Text message marketing is gaining traction every day. The power of SMS messages is used en masse to alert all customers simultaneously of a new product or deal via a text alert.
SMS marketing is something you should consider for advertising your business as it is personal and reaches the largest amount of people immediately.
SMS alerts can help businesses administer customer support, manage internal communications, and market to customers. This article highlights the main reasons why you should consider using text alerts for business and explains how you can quickly get started.
What are text alerts for business?
Business text alerts are simply text messages sent to customers, clients, employees or even suppliers. They’re commonly used for bulk SMS marketing when businesses need to drive sales, increase brand presence, or increase customer interaction. Usually, text marketing text alerts are sent out in bulk to hundreds - even thousands - of contacts all at the same time. An SMS text alert service can be used to inform customers about limited-time offers, promotions, and any new products or services launched.
Mass texting alerts can also be utilised to improve customer service. For instance, you could use them for sending out PIN codes for account authentication, appointment confirmations, link to a free mobile app, order or payment confirmations, and delivery progress updates. Through integration with a CRM tool, you can easily set up automated texts for these purposes. You can even send public service messages or holiday greetings.
Some businesses use text alerts to communicate quickly and effectively with staff. This works particularly well when employees work off-site (e.g. field engineers) and don’t always have access to an internet connection.
Top reasons for businesses to send SMS alerts
1. Enables fast and direct communication
Out of all available marketing channels, SMS text messaging is by far the fastest and most direct; if you have set up an opt-in subscriber service then all the customers will be willing to receive immediate updates from your business.
Whether you are trying to reach customers or employees, text messages offer a quick solution. They are sent and delivered almost instantly, giving you a way to communicate in real time. SMS alerts are best for distributing time-sensitive information like PIN code notifications, payment or appointment reminders, and emergency alerts (such as weather and travel warnings).
2. SMS alerts cut through the noise
SMS alerts get noticed. According to research from RescueTime, few people go longer than 1 hour and 43 minutes during the day without touching their phones. So the chances of someone not seeing a text are incredibly slim.
Even though SMS is one of the oldest features of mobile phone technology, it is still widely used and appreciated by individuals. In a poll conducted on Android Authority, 72.3% of respondents said they still send text messages to their contacts, despite the rise of alternative messaging apps.
3. Text messages have excellent reach
Because SMS delivery relies on a cellular connection rather than the internet, texts can be transmitted to someone’s phone even if they’re in a remote area with no wi-fi. Here’s a common scenario. Imagine the internet goes down at the office, and you need to get a message to colleagues off-site urgently. A text alert is ideal in this business situation.
It’s also worth noting that there are still 1.08 billion people in the world that use a feature phone (basic cell phone) rather than a smartphone with a complex operating system. SMS is most likely the only form of messaging on those basic devices.
4. Better deliverability compared to email
Several factors affect email deliverability, one of which is sending reputation. It can take time to build up a good reputation with email service providers to ensure that your emails aren’t seen as spam.
More than half of all emails are believed to be spam, whereas less than 3% of texts are spam. So although it’s perfectly possible to have texts blocked by carrier networks if you abuse messaging rules, you can generally rely on SMS more than you can email. And by using a platform like Messente, you can set up delivery reports. These can help you flag up and deal with deliverability problems as and when they happen.
5. SMS gets a high level of engagement
It's all very well having your text get read, but sometimes you might need the person on the receiving end to take action, right? SMS achieves eight times the response rate compared to email. Within a text message, you can include a URL or phone number, along with call-to-action text to point the customer or employee to what you want them to do next.
6. The best format for a wide range of communications
Text alerts are, by nature, very short and are therefore the best format when you only need to communicate a snippet of information. Account security alerts, PIN codes and order confirmations only require a brief sentence to get the message across. And, where marketing content is concerned, less is often more. You can even use SMS to conduct surveys and send out feedback requests.
7. Some customers prefer SMS messages
SMS is the channel of choice for many people and can complement your communication efforts if you’re using an omnichannel strategy.
Texts can complement your marketing and you can arrange further phone calls with inquisitive clients to increase customer satisfaction but only if they want to.
According to Customer Think, more than 50% of consumers would rather text customer support than make a phone call if they had the choice.
How can your business benefit from an SMS text alert service?
SMS marketing services are the best way of producing immediate results for a company. From home-office startups to Fortune 500 companies, all businesses share the need for marketing tools.
If you're trying to provide exceptional customer service or increase your visibility, text messaging is the answer. Your customers and staff get a new opportunity for connectivity through an SMS text alert service and a solution for new marketing campaigns.
How to set up text alerts for business using Messente
Messente is a global SMS messaging platform that makes it simple for businesses to send out text alerts and notifications. Using our Phonebook API, you can set up different groups of contacts to segment your audience. (Note, you’ll need to obtain permission from each contact before you can text them.
You can upload contacts manually or import a CSV file containing other data relating to each recipient. Messente’s alert texting system can pull specific data from your file into your text message via ‘tags’.
For instance, suppose your CSV file contains the details of debtors that you need to chase for payment. You can add relevant tags to your text to personalise your message. See the example below.
You’ll know how much your text alerts will cost your business before you send them. Messente calculates the price according to the sending destination (country) and the number of texts within each campaign. Our transparent pricing makes it easy for you to manage your budget.
Get started sending text alerts for business
Through business text alerts, you can deliver a whole host of external and internal communications. You could onboard new customers, chase payments, distribute emergency alerts, create attention-grabbing marketing campaigns and more.
See for yourself how easy it is to send SMS alerts with Messente. Create your free account, explore the dashboard and send a few test messages at no charge with our complimentary free credits.
