Choosing a Mass Text App for Business: 5 Features to Check

Mass texting, is a business communications strategy that enables you to send a single text message to a large group of recipients simultaneously. It's ideal for reaching a mass proportion of your target audience in minimal time.

Text messages – which can either be SMS or MMS – leverage cellular networks for widespread, reliable message delivery. To send mass text messages, you'll need to use a mass text app. This article explains what to look for when choosing one. But first, let's examine what mass SMS messages can do for your business.

Using mass SMS messages for business

Mass text messaging is used by a variety of businesses for both internal and external communications. For example:

• Retail and e-commerce businesses use SMS to cast their nets wide and send out blanket marketing messages, such as sale notifications, new product announcements, seasonal updates, etc.

• Non-profit organisations use mass texting to gather support and collect donations.

• Large enterprises, particularly those with a mobile workforce, use text messaging to keep staff updated with company news and updates.

• Restaurant businesses use mass texting for meal ordering, providing order tracking and delivery updates.

Why your business will benefit from mass texting services

There are several reasons to consider a mass texting service as part of your overall marketing strategy.

Firstly, it's cost-effective. It's often cheaper to send SMS messages than to carry out social media advertising, printed ads, direct mail campaigns or voice calls. And, if you're sending bulk text messages, you'll find that the price per text reduces. The more you send, the more affordable the campaign.

Secondly, mass text messages are highly impactful. For instance, they're much more effective than email in terms of open and response rates. Only 20% of emails get opened, and 6% achieve a response. Whereas 98% of texts are opened, and 45% are responded to.

Thirdly, many people prefer receiving SMS text messages over voice calls. (One-third of Americans, in fact.) This is mainly because it takes less time to read a text than it does to have a phone call.

SMS is also better for accessibility, not just for people who are hearing impaired but to compensate for patchy network connections. It means broken conversations ("Hello? Are you still there? HELLO?!") can be avoided.

Features to look for when choosing a mass texting app

If you want to send bulk SMS messages for business, you'll need to use a mass text message app (commonly called an SMS provider or mass SMS service). There are plenty of mass text message apps on the market today, each offering different features and levels of service. To compare them adequately, research the following:

1. Delivery rates

What kind of reach does the SMS service provider offer? Not all will have access to global networks – this is important if your target audience is worldwide.

Check whether delivery is guaranteed. If so, to what percentage? You won't find a mass text app with a 100% delivery rate as this isn't realistic – it doesn't take into account any mobile network errors or invalid numbers. But you'll want reassurance that delivery rates are high – For example, Messente’s customers often reach delivery rates above 90%.

2. Platform security

How safe and secure will your business data (and your customers' data) be? Not only will you be handling mobile phone numbers, but you could also be sending out one-time PIN codes to enable account logins or transmitting other forms of personal data within your message content.

You'll want a mass texting app with secure architecture in order to comply with global privacy laws (which are more complex in some countries than others).

3. Ease of use

Is the mass text app you've got your eye on easy to use? What's the interface like; is it simple to navigate, or will you have to undertake rigorous training to use it? Ideally, the messaging app should be self-explanatory and straightforward enough for you and your employees to use immediately.

4. Scheduling and automation options

One feature that will save you time over the long term is message automation and scheduling. For example, it would be hugely convenient to automatically send a welcome text to every new subscriber that joins your SMS mailing list. Or automatically send an order confirmation when someone makes a purchase online.

Text messaging scheduling is also essential, especially if you have busy periods where you don't have time to compose and send an SMS marketing campaign.

An example is Black Friday – one of the biggest online shopping holidays of the year. It would be much easier to create a group text or two a few weeks before the event itself. And then trigger scheduled texts to arrive during the run-up to Black Friday (when you'd be busy getting stock ready and your fulfilment side in order).

5. Analytics

Finally, check whether the mass texting app offers reporting tools or ways to analyse and measure the performance of your SMS campaigns. Seeing whether your audience is opening and interacting with your content is crucial and will inform future campaigns.

If you notice a spike in unsubscribes, this indicates that your campaigns aren't being received as well as they should. You may be sending them too frequently, at the wrong times, or the message content itself isn't hitting the mark.

Picking the best mass texting app for your business

Many different businesses use a mass text app for SMS marketing services and to send other crucial communications. Text messaging is affordable, impactful and often preferred by customers compared to other channels.

When researching the best mass text message apps, consider those main features described above: delivery rates, platform security, usability, scheduling and reporting. Do also check the level of support available too. If you run into problems, you'll want the peace of mind that they'll be resolved quickly. Watch out for providers that only offer online chat support or an online knowledge base.

Ready to see what mass text messaging can do for your business? Get started with Messente.