SMS messaging has been around for over two decades and still remains one of the most commonly used methods of communication. The reasons for this are endless, ranging from the prompt delivery of each message, to the fact that the messages are guaranteed to be read by the specific recipient. There is no longer a need to worry about letters getting lost in the post or emails mistakenly ending up in a junk folder. SMS messaging provides an instant, personal and direct service which is available day and night, worldwide.
How is it useful to businesses?
Bulk SMS delivery provides an invaluable service to businesses as it allows them to contact their customers within seconds. Text message delivery is instant so as soon as a business wants to communicate something to their customers, an SMS service can ensure it happens. There is no longer the need to wait for people to sift through their 200 unread emails and try and find your message. 91% of adults have their mobile phones within arm’s reach at any given time. Therefore, most text messages are read as soon as they arrive, ensuring that the customer is reading your message the minute you deliver it. This can be particularly beneficial, for instance, when a message needs to be read at a specific time, perhaps prior to a booked appointment or after a phone call.
Text messaging is also extremely personal as it gives you the opportunity to target exactly the specific person you intend to receive the message by sending it directly to their phone number. This can be emphasised and personalised further by using the recipient’s name or an event which they are attending. As text messages are much more personal they have an open rate of 95% compared to the less than 25% open rate of emails.
SMS delivery is also extremely affordable at just pennies per message, making it particularly beneficial for example when a promotion or free trial is being offered. The initial text message will cost a minute fraction of the potential income the new customers could bring to your business. Furthermore, text messaging is green! Gone are the days of heaps of advertisements and letters piling up on our doormats, inevitably of which the vast majority end up in the bin, unread. SMS messaging will not only benefit businesses, but it will benefit our planet.
Finally, SMS messages are extremely to the point and do not require much of the recipient’s time to read, unlike emails or letters. A text message is limited to a mere 160 characters, meaning businesses can, and should, say exactly what they need to say in a concise way. Whatever your message is, the recipient will have decided whether they’re interested within seconds, so it can be worth spending a lot of time choosing the right words to say. There is no waffling and unnecessary excess content because every word counts!
How it works
Bulk SMS delivery is an extremely simple process for businesses to carry out. A business can purchase a volume of messages, which in turn determines the rate per message. The credit purchased is then added to their account which they log into and access whenever they wish to do so. From their account, they are able to enter the phone numbers of the desired recipients, compose the message with their chosen content and hit send. In order to ensure that the message appears exactly as expected, it is good practice for the sender to initially send it to themselves prior to delivering it in mass.
For businesses requiring a more dynamic or automated SMS service, API integration is also available.