to integrate it into your SMS marketing campaigns.
Apart from that, SMS marketing software allows you to schedule your messaging. For instance, you can set your phone system to automatically deliver customer messages early in the morning, during lunch hours, or in the evening. Timing is key when engaging with clients via text messages. Using SMS marketing software helps you deliver texts to customers when they're unlikely to be busy. As a result, many customers will likely respond to your texts.
Benefit #3: Increases Sales
As noted earlier, SMS marketing software enables you to reach a broad audience quickly. And the more people you reach, the higher the chances of gaining quality traffic to your store. That goes a long way in enabling you to increase your sales.
Also, the ability to customize content and the increased customer responses increase your chances of making more sales. Therefore, invest in SMS marketing software if you're looking for ways to increase your sales.
Finding The Right SMS Marketing Software For Your Business
When shopping for SMS marketing software, you'll likely find many of them. However, not each can be suitable for your business. And if you aren't careful, you may invest in the wrong solution.
Luckily, there are some strategies you can adopt to ensure you make an informed decision. They include the following:
1. Select an Easy-To-Use SMS Marketing Software
One of the important things to consider when selecting the software for your SMS marketing efforts is the ease of use. A complex system will likely cost you time and money. For instance, you might be forced to spend several hours or even days training your marketing teams on how to use it, which may hurt your overall productivity.
You also need to note that some more complex SMS marketing software may require hiring experts to set it up, which adds extra costs to your business. The best system should have a user-friendly interface. You should take the least time to orient your teams to the system. You should also be able to set it up without hiring experts. The information in the guide manual should be sufficient to get you the system up and running.
2. Find SMS Marketing Software That's Within Your Budget
The various SMS marketing systems have different price tags. The total cost of your investment will comprise the purchase, installation, and maintenance costs. Create a budget and select something you can afford.
Although your budget will be critical in guiding your selection, it shouldn't be the only important consideration. For instance, a low budget may force you to invest in a poor-quality system, which might not be efficient for your business organization. Also, a low budget may direct you to software with just basic features. You'll have to go deeper in your pockets if you want a high-quality platform with more features.
The charges for sending SMS are another consideration to put in mind. Some systems require very little initial investment, but their monthly costs are crazy. Finding a sustainable application regarding pricing or monthly charges would be a good idea.
3. Invest in a Scalable SMS Marketing Tool
Today, you might be dealing with a few customers, so you might be tempted to install SMS marketing software that accommodates only a few users. You'll likely face some challenges when you want to grow your business since such an application won't allow adding extra customers or users. You should select a system that'll allow you to scale up your SMS marketing strategy without requiring any upgrade or replacement.
The best place to begin when searching for scalable SMS marketing software is to look into the future. Spend a few moments analyzing how you want to grow your business or how many customers you could wish to connect with in the future. That way, you can choose a system that can serve you today and still be suitable when you want to connect with more customers.
4. Purchase an SMS Marketing System With a Wide Audience Reach
Your company's long-term growth will depend on the size of the audience you reach. The more people you connect with, the higher your chances of generating more leads, which may also translate to huge profits.
When searching for an SMS marketing platform, settle for one with a wide audience reach. After serving your local customers, it'll come a time when you want to go internationally. So, not only should you select software with just a wide audience reach, but it should also enable you to connect with international clients. In simple terms, invest in an application that supports all country codes for text messages.
A system with a broad audience reach would be beneficial if you plan to expand your operations in the long run.
5. Choose SMS Marketing Software That Integrates Well with other Business Applications
You should automate all the processes to enhance your operational efficiencies. This means, apart from the SMS marketing software, you'll also have other computer applications in your company systems for other tasks. Ensure you find compatible software, so you won't have to change or replace the existing applications to accommodate the new software. Additionally, you may want to find a system that integrates well with your computers to ensure everything runs smoothly.
6. Take Security into Consideration When Buying SMS Marketing Software
Implementing modern technologies into your business could expose your data to some risks. For instance, hackers can use the same new technologies to access your business networks. If you're not careful, important data could be stolen from you.
Regular online attacks may harm your business in various ways. They include the following:
Loss Of Data
When you've got a weak cybersecurity strategy, you can lose the data necessary to complete vital daily tasks. Recovering lost information can cost you a lot of money. And in some worst-case scenarios, you might not be able to recover it at all. That may mean losing your business.
Affects The Brand's Reputation
You also need to note that today's consumers are more concerned with personal information or data security than ever. When they notice your firm experiences regular online attacks, many will prefer your competitors over you. And that'll hurt your company's reputation and success.
Before accessing your business, hackers will first scan your software to determine their vulnerability. Poor SMS marketing software may allow hackers and unauthorized people to access your company data. You must consider online security when shopping for the best software.
The selected computer application should have an encryption feature. That ensures only the intended user can view, understand, and edit your content. It should also come with other essential features like automatic updates, auto-scan, and antivirus protection, so you won't be worried about losing critical information through cybersecurity attacks.
7. Invest in SMS Marketing Software with Many Positive Online Reviews
Before installing any SMS marketing software, reading online reviews would be a good idea. That helps know which system among the thousands on the market is most recommended. It also gives you a view of the quality of service to expect from such software.
When customers are often satisfied with a particular SMS marketing software, they'll likely leave positive reviews online. Likewise, a dissatisfied customer will write negative feedback. If you see more positive than negative comments, that's a system you can trust for your SMS marketing campaign.
8. Ask Recommendations for the Best SMS Marketing Software on the Market
Apart from reading online reviews, you can also look for recommendations from other business owners, marketers, and business partners. If you know anyone who has recently promoted products or services via SMS marketing, approach them for recommendations.
Once you connect with a few individuals, ask them about their experiences with the SMS marketing software they've utilized. From there, create all the recommended software and research each to identify the most suitable for your SMS marketing needs.
9. Select SMS Marketing Software with Expert Support
The technological world is changing every second. Some of the SMS marketing tools and techniques that may be helpful today might not be valuable in the next few weeks. For that reason, ensure the selected software has expert support. This way, you'll get the right advice to help your business quickly adapt to modern marketing technologies.
Aside from that, your system may be affected by technical hitches. And that leads to a lot of downtimes in your company. Therefore, the vendor should be able to offer remote technical support. This ensures they can address most of your issues from anywhere, anytime. This helps you to minimize company downtimes, maintain employee productivity and increase your revenues.
10. Look for References from the Vendor for the SMS Marketing Software
Another great strategy for finding the right SMS marketing software for your business is to look for references from the vendor. This involves requesting the preferred provider to give you a few contact details of customers using their product. When you connect with past clients, you can ask them about their experiences with the software.
Indeed, looking for references can be an excellent way to choose the right solution for your SMS marketing. But you must be careful when requesting them. Some vendors may decide to give you only the contacts of satisfied customers. To avoid that, ensure you devise a strategy to ensure the references are randomly selected.
For instance, you can ask for contacts of customers whose businesses are located in a particular location or any other effective way. This will ensure you get to know the experiences of different clients with your preferred software so that you can make an informed decision.
11. Test Different SMS Marketing Automation Tools
The best way to know whether a particular SMS marketing software will work for you is to test it. Investing in SMS marketing software will likely cost you huge sums of money. It may even worsen if you install the wrong system since you'll be forced to shop for another one. You could have avoided that by testing the system before fully installing it into your company systems. That way, you'll know its functionality, user-friendliness, and whether it has all the features you want.
How To Test SMS Marketing Software
One way to test various SMS marketing software is to utilize the free demo and trial packages provided by various service providers. In this, ensure all the marketers try the systems.
Installing The Selected SMS Marketing Software
Once satisfied with a particular application, you can fully install it into your business systems. This way, you can avoid many hassles of selecting the wrong system. For instance, you can save time and money.
As a rule of thumb, don't commit to the first one you try. See to it that you have tested various samples to know what works best for you. In this way, you'll have an informed decision regarding the most suitable tool to have.
12. Purchase the SMS Marketing Software from a Reliable Vendor
The work of a vendor doesn't end after installing the software. They'll also be responsible for the maintenance and providing technical support when necessary. For that reason, ensure you find a reliable partner.
Finding An SMS Marketing Software Vendor
There are several strategies for selecting the right SMS marketing software provider. They include the following:
Ensure They Are Responsive
The selected vendor should be responsive to your queries on time. That's the only way to get better returns from the SMS marketing software you've installed.
Find Someone With Proper Credentials
Apart from quick responses, ensure you work with a provider with proper credentials. For instance, they should have proper licensing and certifications from the state. If a company isn't licensed to sell SMS marketing software and related services, you should avoid them.
Check Their Experience
It'd also be good to find an experienced vendor. Such a company will likely provide a quality system. And because they've been on the market for a while, they must have witnessed technological changes in the SMS marketing world. So, they can guide you to install software with the latest features.
Top 7 SMS Marketing Tools
For businesses that cannot afford to splurge on their marketing strategy but achieve the best outcomes, SMS is a powerful tool to consider. SMS marketing is one of the best ways to reach customers. It can bolster customer relationships, enable personalized communication, and lower marketing expense. When compared to email, SMS has a 98% open rate, while email has a 20% open rate.
A 2022 survey of consumers in the United States shows that 47% of millennials and 44% of generation Z preferred to be contacted by brands via text messages. SMS marketing tools are now among the top preferred options for businesses and marketers. Here are some of the top SMS marketing tools in the industry now.
1. Sendinblue
Designed as an intuitive platform that guides businesses with the right tools for marketing and sale, Sendinblue is a leading marketing automation platform. It focuses on small and medium-sized businesses and is among the top 100 software companies in 2022. The platform has over 80,000 users and sends millions of SMS messages and emails daily.
Besides SMS marketing, the company also provides email marketing, automation of marketing messages, segmentation, push notifications, and WhatsApp Campaigns. The SMS tool is simple and easy to use. A business needs to just write the message, pick a list, and set up a schedule for sending them.
Key features
- The SMS tool helps connect directly with contacts via targeted messages.
- Bulk SMS marketing campaigns can be sent for special and time-sensitive events.
- Transactional SMS can be done for shipping updates, order confirmation, and more.
- Customized messages that use segmentation and individual contact details, such as last or first name, company name, and more.
- Analyzes the SMS campaign performance using key metrics to identify the successful strategies and those that can be improved.
- Identification of issues in SMS messages in real-time with reporting and engagement stats.
Price options
Its price starts from $270 per year.
Sendinblue is a comprehensive service offering superior customer engagement and relationship building via targeted and effective communication. The platform is popular for its flexible and diverse marketing automation solutions.
2. Attentive
Attentive provides an effective text message marketing solution that helps in generating 19% of the total online income for leading businesses. More than 8000 pioneering brands use the platform for rapid and effective scaling.
Access to all necessary tools is provided for clients that help in delivering messages at the precise time. Engagement with high-value mobile customers using relevant messages is easier with the features offered by the platform.
Key features
- Provides access to the best practices with playbooks and support, ensuring SMS remains one of the top revenue-making strategies of a business
- Enables effective scaling of the list of SMS subscribers
- Provides appropriate tools to understand target customers by using valuable first-party info and sending customized messages that inspire action
- Improves revenue with effective mobile subscriber engagement
- Provides seamless integration with other parts of the brand's technology stack
- Helps businesses create a successful and compliant SMS marketing method
Price options
Pricing starts from $300 per month with an additional charge of $0.02 per SMS for 25 messages per second.
Attentive provides an efficient service that focuses on text messages exclusively. Due to their targeted service, the company provides advanced tools like sign-up forms, A/B testing, and diverse features.
3. Klaviyo
https://www.klaviyo.com/sms-marketing
Boasting on providing superior marketing value that ensures business growth and retention, Klaviyo helps with SMS campaigns and automation. It integrates text messages with emails seamlessly.
Instead of messages sent from a random number, the texts are sent with integrated contact cards. More than 13000 brands are using the service, which promises 49% more subscribers with its efficient features. In 2022, the company was responsible for generating a revenue of $2.2 billion during BFCM (Black Friday and Cyber Monday).
Key features
- Subscribing is simple and quick and comes with welcome perks
- Sends new product announcements in real-time
- Provides coupons and time-sensitive sales
- Sends alerts on price drops and back-in-stock info
- Confirms shipping, order, or delivery instantly
- Provides effective support, including purchase follow-ups
Price options
$0.01 is charged per SMS, including all carrier costs. For up to 250 contacts, the service does not charge. For 250+ contacts, the charge is $20 per month.
Klaviyo provides unified customer data and channels, ensuring faster and more efficient service. It is easy to use and intuitive, regardless of the scale of the business and the expertise needed. Businesses can effectively connect with their target customers, ensuring profitable and sustainable growth.
4. Birdeye
https://birdeye.com/mass-texting/
Birdeye offers an efficient transmission of text messages to as many leads and customers in a single go. It helps businesses send, schedule, and respond to text messages from a single place. The company provides services to more than 100,000 businesses.
Birdeye is reputed for its innovative, intuitive, and integrated digital marketing solutions. Artificial intelligence and automation are integrated into the solution, enabling easy scalability and user-friendly service.
Key features
- Delivers content to all customers in a single tap, whether the count is 100 or 100,000
- Enables two-way texting and turns mass messaging into personal chats with customers
- Sends text messages to a large number of customers simultaneously with personalized text templates
- Uses photos, PDF attachments, etc., and adds value to text messages
- Schedules texts to be delivered on a fixed date and time or over a specific period
- Uploads contacts in bulk or integrate with CRMs for automatic addition of contacts
- Receives data on text messaging with advanced analytics in real-time
Price options
Its pricing depends on the number of locations and business requirements. The standard plan costs $299 monthly, while the professional plan costs $399 monthly.
Birdeye provides a comprehensive messaging platform that helps attract customers and turn existing customers into loyal ones. Besides the messaging solution, the company also provides a diverse range of scalable products.
5. SlickText
SlickText provides businesses with the required features that help create valuable customer connections using targeted and action-driving text messages. The company works with over 15,000 brands for SMS marketing.
The text messaging tool helps in business growth, engagement, and to nurture customers. It offers the right blend of simplicity and advanced technology for successful SMS marketing.
Key features
- Ensures subscriber growth with the help of features like website popups, social opt-in links, checkout forms, landing pages, shortcodes, and more that are compliant.
- Enables personalized mass text messaging that increases customer loyalty and drives action
- Provides segmentation that ensures personalized messaging and improved results with the help of targeted lists formed based on location, purchase history, age, and other metrics
- Improves text message personalization with automated workflows
- Provides seamless integration that helps in growing lists and automating productivity
Price options
The basic plan costs $29 per month for 500 texts. A 14-day free trial that offers 50 free text messages is present. The Step Up and Lil Bro plans cost $49 per month and $79 per month, respectively.
SlickText is one of the best messaging apps for advanced mass marketing messages and gathering phone numbers. With a simple user interface and dashboard, you do not need any special knowledge to use this platform. Large organizations, including FedEx and ESPN, use this software.
6. ActiveCampaign
https://www.activecampaign.com/
An incredible customer experience is assured with ActiveCampaign. The digital marketing platform offers email marketing, CRM tools, and more besides SMS marketing. Over 870 integrations are provided, which include WordPress, Zapier, Shopify, and more on the market.
Users get access to all marketing tools present. The SMS marketing automation of the service helps in reaching customers on the move, providing an outstanding experience for customers.
Key features
- Provides automated SMS sending to send follow-ups to contacts, inform sales agents, and more
- Schedules text messages to be sent at the optimal time and date
- Imports contacts with phone numbers or manages contacts manually to monitor text campaigns effectively
- Sends scheduled text notifications and campaigns automatically, including appointment reminders, messages to event attendees, coupon code delivery confirmation, and flash sale notifications
Price options
The Lite plan costs $29 per month, while the Plus and Professional plans cost $49 and $149 per month, respectively.
With more than 180,000 businesses benefiting from the service, ActiveCampaign caters to small, medium, and large businesses in more than 170 countries. The features present for text message marketing and other company services ensure clients attract more customers, retain existing customers, and improve revenue.
7. Podium
Podium is a messaging tool that helps manage all business communications, including reviews, website conversations, text marketing, payments, and more. More than 100,000 businesses use it.
Podium is popular for its effective results, which include faster conversions and repeat customers. The text campaigns the service sends are open 98% of the time.
Key features
- Provides tools for creating, executing, and evaluating marketing campaigns done via text messaging
- Businesses can collect customer payments via text messages
- Provides all messaging tools, including templates, payment, attachments, review links, and more
- Seeks feedback from customers instantly
- Offers a guided introduction for easy use of the platform
Price options
A 14-day free trial is present. Paid plans include the Essentials, which costs $289 per month. The Standard plan costs $449 per month, and the Professional plan costs $649 per month.
The text messaging platform Podium provides advanced features that help solicit customer reviews, obtain customer payments, and more. While the price is high, the platform offers unique and superior features, thereby providing value for money.
Takeaway
Marketing is an effective approach to increasing your business visibility and awareness. Today, most people use texts to communicate. And the best thing is that they use phones to receive and send messages. Therefore, SMS marketing is a great way to reach customers who are on the move. But you need to automate your campaigns to get better returns in your marketing efforts. You can achieve that by installing SMS marketing software into your business systems.
The above seven best SMS marketing tools are popular for their quick message delivery and customer engagement assessment. With the listing provided, it is easy to pick a tool that meets the specific requirement of a business. All the listed products are chosen based on user popularity and reviews. Selecting an effective tool is easier now with the above list.
While that is the case, selecting your company's best SMS marketing solution can be daunting. This is true since there are so many on the marketing. So, deciding the right for you isn't easy. But you can implement the strategies in this article to find the most suitable SMS marketing software for your business. Consider the ideas mentioned here as you plan and prepare.
