Is Bulk SMS Marketing Still a Winning Strategy Going Into 2023?

New technology has the potential to improve channels of communication between businesses and their customers. At the same time, the ever-changing nature of technological progress can be both a blessing and a curse. To reap the full benefits of these advances, businesses must educate themselves on the latest tech and consumer trends. Although other communication platforms may come and go, texting has proven to be an enduring favorite. It’s a cheap and effective means of marketing that many businesses continue to take advantage of. That said, this route does come with its own share of potholes. However, the right tools (such as good phone line checkers) can help you navigate them.

Photographer: Adem AY | Source: Unsplash

Effective phone line checkers make sure that all the texts your business sends out are delivered to active mobile numbers. By avoiding texting landlines, you save money. In addition, you won’t contact numbers that don’t want to be contacted—and your business won’t end up with a bad rep as an annoying marketer!

The benefits that accompany bulk SMS marketing are too good to ignore. And these benefits are amplified when you use texting in conjunction with other marketing platforms such as email and social media. If implemented correctly, SMS marketing will make a significant contribution to your business’s success in 2023.

What Is Mobile Marketing?

Marketing refers to the various ways in which businesses make the public aware of their goods and services. Traditional forms of marketing, such as print and television, can be very helpful in getting your business’s name out there. However, as the use of cellphones has grown more ubiquitous, mobile marketing has become an essential component in the marketing mix.

Specifically, mobile marketing can be described as a form of marketing that reaches audiences via their mobile devices. Today, these range from cellphones to tablets to smartwatches. As mobile devices often enable multiple means of communication, they represent an ideal way for businesses to connect with their customers: for instance, via emails, mobile app notifications, social media messages, and—of course—SMS and MMS texts.

Texting differs from other forms of communication because it is direct as well as personal. For this reason, when utilized correctly, it can strengthen trust between your business and its customers. Furthermore, a text message is easy to engage with—it takes virtually no time for someone to check a text. The simplicity of a succinct message also works to everyone’s advantage, and makes preparatory work more straightforward for your marketing team.

Some marketing messages add animated GIFs and images to texts. These are known as MMSes, and they’re typically costlier to send. Although an MMS can add value to a message, it can also trigger compatibility issues with different mobile phones.

What Makes Mass SMS Marketing Different?

Unlike more general SMS marketing, bulk SMS marketing enables a single message to reach thousands of potential customers. It’s a powerful way to disseminate information, and involves the mass texting of advertising messages. Many businesses have adopted bulk SMS marketing campaigns because they are both cost-effective and automated, reducing costs as well as time spent. They can also be scheduled in advance, allowing you to send your desired texts at optimal times. You’ll be able to reap all these advantages for your business—provided you have phone line checkers!

What Are Phone Line Checkers?

To get started with bulk SMS marketing, you need to first build up a list of mobile numbers linked to current and prospective customers. Be careful not to include numbers that are on the Do-Not-Call (DNC) Registry, a database managed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). By listing on the registry, consumers signify that they do not wish to receive telemarketing messages. Contacting such numbers is when your business goes from marketing to spamming.

Over time, your list may pick up numbers that are fake, inactive, or disconnected. You can scrub your lists of these—as well as DNC Registry numbers—using phone line checkers. As there are a variety of these checkers on the market, first assess your business’s needs before deciding which one is right for you. Be aware that some fail to check the DNC Registry regularly, while others may not output lists in your desired format.

How Do You Utilize Mobile Marketing?

You’ve put in the groundwork, researched phone line checkers, and settled on the one that’s best for your organization. Now, are you ready to begin your mobile marketing campaign? Not quite. Bulk SMS marketing is a valuable tool, but there are some tricks to getting it right. For example, timing is crucial. Texts sent in the middle of the night will have less impact than those received during the day. Furthermore, you can weed out those who aren’t responsive to SMS marketing by offering an easy way for them to opt out. This prevents unnecessary spending and allows you to focus on more responsive customers.

You also need the right tools to send bulk texts and track the performance of your mobile marketing campaign. How many people click the links you share? How many new customers did your last bulk SMS campaign bring in? Are texts receiving more engagement than other communication channels? These are all performance indicators to pay attention to.

When utilizing text, though the message is short, it’s still possible for miscommunications to occur. Does that emoji mean what you think it does? Is that the correct acronym for the situation? Proofread before sending, and check with different audiences.

Lastly, moderation is key! It is possible to have too much of a good thing. If customers are flooded with marketing messages, they will either ignore them or grow annoyed. The last thing you need is for them to develop a negative association with your business.

Common Uses of Bulk SMS Marketing

By now, you’re likely quite curious about bulk SMS marketing and the diverse ways in which it can be used. Unlike email and other forms of communication, which are accessed through gadgets that not everyone can afford, you can receive texts on even the most basic phone. In addition to being inexpensive, this method casts an extremely wide net, and there’s very little wasted resources if adequate phone line checkers are used.

Given the personal nature of texts vs. other means of communication, they’re great for sending bulk welcome messages to new customers. As a result, customers feel more valued and their experience with your business is enhanced. Though SMS texts are short, they’re also handy for introducing new customers to loyalty programs and other services you offer.

Photographer: Nate Smith | Source: Unsplash

When you need to share information with customers fast, few methods are superior to bulk SMSing. Have a flash sale going on? New products just arrived? Let them know via bulk SMS marketing. By dividing your customers up into specific groups, it’s easier to market to their specific needs. For example, a sports shop might want an SMS list for its hockey-playing clientele alone. These customers would receive different texts from those on the soccer-playing list.

Two-Way Bulk SMS Marketing

Two-way bulk SMS marketing lets customers respond to your messages. This has all sorts of benefits. For instance, customers can reach you quickly if they have any issues or need their queries answered. Moreover, due to the ease of test messaging, they are far more likely to respond to an SMS than an email or another form of communication.

With adequate AI, 2-way bulk SMSes have the ability to kill two birds with one stone, enhancing your business’s marketing and customer experience simultaneously. By using 2-way messaging to answer FAQs, your customer care team is freed up to focus on more important issues. One of the biggest advantages of 2-way bulk SMS marketing is that you can gather all the customer responses—and these are usually short. This makes it easier to analyze consumer response data to determine which marketing strategies work and which should be modified or abandoned.

Which Industries Use Bulk SMS Marketing?

Many different industries utilize bulk SMS marketing. For example, airlines have used it to let customers know about exclusive deals on plane tickets as well as changes in flight details. The process is immediate and reliable, and keeps customers in the loop. Hotels and other tourism and hospitality businesses use bulk SMS marketing for similar reasons—alerting customers to the latest deals and offers.

Quick communication is vital in the case of an emergency or other unforeseen change. Customers appreciate this facility, as it gives them enough time to alter their plans—for instance, rescheduling flights, meetings, and other bookings. As such, according to G2, 82% of customers want to receive reminders via text. Despite this overwhelmingly positive response, only 20% of businesses currently provide such services.

Banks use this type of marketing to inform customers of upcoming offers and changes in interest rates. This helps simplify banking procedures, leading to happier customers. Text messaging is also popular in industries that rely heavily on marketing, including the insurance and real estate industries. When used together with traditional forms of marketing, bulk SMS marketing boosts brand awareness. This ensures that your brand is the one people think of to help resolve their issues.

Regardless of what industry you work in, it is critical to not infringe on the DNC Registry. Apart from the bad reputation you’ll earn from consumers, this practice could result in your business being subjected to large fines. The FTC does not make idle threats—since 2003 it has collected over $290 million in judgments. Other countries have similar registries, and they also need to be respected. You can avoid fines by securing the best phone line checkers.

Challenges Posed by Other Communication Platforms

While it may not be the best idea to abandon all other marketing and communication platforms just yet, it is worth acknowledging the advantages that texting brings. Understanding these positive aspects will help you sculpt a stronger, more inclusive SMS marketing strategy. Using SMS marketing in conjunction with other marketing tactics achieves the best results. Doing so ensures you can reach your customers, no matter their preferred communication channel.

SMS marketing isn’t the only form of mobile marketing. However, unlike social media and mobile apps, texting is something that all cellphones can utilize, right out of the box. There’s no need to worry about whether a customer has an account with a certain social media site or whether their mobile device is compatible with your app. As long as you have their number, they’ll get your text.

Email

Many businesses rely on email to communicate with customers. However, this popular platform is not without its downsides. For a start, receiving emails requires an internet connection. Then there’s the issue of the dreaded spam folder. It’s all too easy for business emails to be accidentally routed here, where customers will probably never read them. In this scenario, texts have a significant advantage, given they are far less likely to be filtered.

According to Gartner, 98% of all SMSes are opened. This is considerably higher than email, which has a 20% open rate. Furthermore, people are less likely to ignore SMSes as there’s less competition from other texts than from other emails. Research shows that the average office worker receives 121 emails daily compared with 72 texts in the same timeframe.

Photographer: Fausto Sandoval | Source: Unsplash

Another thing to consider is your customer’s emotional state. Email platforms tend to be associated with work and bills. So, when your company’s marketing email pops up, a potential customer may not be in the best of moods. In a case like this, it’s much harder for you to leave a good impression. In contrast, people usually want to read their texts. A study by SMScomparison revealed that 95% of texts will be read within 3 minutes of being received. If you’re looking for the best platform to get a positive reception—or any reception at all—then this is where you need to be.

Lastly, think about the work that goes into crafting a good marketing email. From eye-catching images, to engaging text, and relevant links. Additionally, attachments that are too large could result in emails not being received. In contrast, SMS marketing only requires a few quick sentences. Altogether, the channel has fewer hurdles to overcome before reaching your target audience.

Why Email Still Has a Place

Don’t eliminate emails completely! They still have their place. For starters, with email, you don’t have to worry about the DNC Registry, the cost of phone line checkers, or wasting money by sending emails to the wrong address. Further, if you’re sending a long message—use email. It’s also considered the more professional platform, so use it when you have to discuss serious or sensitive matters.

For the best results, use a combination of email and SMS marketing. For instance, a lengthy email with images may be the right choice if you’re introducing customers to a new range of sale products. However, when the sale is about to end, send a text to remind customers to take advantage of it.

Phone Calls

By putting a human face to your business, phone calls remain an integral aspect of telemarketing. The result? People perceive you as more than just another business looking to make money. With a talented marketing and sales team on your side, you can utilize calls to strengthen customer loyalty and increase retention.

SMS messages are much like calls in that they can feel very personal. In other ways, they’re much more effective. For example, calls won’t be picked up if the recipient’s phone is turned off, out of network range, or simply in another room. By contrast, an SMS reaches the recipient wherever they are. Moreover, receiving an SMS is far less invasive than receiving a call, which could annoy a prospective customer if they’re in the middle of something important.

In addition, phone calls may feel too personal for some due to issues like social anxiety. Further, many more simply don’t answer calls from unknown numbers. These sorts of consumers are far more likely to respond to a text. Texting also overcomes another challenge—time consumption. Agents don’t have to waste precious minutes on a call that doesn’t lead to a sale. It’s possible to send a text to thousands of customers in the same amount of time.

Granted, phone calls have their advantages. There’s less room for misinterpretation of a message, and they allow for complex back-and-forth communication. Though a text is great for casual communication, a call is the preferred platform to iron things out with a customer if they’ve had an unsatisfactory experience with your products or services. Once again, the best marketing strategies employ a judicious mix of bulk text messaging along with other platforms—telephone calls included.

Make the Most of Bulk SMS Marketing With the Right Phone Line Checkers

The cost-effective nature of bulk SMS marketing makes it an excellent choice for small businesses. Nevertheless, you could still waste money with this process. For instance, you might be texting numbers on the DNC Registry. Further, it’s also wasteful to text numbers that are fake or aren’t active or connected.

One of the biggest ways businesses waste money during a bulk SMS marketing campaign is by texting landline numbers. Although some landline telephones will read out texts, in most cases, the text is wasted. For that reason, it's best to leave landline numbers off your SMS marketing lists altogether.

However, when you have lists with hundreds or even thousands of numbers, it is impossible to get rid of these numbers manually. While there are several phone line checkers on the market to help you out, few are as robust as Landline Remover.

With Landline Remover, all you need to do is upload your list of contacts and we’ll do the rest. Landline Remover will scrub your list of all landline numbers within seconds, ensuring you don’t waste any time. The best part? Only pay for what you use. Other phone line checkers make you purchase a subscription plan, but that isn’t the case with us. Just pay $0.002 per number checked or $2 per 1,000 numbers. We also rid your lists of DNC Registry numbers. The data used is 72 hours fresh from the Federal and State levels, so you can count on top accuracy.

Stop wasting time and money texting landline numbers. Sign up with Landline Remover for free and start improving your bulk SMS marketing strategy!