Inboxes are overflowing. There are so many alerts, notifications, and special offers that it may be tough to persuade customers to open your emails, no matter how important they are. According to Gartner, email open rates are about 20%. People open 98 percent of the time what you’re referring to in a conversation. It’s a text message.
If you own a small business, SMS marketing services are an excellent way to guarantee that your customers are aware of your appointment reminders, invoices, and discounts. Text message marketing software, for example, may be used to send customised messages to customers based on your booking calendar or marketing list. Customers will reply to your SMS right away if you utilize the tools I provide.
More than 30 popular options were considered for this list. For small businesses, I’ve developed a list of my favorite SMS apps.
The 5 best SMS apps for small businesses
- TextMagic for getting started quickly with an SMS service
- SimpleTexting for easy-to-run SMS marketing campaigns
- Salesmsg for small, local businesses using SMS
- EZ Texting for non-technical people who want some guidance on SMS marketing
- Twilio for customizing your SMS marketing
What makes a great SMS app?
In the vast SMS marketing sector, there are several applications to choose from. However, not all of them are suited to small firms. ‘ Many text messaging systems are geared for large corporations that send tens of thousands of messages a day as part of a marketing campaign, rather than smaller businesses that have a more personal connection with their clients. A lot of popular solutions are API services for developers who want to create their own applications rather than a service that everyone can sign up for and use right away. Similarly
Every program had to meet a list of five requirements before it could be included to the list.
Even non-technical people can utilize it. Creating an SMS app for your company should not need a PhD in computer science. Some of the SMS API providers (and even a handful of the specialized applications) aren’t user-friendly enough to warrant recommending. For the sake of convenience, I’ve only listed applications that are easy for the average person to set up and use. All of my recommendations are simple to use, even if you have to read the documentation or ask the support staff a few questions. To put this in context: most of the applications on the list have a separate website where users may send or receive text messages. Many of them also allow you to send and receive text messages through email or mobile applications.
The ability to communicate with your consumers in a two-way discussion. With a single tap of a button, you may send 100,000 text messages to your customers. They’re all missing from this compendium. They’re designed for large-scale businesses. That type of one-way, mass marketing is unneeded and maybe improper for smaller enterprises. Using it for anything else would be a waste of time. If you need to conduct a typical text discussion with your consumers, then you should seek for applications with real two-way texting. Automated answers and data collection are still possible, but they aren’t entirely hands-off systems.
Allows you to automate things like reservation reminders by integrating with other applications and services. This app needed to be able to connect to other applications and services. Your bookings service may also automatically remind clients about a booking and follow up with a customer satisfaction survey in addition to contacting them directly.
Small enterprises may get off the ground with low-volume needs. Prices are important when it comes to sending out SMS messages to your clients. Small companies must be able to afford all of the SMS services on this shortlist. This meant that there would be no long-term commitments or significant volumes of product. Pay-as-you-go or limited volume, low rate monthly subscriptions are the only options available.
You may send out more communications as part of a Christmas campaign if you have the ability to expand with your growth and seasonal demands No one wants to be tied to a strategy that is too small for their firm. Moreover, I wanted the services to be able to grow with your business, either as you expand or if you’re running a short-term marketing campaign.
Here are the five greatest applications that I tried out of the many that fit this description.
Best SMS app for getting started quickly: TextMagic
I sent my first SMS minutes after signing up with TextMagic. A simple text to my own mobile phone served as a simple demonstration. All I had to do was input the recipient’s phone number, compose my message, and hit Send thanks to the easy-to-use Setup Wizard and user-friendly design. My phone beeped, preventing me from finishing my piece of writing.
The fact that TextMagic is simple to use does not negate its usefulness or strength. Replies may be sent to the API, web app, or your email address if you use TextMagic’s number, or to your own cell number if you use TextMagic’s number. With the program, you may import an Excel spreadsheet or CSV file, input each contact one at a time manually, or use a Click to Text form on your website to save the number of anybody who texts you.
For example, you may arrange a Friday Specials SMS to be sent out every week under the Scheduled tab. Additionally, you may use the Templates tab to create pre-formatted messages, such as appointment confirmations, that can be sent out quickly and automatically in response to customer text messages. Additionally, you can quickly and simply send text messages to consumers through the web, iOS, and Android applications.
TextMagic Price: Pay as you go starts at $0.04/text sent; dedicated virtual numbers from $4.00/month.
Best SMS app for easy-to-run marketing campaigns: SimpleTexting
If you want to execute a marketing campaign rapidly, SimpleTexting is the ideal alternative. Everything is available from the main panel, and I didn’t even need to look at any tutorials to get a handle on it.
SimpleTexting focuses mainly on simple-to-run marketing campaigns where you send a single message to a large group of people. Create a new campaign from the Campaigns tab by clicking New Campaign, naming it, and you’re all set.
A keyword may be put up in the Keywords tab in order to bring in fresh leads. Text SAUSAGE to 555888 to be added to your Sausage and Hot Dog Deals mailing list. It’s possible to send a discount coupon and a follow-up message to new members immediately after signing up for the service. The system may reply with a new message if they do. Additionally, you can run more advanced marketing campaigns like surveys, polls, and contests using the built-in applications accessible under the app page of SimpleTexting.
Analytics are a must for every marketing campaign. In the Analytics tab of SimpleTexting, you can see anything from how many new subscribers you’ve gained, what keywords they’re using to join, how many autoresponders have been triggered, how many people have unsubscribed, and what answers you’ve received.
SimpleTexting Price: From $25/month for 500 credits (enough for 500 texts). Additional credits cost $0.045 on the entry plan; there are higher volume plans if you need to send more texts.
Best SMS app for small, local businesses: Salesmsg
Salesmsg is a fantastic choice for small firms in the United States and Canada, but it isn’t accessible outside of those countries.
In terms of web apps, Salesmsg is the simplest of the bunch. Aside from the four tabs on the sidebar, there are no other options. Salesmsg’s real value lies in the integrations it allows you to create.
Your local phone number is created as soon as you join up. This is the phone number from which all of your messages will seem to originate, and you may choose a different number for each member of your team to use. When a consumer phones your text number, they’ll be transferred to your personal or business phone if you want to allow call forwarding.
Salesmsg offers a one-click connectivity with Outlook and Google Calendar so that appointments can be handled. Add the appointment to your calendar of choice by clicking the Book Appointment button when a client texts you. Integration with CRM systems like as HubSpot, Pipedrive, and Zoho allows you to utilize your CRM of choice while Salesmsg handles the text messaging.
A webhook may also be created with the use of triggers from Salesmsg. For example, you can use them to send appointment reminders.
Salesmsg Price: From $35/month for 750 text messages and a single phone number. Additional messages are $0.025; additional numbers are $10/month. If you need a higher volume setup, they offer custom solutions.
Best SMS app for non-technical people who want some guidance: EZ Texting
It seems like the EZ Texting online app is always trying to assist me out. Is there anything more I need to know? What a common occurrence!
No new features are offered by EZ Texting. In the Inbox, you can text consumers in groups or one-on-one; you can set up different sorts of marketing campaigns; you can create a signup keyword in the Keywords & Numbers area; and you can examine those (new and shiny!) reports in the Reporting tab. What sets EZ Texting apart is the clarity with which it explains each step.
Either “Delight Customers,” “Market & Engage,” or “Simplify Operations” is what EZ Texting asks you about when you join up, so it can show you the proper options. We highly urge and actively help you through the process of texting yourself a test message. Once you’re in the app, every time you open a new tab or feature, you’re shown how to utilize it. In the event that you’ve never used a computer before or are apprehensive about utilizing new programs, this degree of onboarding is hard to top. Even after signing up, the sign-up emails will keep telling you that you may always book a call with one of their team members.
A complicated product doesn’t need to be oversimplified by EZ Texting; rather, it only needs to be made easier to use. It’s just as potent as the others on this list.
EZ Texting Price: From $24/month for 200 text messages, one textable number, and one signup keyword
Best SMS app for customization: Twilio
Twilio is a blank slate that may be used in any way that you like. Because of the variety of APIs that they provide, firms are able to include SMS messaging, phone number redirection, and many more functions like these into their own applications. Some of the firms that utilize it include Uber, Airbnb, and Netflix.
When it comes to using Twilio, you don’t necessarily need to be a developer. With services like HubSpot, and Zoho CRM, you can simply connect to Twilio’s API without writing any code.
Twilio also has a few options for those who wish to construct their own app or something similar, but don’t have any coding experience. Studio is a drag-and-drop app builder that can be used to create SMS surveys and autoresponder messages. An incoming communication or an upcoming event might serve as a trigger. Based on what transpired, you may then develop a set of response criteria. It’s all extremely self-explanatory, thanks to the pre-built lessons and project templates.
The CodeExchange, which is now in testing, is another option. If you don’t have much coding experience, this collection of code examples will help you rapidly add simple functionality like delivering text auto-responses, generating SMS receipts for Stripe payments or even constructing a video chat app to your Twilio account. In terms of functionality, it’s a touch too advanced for most small firms, but if you’re looking to save money or create an app-like setup, it’s a good option.
On the Twilio sign-up page, there is an option to identify yourself as a “developer.” The UI is tailored to your needs regardless of the option you choose. It’s easy to get started with Twilio even if you’re not a developer thanks to links to all the information you need. There is presently a large banner on the login page for CodeExchange.
If you’re willing to put in the effort to get Twilio up and running, it’s likely to be less expensive than alternative services.
Twilio Price: Since Twilio is more of a platform than an app, its pricing is a little different from the others on this list. Text messages start at $0.0075/message sent and received—although there’s an additional $0.005/message carrier fee on messages you send. Dedicated phone numbers start at $1/month.