If you’re struggling to choose the right SMS marketing app for your small business, you’ve come to the right place. Today, we’re talking all things SMS marketing, from what these campaigns entail to the best SMS apps to invest in.
Stay tuned to learn more about SMS marketing apps!
SMS campaigns are a type of marketing strategy that involves sending targeted text messages to customers. Businesses use SMS texting for a variety of purposes, like:
Sending appointment reminders to customers
Offering exclusive deals
Reminding people about items in their online shopping cart
Confirming orders and providing order updates
Providing product or service information
And more!
SMS campaigns are similar to email marketing in that they allow businesses to reach broad audiences and nurture qualified leads through personalized promotional material.
Benefits of using SMS apps for small businesses
SMS apps are valuable tools for those looking to start an SMS campaign for their business because they organize and streamline the SMS marketing process. SMS apps allow businesses to manage their campaign progress, data, contact lists, and more — all from a single platform.
Along with a streamlined workflow, SMS apps for small businesses can also help improve SMS campaigns by:
Nurturing leads
Encouraging repeat customers
Earning higher open and response rates
Personalizing customer interactions
Improving customer engagement and conversions
8 best SMS apps for small businesses
Ready to find the perfect SMS marketing app for your business? Take a look at eight of the top business text messaging apps.
1. Twilio
Price: Try for free, or pay as you go
Key Features:
Scalable messaging platform with single API for conversational chat, SMS, MMS, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and more
CustomerAI Perception Engine, which uses natural language processing (NLP) to extract relevant customer data from voice interactions
Two-factor authentication for log-ins and onboarding to mitigate fraud, all with a single API
2. SimpleTexting
Price: Starting at $39/month
Key Features:
1,000+ app integrations
Automated messages, including drip campaigns and text-for-info keywords
Data collection tools for personalized messages to your contact lists
3. TextMagic
Price: Pay as you go
Key Features:
Schedule texts ahead of time with text scheduler
Email to SMS features so you can send texts straight from your inbox
Zapier integration for increased connectivity
4. EZ Texting
Price: Free trial, then starting at $20/month
Key Features:
Unlimited incoming messages, contacts, two-way texting, and keywords
Image editing tool powered by Shutterstock
AI Compose for drafting creative and compelling texts
5. Textedly
Price: 14-day free trial, then starting at $26/month
Key Features:
Up to 18,000 text messages per month, including picture messaging
Unlimited contacts and free incoming messages
Conversation triggers to automatically converse with contacts
6. SlickText
Price: 14-day free trial, then starting at $29/month
Key Features:
SMS shortcodes, automation, and rest API
Two-way and group business texting
Unlimited contacts and up to 50,000 texts each month
7. Salesmsg
Price: 14-day free trial, then starting at $25/month
Now that you’ve learned about some of the best SMS apps, here are some FAQs to help you learn more about how to choose the best one for your business.
What should I look for in an SMS app?
When looking for a business text messaging app, there are a few factors you should consider:
Cost: When considering your options for a business texting app, make sure you evaluate each app’s price to ensure it’s within your budget. You’ll also want to consider what features you’ll have access to so you can better discern its value.
Scalability: Does the SMS app’s capabilities match your business’s needs? A great SMS app should be scalable and flexible to meet your ever-changing business needs.
Integrations: If you use various apps and software to support your business, you’ll want to look for an SMS marketing app that can support those via integrations.
Automation: Part of the appeal of a business text messaging app is how it streamlines your communication efforts, so it’s important that the app you choose has automation capabilities to help you create efficient workflows.
Personalization:Personalized marketing can make a huge difference in your campaign performance. Explore what, if any, personalization options each SMS app offers so you can personalize your campaigns to your audience.
Customer support: Knowing you’ll have help if you need it is important. When looking for an SMS app for your small business, see what customer support options are available.
What should I know before using an SMS app for business?
Before diving into your first SMS campaign, there are a few things you should know.
First, you’ll want to ensure your audience prefers interacting with your business through text. You don’t want to invest time and resources into a campaign your target audience will ignore, right?
Second, ensure your customers have given you permission to send them SMS marketing messages. Think of your SMS campaigns as email marketing — the customer needs to opt in before you send them anything.
Is business SMS texting free?
Business SMS texting isn’t entirely free, though plenty of free plans and trials are available for different SMS apps.
Pricing for SMS marketing apps can depend on several factors, all of which depend on the platform. Some factors that can affect business SMS pricing include:
Number of messages sent each month
Keywords
Number of Contacts
Two-way or mass texting
Incoming messages
MMS capabilities
Personalize your SMS campaigns with CRM data
Want to enrich your SMS marketing campaigns with your customer data? Try Nutshell—an all-in-one CRM that manages and organizes your customer data so you can use it to customize marketing campaigns and improve customer experience.
