The Best Text Message Marketing Services of 2022

There are many benefits of using text message marketing as well as some potential drawbacks. The direct, personal nature of text messaging is a double-edged sword in that it provides an excellent opportunity to speak directly with your customers, but some customers may find marketing texts annoying or invasive, particularly if you text them at inconvenient times or too often. [Related article: 12 Best Ways to Use Business Texting]

Pros

• The conversion rates tend to be much higher than what you'd get with email.
• People quickly open, read and respond to texts.
• The cost per contact is minimal, making it a cost-effective marketing method.
• You can customize and personalize texts to fit your customers.
• The services offer a wide variety of tracking and analytics tools.

Cons

• There can be a learning curve to using the services effectively.
• It can be time-consuming to grow your contact list.
• A text message marketing campaign requires constant attention and effort.

Did you know? Data shows that 2.2 trillion SMS and MMS messages were sent in 2020 in the U.S., according to Statista.

Be sure to follow text message marketing laws and best practices. Pay attention to your provider's own guidelines and recommended use policies in addition to the applicable laws.

TCPA

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act is overseen by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission. It outlines the laws you must abide by when collecting contacts and sending text messages. Not everything in the TCPA applies to text message marketing, but you should review the regulations specific to texting to ensure that you comply. 

One TCPA requirement is that you get permission from each contact before you send text messages to them. Another is that you only send texts between the hours of 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. (in the recipient's time zone, not yours).

CTIA and MMA

The Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association and the Mobile Marketing Association provide guidance to companies on the appropriate use of text message marketing to consumers. Although these guidelines are not laws, they are considered best practices. Here are some of them:

• Don't use the term "free" unless what you're offering is truly free to the end user.
• Advertising materials should include the program name, a description of the product(s) and quantity (if applicable), a link to the terms and conditions, instructions on how the individual can stop receiving messages, and a note that message and data rates may apply. Alternatively, you can provide all of this information when the customer texts HELP.
• Get the consumer's opt-in approval before sending messages to them.
• Provide an easy mechanism to unsubscribe.
• Maintain opt-in and opt-out records for at least six months.
• Avoid advocating the use of tobacco, alcohol or other drugs in your message.
• You may need to require age verification for some marketing campaigns.

FYI: You can be fined $500 to $1,500 for every illegal text message you send. All the services we reviewed have active programs to help you stay on the right side of the regulations.

The prime benefit of text message marketing is, of course, the chance to communicate directly with customers, but it has various other key benefits.

High Open Rate

SMS marketing has a much higher open rate than email marketing – 98%, according to a 2021 Birdeye report. This means most recipients will see your messages.

Cost-Effective Marketing Method

Text messaging is a low-cost way to market your business. The number of texts included in monthly plans is often quite generous and above what most companies actually need. A few pay-as-you-go options are available too. 

Ability to Be Where the Customer Is

Customers now expect you to be available in-store, online, on social media, on messaging apps, and by text. Nearly all Americans – 97%, according to Pew Research Center – carry a cell phone that they check multiple times a day. This ensures you can reach them, whether they are in front of a computer or not. 

Part of a Multichannel Marketing Strategy

Text messaging doesn't need to be your entire marketing effort – it works well in conjunction with other types of marketing. For instance, you can include links to your social media profiles in your text messages or offer a discount code for recipients to use on your website.

Text message marketing services should do much more than send texts. They should help you find your target audiences, engage with them, and track how they interact with your messages.

Consider the features below, deciding which ones will be of high value to your business. Then compare the providers you select to quote you for how well they will deliver on what you need.

• Analytics and reports: You can improve your future campaign performance when your texting platform tracks responses and other metrics, showing you what went well and what didn't with your current and past campaigns.

• Automation: The best text message marketing companies offer automation tools, which are helpful if you want to send the same text message regularly, such as recurring reminders.

• Contact management: If your contact list is full of old numbers, customers won't receive your messages and your campaigns won't succeed. The best text message marketing solutions make it easy to add contacts, import existing lists and scrub lists to ensure they only include active numbers.

• Customization: You can make your campaigns more successful by personalizing each text message to its recipient. Look for providers that allow you to target your messages based on data like a customer's full name, birthday and ZIP code.

• Drip campaigns: Drip campaigns are automated customer journeys with actions triggered by conditions you set. For example, a welcome text goes out when a customer subscribes, and they receive a thank-you message when they make their first purchase.

• Free incoming text messages: It's important to show customers that you're open to a dialogue and allow them to respond to your messages. The best services don't charge you when a customer texts you back. 

• Integrations: Most text message platforms can integrate with other software, such as email marketing tools like Mailchimp and Constant Contact, allowing you to sync data and functions seamlessly.

• Message templates: Templates for your most common message types can save you a lot of time. Look for a provider with templates you can use as inspiration for your campaigns. It should also allow you to create your own templates and keep them at your fingertips.

• Multimedia messaging: MMS messages allow you to send pictures, videos, and audio clips as well as up to 1,600 characters of text.

• Mobile keywords: Your provider should allow you to choose multiple keywords (based on your plan) to reflect different tastes and preferences among your customers. A new subscriber will choose the keyword that best reflects the products and services they want to receive messages about.

• Scheduling: Many platforms allow you to schedule text messages in advance to your target audiences. It's best practice to plan campaigns weeks ahead, and scheduling allows you to set up these future campaigns and make sure they go out to customers at the optimal times.

• Surveys: The best services make it easy to gather customer feedback with polls and surveys. Learn how to use SMS polling for your business.

• Text-to-landline: This feature lets you send and receive text messages through your business landline phone number with no changes to your voice service.

Did you know? SMS marketing is still on the rise. Projections from Juniper Research show that businesses will have delivered a combined 3.5 trillion texts by 2023, marking a 40% increase from 2019's 2.5 trillion.

Is text message marketing effective?

Text message marketing is an effective, quick and easy way to reach customers. As EZ Texting found in the 2019 Mobile Usage Report, 97% of text messages are read within three minutes of being received. Unlike with emails, nearly every person you send a text will see it. Personalized text marketing messages are particularly effective, as they make customers feel seen and appreciated.

When should businesses use text message marketing?

Businesses should use text message marketing to distribute offers and incentives to their audiences, which drives new sales. You can also use them to provide business updates (like changes in your store hours) or invite customers to an event on your premises. 

Tip: To maximize responses and minimize unsubscribes, send text messages only during normal business hours (9 a.m. to 6 p.m.) in the customer's time zone.

Why is text message marketing important?

Text message marketing is important because it gives you a clear, dedicated line of communication with your customers. It's a direct channel where you can keep up levels of engagement, increase customer satisfaction, and build your brand reputation.

How do I set up text message marketing for my business?

Setup varies between providers, but the process usually comprises six basic steps:

1. Create an account.
2. Activate your account.
3. Create or import a contact group.
4. Write a message and select the recipient(s).
5. Send your message to the selected contact or group.
6. Monitor your campaign's performance with the service's analytics.

What do your employees need to know to use text message marketing?

The employees you want to help you with text message marketing will first need to know the law. Focus your training on that as well as how to use the platform you select. Some key lessons are how to create campaigns, choose contacts, manage analytics and troubleshoot minor issues.

How can text or SMS marketing attract new customers to your business?

Text message marketing can show new customers that your business is committed to customer support and a personalized customer experience. This can enhance your credibility and build customer loyalty.

How can text or SMS marketing help you keep the customers you already have?

For better customer retention, keep your subscribers in the loop about deals, opportunities and news from your business. Use these texts to keep your brand front of mind for loyal customers and incentivize them to keep buying from you.

What do text message marketing services typically cost?

Text message marketing services typically cost a monthly fee that ranges from $20 for 1,200 texts to $2,000 for 66,600 texts. Your price will largely depend on the number of messages and keywords your business requires each month.

Is text message marketing legal?

Yes, it is legal to send messages to customers via SMS – as long as you follow the FCC's guidelines. The two primary governing laws are the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the CAN-SPAM Act, which seek to protect consumers from unsolicited messages if they opt out or block a number. Penalties range from $500 to $1,500 per violation.

What is the best way to get consent from customers to send them text messages?

If you want to send marketing text messages to customers, you must obtain express written consent for each number on your marketing list. According to the TCPA, the terms of consent must be "clear and conspicuous." In other words, a recipient must understand exactly what they are agreeing to when they provide their phone number. The most common way to get consent is by asking a consumer to provide their phone number on an online or paper form that includes the required terms.

Do consumers actually open text messages?

Consumers actually open around 98% of texts they receive on their phones, according to research by MessageMedia, proving the effectiveness of text message marketing. For comparison, the average email open rate is around 20%. While email marketing still generates great returns, there is a strong argument – particularly for B2C companies – to shift some expenditure over to text message marketing and see if it gets a higher response rate for your business.

How can I track my text message marketing campaigns?

Most text marketing platforms will show you the number of messages you've sent, the number of messages delivered (if a recipient's carrier supports that function), and the number of bounces (failed deliveries due to network issues or a number no longer being in service). You can also include links with tracking codes in your texts to track how many subscribers visit a webpage as a result of your message.