Messaging Services

Messaging is now a core part of today's communication methods. Both individuals and businesses use text messaging / sms.

When choosing a messaging service, it's important to review the pros and cons of each provider such as: cost per message, quantity of messages per month, fees for overages, types of messages such as text and images.

About Messaging Services

What Is Bulk Texting?

Bulk texting, also known as mass text messaging, is a popular communication service that is used by businesses across the world for the purpose of marketing and promotion. It is an effective and cost-efficient service that sends a single text message to thousands of subscribers all at once. It is also used for group messaging and comes across as a very impactful communication tool for companies. It saves them a lot of time and effort while also offering a complete analysis of the results achieved through texting.

Mass texting, or SMS (Short Messaging System) are generally 160-character–long messages that are sent, as the name would suggest, en masse. We love SMS because it boasts a 99% open rate, and users are more likely to respond. And with the advent of numerous SMS tools, so too comes the advent of free mass texting for nonprofits.

Pros and Cons of Text Message Marketing

There are many benefits of using text message marketing, as well as some potential cons. The direct, personal nature of text messaging is a double-edged sword in that it provides an excellent opportunity for businesses to speak directly with customers, but it can also mean a thin line to walk in terms of respecting customers' privacy.

PROS

The conversion rates tend to be high.
People quickly open, read and respond to texts.
It's a cost-effective marketing method.
You can customize and personalize texts to fit your customers.
The services offer a wide variety of tracking and analytics features.

CONS

There can be a learning curve to use the services effectively.
It can be time-consuming to grow your contact list.
A text message marketing campaign requires constant attention and effort.

A Few Top Messaging Services

EZ Texting is our pick as the best text message marketing service overall because it has every tool a business needs to send successful text message marketing campaigns, its flexible packages can suit businesses of all sizes, and its dashboard is very easy to use. Its main features include a guided tour to teach you how to use the tool, customization options, and easy contact management. EZ Texting offers a 14-day free trial, so businesses can test the service, sending messages, adding contacts, and evaluating the dashboard, before signing up for a package.

Podium is a customer interaction platform that utilizes text messaging to help businesses manage customer relationships and build an online reputation on a variety of websites. Podium's platform consolidates customer interactions and online reviews into a single dashboard to help users manage online review management. From the dashboard, users can send review invitations, respond to online reviews in real time, and send and receive text messages with customers and potential customers.

SimpleTexting is our best pick as the most flexible text message marketing service: They offer an affordable, user-friendly platform that has all the tools you need to create and send successful text message campaigns. SimpleTexting has flexible plans designed to suit the needs (and budget) of nearly every business, with their most basic plan offering 500 credits for $25 per month. Its plans offer unlimited keywords (which most services don't provide), and you can test the service free for 14 days.

Textedly is a great text message marketing service for small businesses. We were impressed with Textedly's contact management tools and analytics, as well as the user-friendly dashboard and multiple pricing plans. However, it's missing some features that the best services have, such as segmentation tools, drip campaigns and surveys.

SlickText is our pick for best low-cost text message marketing service due to its flexible and affordable pricing plans, as well as for its user-friendly dashboard, automation tools, custom keywords and contact management tools. SlickText starts with a 14-day free trial that provides 50 texts and one keyword, without requiring you to provide your credit card number to sign up.

SlickText offers more than nine plans, with pricing to suit small and large businesses alike. All plans allow unlimited contacts. With a paid plan, any texts you don't use roll over to your next billing cycle, but they will expire if not used within a certain time period. SlickText bills monthly, and you can upgrade, downgrade or cancel your plan at any time.

Regulations for Text Message Marketing

Mobile marketing can be a great tool for your business, but it's not a free-for-all. There are some laws and best practices you should follow and consider when you plan your campaigns.

TCPA

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act, which the U.S. Federal Communications Commission developed, has laws that you must follow when you're collecting contacts and sending out text messages. Not everything in the TCPA applies to text message marketing, but it's still a good idea to review these laws and ensure you comply. One of the requirements of the act is that you must get permission from each contact before you start sending mass text messages to them. Also, you can only send texts between the hours of 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. This specific rule refers to the time zone of the person you are texting – not the time zone from where you are sending messages.

Sources: techtimes.com, business.com