Are you ready to find out why businesses around the world are turning to Viber Messenger? In this post, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about this increasingly-popular social app and find out why it’s become one of the most important business channels of 2019.

In general, Viber Messenger is increasingly favored by businesses because of its high popularity, ease of use with customers, high levels of encryption, and ability to promote brands. Let’s take a look at each of these points, in turn, to see what Viber Messenger can do for your business.

• Volume of Users

Businesses love Viber because it’s popular. Simply put, having more people means more marketing opportunities—and Viber’s got plenty of people. According to the app’s official website, the service has over one billion unique users worldwide.

Needless to say, not many apps can say that.

What’s more, with over seven million interactions every minute the app is one of the most widely used and popular in the world. It’s no wonder, then, that businesses have turned to Viber as a prime marketing source.

It’s this simple: Viber offers a massive and diverse client base that businesses can use to their marketing advantage.

• Instant Communication with the Customer

Additionally, Viber offers instant communication with customers. Because of the app’s instant messaging nature, businesses can now connect with customers at record rates. This means that customer service has never been easier. Brands like Coca-Cola and Shakira have already partnered with Viber to offer high-level customer service and gain quicker feedback from their fans.

With this instant communication comes better marketing opportunities, as well. Brands are now able to direct concerned customers to their webpages and generate traffic to their websites. This makes Viber a superior marketing option.

• Encryption

Viber advertises high-end encryption that’s designed to keep business and personal data safe. For this reason, it’s become an increasingly popular option for brands that wish to keep their data private. With top-level security, the app ensures a seamless business experience.

For the consumer, Viber allows for a convenient way to interact with established brands without fear of data breaches. For this reason, an increasing number of businesses and consumers look to partner with Viber in the years to come.

• Create Accounts to Promote Your Brand

In the past, Viber allowed for Profile Accounts that could be used to promote brands. Now the app is working on Communities that will allow brands to get their stories out there and interact with a wide base of consumers.

This makes Viber an attractive landing spot for business for several reasons. For starters, brands now have the ability to market to a wide demographic for low rates. On top of this, they can see their consumers’ feedback in real time, ensuring effective changes can be made to their marketing strategies when necessary.

As you can see, Viber looks to play a major role in business in the coming years. Due to its ease, security, and marketing opportunities, the service is quickly becoming one of the hottest social apps for business in the world.

For those looking to get into the bulk SMS market in Cyprus, it’s worth going over a bit of information. In general, Cyprus poses a great market for bulk SMS advertising, with several nationwide carriers and a high population of mobile phone users.

Let’s take a look at some specific data concerning mobile phone use in Cyprus and how that can affect bulk SMS marketing there.

For starters, there are several notable networks in Cyprus: CYTA, MTN, and PrimeTel PLC to name a few. With the right bulk SMS service, you will find it easy to market through all these major carriers—plus more! With the popularization of SMS technology, more and more carriers are embracing the prospects of SMS notifications and marketing.

But just how prevalent is mobile use in Cyprus? You may be surprised at the numbers. As of 2019, nearly 100% of residents own mobile phones, with over 94% of residents reading their texts within the first four minutes of receiving them.

Those are some pretty impressive numbers, and they should encourage anyone looking to do business with SMS in Cyprus. With a vibrant community of mobile phone users, there’s never been a better time to market in Cyprus. In fact, with the nation’s large percentage of mobile phone users, it can be considered a mobile hotspot and a prime location for your SMS campaigns.

As of 2015, Cyprus enjoyed an average mobile penetration rate of 96%. What’s more, the nation boasted around 2.3 mobile phones per household. Those numbers alone are strong indicators of the nation’s readiness for SMS campaigns. With this data, it’s clear that SMS marketing in Cyprus is the way to go! Reach more people than ever before with targeted text ad campaigns that can reach nearly 100% of Cyprus households.

For businesses and consumers alike, it’s important to realize that Cyprus falls under the jurisdiction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The law, passed by the European Union in 2016, seeks to protect consumers against unfair data collection and sharing. For business owners, this means that any data collected as part of SMS campaigns must be willingly disclosed to the consumer. What’s more, the regulation requires that businesses follow proper data collection protocols and seek measures to protect personal data.

Those seeking business in Cyprus must understand the current regulatory climate and adjust accordingly. For the most part, however, businesses should be thrilled to participate in proven-effective SMS campaigns in Cyprus. With nearly one million individuals, an overwhelming majority of whom have mobile phone access, the nation is a prime location for future SMS marketing.

With the diverse applications of bulk SMS marketing, a variety of businesses should capitalize on Cyprus’s readiness to do business by investing in SMS ad campaigns in the island nation. Data indicate that businesses that do will notice a substantial financial return.

SMS.to offers businesses a high-quality SMS tool that can be used to promote business, grow sales, and increase brand loyalty. If you’re looking for a top-end SMS service, there’s no better time to invest than now!

Over the last few years, supermarkets have joined an increasingly large number of businesses that have turned to SMS marketing to keep customers more engaged with their services. With interactive opt-in features, these supermarkets are using bulk SMS strategies to effectively market to an interested and passionate demographic, thereby boosting sales and generating profits.

 

In this post, we’ll look at some of the specific ways that supermarkets are using SMS marketing to keep customers involved with and excited about their services.

• Send Regular Special Offers

No one likes saving money more than the average grocery shopper. That’s why we have extreme couponing. Now, with SMS-delivered special offers, consumers have a completely modernized way to shop discounts. Instead of waiting for coupons to be delivered in the mail or searching them out in the store, customers can now have regular special offers delivered straight to their phones.

This streamlines the shopping process for the average consumer and increases the supermarket’s chances of hosting a successful sale. As you can see, then, SMS marketing provides the perfect platform for increased growth and consumer interaction for your business.

• Providing Methods to Unsubscribe

Another way that supermarkets are keeping their customers engaged is by providing them with ways to unsubscribe. In general, customers choose to sign up for text message alerts, and they can choose to stop receiving those alerts at any time.

This makes SMS marketing pressure free for the consumer. Unlike past marketing strategies that sought to junk up consumers’ mailboxes with spam ads and flyers, SMS offers no disadvantages to the consumer. For this reason, more and more consumers are choosing SMS alerts as a hassle and pressure free way to do their shopping.

• Competitions and Freebies

Nothing keeps consumers engaged more than competitions—for free stuff. Supermarkets know this and regularly take advantage of the fact through SMS alerts. By promoting special deals that come available through competition, store owners are making sure that consumers focus on their brands and invest money into their goods.

For both the consumer and the business owner, then, bulk SMS alerts provide for a better shopping experience. Customers engaged in competitions (such as who can find the winning text code featured on a select few of a certain product) are more likely to patronize a particular business, thus driving sales and increasing customer loyalty to the brand.

• Targeted Approach

What’s more, supermarkets are able to use SMS alerts to target a specific demographic of customers that are willing to spend more money and invest more time in shopping at their location. Because customers must opt-in for SMS alerts, businesses can be sure that their SMS strategies are targeting a more passionate and interesting demographics.

This drives consumer spending in what’s arguably a business’s most important demographic and helps supermarkets increase sales. For this reason, bulk SMS API alerts look to be a central part of supermarket marketing strategies moving forward.

With this in mind, it’s time that businesses check out the versatile and powerful SMS.to! This highly-effective bulk SMS service can revolutionize your business’s marketing and help grow your business.

With SMS marketing, real estate has never been easier. Gone are the days of endless phone calls, where you may or may not reach the customer on the other end. With data suggesting that 90% of text messages are read in the first five minutes, you can be sure that your real estate SMS texts are reaching your intended audience.

If you’re looking to see how you can sell 18% more real estate with SMS marketing, you’ve come to the right place. In order to answer this question, let’s take a look at four of the most commonly used SMS marketing tactics in real estate. Understanding these tactics and applying them in your own business could be the difference between stagnation and a boom in total sales.

• Include Your SMS Opt-in on Your Signs

For starters, you must let potential clients know that your opt-in exists. What better way to do this than by including your opt-in information on your real estate signs? By doing so, you will attract a wide consumer base who is interested in your property. Most customers will find it much easier and more convenient to opt-in to SMS alerts than they will be calling for information. In this way, SMS alerts can help you expand your outreach and attract potential customers.

• Autoreply Functionality

With SMS’s convenient autoreply functionality, you can send automated texts to anyone who opts in to your service. This means that you can provide interested customers with immediate information regarding the listing of their choice. This streamlines the selling process and makes it more likely that you connect with a buyer who is willing to look at the home.

By sending automated replies, you are also saving significant time for yourself. By freeing up time, you are making it easier to focus on other aspects of your job, such as in-person meetings and sales.

• Remind Potential Customers of Open Houses

Want to become a bulk SMS expert? Use the service to send automated reminders to potential customers about upcoming open houses. By doing so, you can greatly increase the attendance of your next open house. This increases the probability that you find an interested buyer and saves you the hassle of calling around.

When you send out automated reminders, you are connecting with an interesting client base who may otherwise have forgotten about the event. For this reason, you can expect SMS services to greatly increase your selling potential.

• Follow Up

Want to check up on a customer? You can use SMS to ask them to rate their experience, remind them of certain agency events, or even provide them with other listings. Follow-ups are particularly useful in connecting with clients who fell through during your first sell.

Simply put, with SMS, it’s never been easier to turn stubborn customers into great sales. Use bulk SMS services to increase your conversion rates and begin selling more real estate today! With SMS.to, you can be on track to selling more real estate in no time!

The impact of SMS marketing on the airline industry has increased in certain years, with several airlines turning to the strategy to reach wider demographics and build stronger relationships with their consumers. Unlike marketing strategies of the past, which largely targeted consumer emails, bulk SMS notifications allow airlines to target the specific needs and desires of consumers in a quick and highly-effective way.

With certain research indicating that around only 2% of text messages go unread, SMS marketing offers airlines with the perfect strategy for reaching out to willing customers. Let’s take a look at a few specific ways that airlines use SMS notifications and marketing to increase their business.

• Offer Deals

Sever airlines have capitalized on the ease of SMS marketing to offer exclusive deals to consumers. This means offering consumers discounted tickets for flights that did not sell out or cheaper rates for certain seats. By offering these discounts through SMS, airlines are increasing their consumer interaction and raising awareness of their brands.

• Reward Customers

Perhaps most importantly, however, airlines are using SMS marketing to reward loyal customers. Major companies are now offering loyal passengers with first cracks at upgraded seating, exclusive vouchers, discounted prices, and more.

For customers who frequently fly with a certain airline, SMS “rewards” are becoming another reason to stay loyal to their favorite brands. What’s more, for customers who do not fly with a particular brand, these types of rewards may serve as the impetus for brand loyalty.

This means that airlines wishing to promote loyalty formation amongst customers may use SMS marketing as a primary tool. With such heavy implications on the line, it’s no wonder that more and more airlines are turning to bulk SMS to effectively market to wider demographics.

• Provide Flight Information

Airlines also have a more pragmatic reason for offering bulk SMS opt-ins for their customers. Increasingly, customers who elect to receive SMS notifications from their airline of choice are receiving valuable information about their upcoming flights.

Specifically, airlines are using these notifications to alert customers of changes in their flight schedules or information. This means that airlines now have a quicker way to notify passengers of any potential delays or influential weather conditions.

This, too, has the power to strengthen customer loyalty and perhaps play a role in the brand formation. With bulk SMS, airlines can now give consumers the immediate impression that they care about them and their scheduled trips.

By preemptively showing concern, airlines can sympathize with their customers and reassure them that everything will be okay. In this way, bulk SMS is providing airlines with an effective way to reach out and subtly market with its consumers.

But what does all this mean? Simply put, it indicates that the future of marketing is in bulk SMS. That’s why we specialize in providing top-end bulk SMS services that businesses can use to increase their profits and their loyal customer base. With SMS.to, your business can take advantage of cost-effective elite marketing techniques that can put you squarely on the map.

Are you the proud owner of an e-shop?

Then it’s likely that you want to increase traffic and business to your e-commerce website. Luckily, SMS alerts provide you with the ultimate marketing tool to grow your consumer base and increase your profits.

In this post, we’ll look at six of the best ways to market your e-shop! Let’s begin!

• Provide Order Updates

When customers order online, they want to know that they are ordering from a reliable source. For this reason, you want to provide your customers with valuable order updates that let them know the status of their order.

Did their order just ship? Let them know that! Is it expected to arrive in three days? Let them know that, too! With order updates, you can keep your customers in the loop and feeling satisfied.

• Let Customers Know about New Products

Customers love buying new stuff. This means that you should take advantage of SMS alerts to advertise your new products. If you’ve got a new product sitting in your inventory, take advantage of SMS marketing to get it out there to consumers.

With a simple text message, you can let consumers know about your product and pique their interest in buying it. What’s more, with a link to a specific landing page, you can increase traffic to your website—and the chances that you make a sale.

• Do a Follow-up

It’s a fact: consumers prefer businesses that care about them. For this reason, make sure you do a follow-up with your customers through SMS. With a follow-up, you can show your customers that you care about their shopping experience and encourage them to come back.

Importantly, follow-ups provide you with a way to connect with customers who potentially had a negative experience. By showing these consumers that you care, you can positively alter their revisit intentions.

• Offer Exclusive, Time-Sensitive Promos

Want to increase sales? Then use SMS marketing to offer exclusive, time-sensitive promos that your customers simply can’t turn down! These SMS promos give you a double advantage when it comes to winning over customers.

For starters, their exclusivity makes customers hesitate to turn them down. In addition, their urgency makes customers feel as if they should capitalize on them immediately. With SMS promos, you can catch your customers’ attention and increase the probability that they buy from you.

• Provide Customers with Birthday Wishes

SMS for e-shops allows you a great way to interact with your customers on their special day. Show them how much you care by sending them automated birthday texts. This will increase your brand loyalty and bring your shop to the front of their minds.

This strategy is more effective than traditional email marketing. Let’s face it: the last thing you want to do on your birthday is to check your email. By sending alerts directly to consumers’ phones, you are making sure your voice is heard—and that your sales go up.

• Collect Data via Surveys

Want to know how your customers feel about your business? Use SMS to link to surveys that allow customers to give valuable feedback. With this information, you can make your business more consumer-friendly and attractive to potential buyers.

These days, everyone is taking advantage of SMS marketing. This means that you should, too. If you are the owner of a travel agency, it’s time to see what creative SMS marketing strategies you can employ to grow your business and strengthen customer relationships.

In this post, we’ll cover seven of the most creative SMS marketing ideas for travel agencies. Let’s start!

• Provide Real-Time Updates

Customers hate delays, and while an SMS alert won’t change the situation, it can help consumers prepare for them. For this reason, travel agencies should consider sending out targeted SMS alerts that give consumers real-time updates on a variety of travel information such as delays and flight change information.

Doing so, companies can begin to foster a sense of oneness with their customers and be seen as more reliable and trusted from a consumer standpoint.

• Ask Customers to Take Surveys

Want to know how effective your marketing strategy is? Don’t be afraid to ask consumers to complete a survey. Surveys can provide you with great data that can be used to modify your marketing strategies and increase their effectiveness.

For this reason, use a survey tool and send out customer surveys that ask consumers to rate their experience. By sending alerts directly to consumer phones, you are increasing the likelihood that customers will actually complete the survey—thus giving you more data.

• Confirm Travel Bookings

Customers want to know that their trips are in order. This means that travel companies could seriously benefit from sending out SMS alerts that confirm consumer travel bookings. With this information, consumers can be confident that their trips are going according to plan.

What’s more, consumers can more easily check their text messages than their emails. This means that confirming travel bookings through SMS allows agencies to streamline the customer experience and provide better customer service.

• Update Customers on Seat Availability

Unless a plane fills up, there’s likely to be some variability when it comes to flight seating. This means that travel agencies can send pointed alerts to consumers whenever a seat opens up or when upgrades become available.

Consumers are always looking for that seating upgrade. This means that by sending SMS texts that keep customers in the loop, you increase the chance of securing more customers and growing your profits.

• Offer Discounts and Vouchers

SMS provides travel agencies with the perfect way to offer discounts and vouchers. Advertising a particular hotel, flight, or rental? Let customers know through SMS! Have free vouchers that allow customers access to airport amenities? Let them know that too!

• Advertise New Destinations

Travel agencies can also advertise changes in their services through SMS. That new destination you just added to your list? You can let customers know that you now service those areas. By doing so, you increase the likelihood of securing more business.

• Provide Customers with Weather Updates

Customers like to know that you care. For this reason, provide them with valuable weather updates concerning their destination. For example, if they are headed to Korea, let them know that the temperature is currently 10 degrees and that they should bring a heavy coat.

By following these marketing tips, you can greatly expand business for your travel agency. With SMS.to, you can grow your marketing campaign and your profits—today!

SMS marketing has exploded in recent years and is helping businesses radically transform their advertising strategies. If you are the owner of a small retail business, you can use SMS marketing to modernize your business’s advertising campaign and give yourself that desired competitive edge.

In this post, we’ll take a look at some of the most valuable SMS marketing tips for your small retail business.

• Coordinate Your Marketing Efforts

While SMS is a highly effective form of marketing, you shouldn’t forget about your other marketing campaigns. In fact, you should do your best to make sure that all your advertising strategies are in line.

What does this mean? It’s simple. Say you have an online website with special promotions, offers, and deals. You can include valuable links to your website in your text messages.

This means that SMS marketing essentially allows you to kill two birds with one stone. Take advantage of these multi-layered marketing techniques to grow your business in the future!

• Make it Fun

Who says that text messages have to be dry? Spice up your messages with fun language, great style, and incredible deals. Let’s face it: your consumers likely read several promos every day. Whether they’re checking their emails, their phones, or simply scrolling through Facebook, they are exposed to some form of advertising.

That’s why you should do your best to differentiate your business. By making your texts fun and engaging, you can keep your consumers’ interest and increase your conversions.

• Don’t Sign Everyone Up

This one’s important, so it’s worth stressing: don’t sign everyone up for SMS alerts. Even if you have a customer’s mobile information, you should ask for their permission before signing them up for any marketing campaign.

Here’s why: no customer likes being spammed with text messages they didn’t ask to receive. For this reason, you should ask your customers if they are willing to receive SMS alerts. This basic form of etiquette can go a long way to growing your business and ensuring the effectiveness of your marketing strategy.

• Send Out Automatic Purchase Information

Want to make your customers feel like a part of your business? Send out automatic purchase information that will make them feel like you care. Say that a customer buys a new outfit from your retail business. You can use that as an opportunity to send them a nice “thank you” text.

What’s more, if they are buying online, you can send valuable delivery information that consumers can use to estimate the delivery time of their order. For good measure, text when a product is shipped out and when it is expected to be delivered. By doing so, you can keep your customers up to date and ensure their loyalty to your brand.

For customers looking to grow their retail marketing campaigns through SMS, SMS.to serves as a valuable tool. If you are looking for a great SMS marketing platform to get your retail business to the next level, it’s time to see what SMS.to can do for you.

Advancements in mobile technology have made SMS marketing a prime tool for a variety of companies and industries. Fortunately for you, the insurance industry is no exception. In fact, many insurance executives are turning to SMS marketing to provide their customers with a better experience—and thus grow profits.

For this reason, let’s take a look at 5 clever SMS marketing tips for insurance companies and see how they can be used to grow your business.

• Remind Customer of Policy Expiries

Want to be at the forefront of your customers’ minds? Then show them you care. With SMS alerts, you can send automated notifications to customers when their policies are set to expire. This will bring the future expiry date to the forefront of your customers’ minds and make them more likely to resign with your company.

• Include Linkbacks in Messages

Businesses that include linkbacks in their SMS messages can generate heavier traffic to their website. This means that this highly-effective SMS strategy could see a stronger influx of potential customers to your homepage.

With the right links, you can send customers directly to landing pages where they can purchase your goods, read about your policies, or even find out valuable contact information for your business.

Using linkbacks is a great way to get customers involved with your business and with your website. For this reason, make sure to include linkbacks whenever possible in your SMS alerts.

• Advertise Special Offers

Insurance companies can also use SMS notifications to advertise their special offers. If you have any deals, coupons, offers, or exclusives, make sure you let your customers know through SMS alerts. This is a great cost-effective way to market your services and drive more individuals to your business.

By bringing your marketing campaign to your consumers’ phones, you are setting yourself up for higher clicks and greater conversions on those special offers. This means more profit for you and greater loyalty from your consumers.

• Remind Customers of Payment Dates

You can also use SMS alerts to remind customers of upcoming payment dates. Your customers will appreciate the information, especially if you send reminders a few days in advance. This will help you keep your customers’ payments on time and will also ensure that you build stronger brand loyalty with consumers.

The great thing about SMS? It offers amazing flexibility. You can offer daily reminders or simply send a one-time message—it’s really up to you.

• Don’t Spam Your customers

With this in mind, remember that you shouldn’t spam your consumers. While insurance companies can use SMS alerts to their (significant) advantage, it’s important to keep in mind that customers don’t want their phones blown up every few days. Try and keep your SMS alerts to a minimum and only to important notifications and offers.

In doing so, you can keep yourself at the forefront of your consumers’ minds without making them feel overburdened or pressured to buy into your services. It goes without saying overselling your products and services could actually lead customers to opt out of your SMS campaign.

“Your pizza is on its way.”

Chances are, you’ve gotten a text just like this one if you’ve ever ordered pizza. With the advent of SMS messaging, an increasing number of delivery companies have taken advantage of text alerts to keep consumers in the loop with their orders.

How does this work, exactly?

When a customer makes an order, the company immediately send an SMS alert to the customer’s phone. Keeping with the pizza example, this would mean that the company notifies the customer that his order has gone through.

With SMS, consumers receive periodic alerts about the status of their order. Essentially, customers can follow through the stages of their order with SMS alerts designed to keep them involved and up to date. This means that customers can know the estimated delivery time of their orders—making their night more convenient and increasing their reordering intentions.

Basically, SMS alerts make the delivery process more enjoyable for the consumer. With specific updates, time estimates, and friendly interaction, consumers can feel like they are in on the process. This means that delivery companies can increase brand strength and customer loyalty with targeted SMS campaigns.

What’s more, SMS alerts can be used to provide customers with special offers. Bring your marketing straight to a consumer’s phone with exclusive SMS deals. These deals will help grow your business by giving customers a convenient way to order—for cheaper.

SMS.to specializes in bulk SMS alerts and marketing and can give your delivery business the edge it needs to succeed. With our services, you’ll be able to interact with your customers and take a more personal approach to the way you do business.

The results are quite clear. Businesses that make use of bulk SMS services like the ones offered at SMS.to are able to strengthen their brands and attract a wider client base of loyal customers. By giving your customers valuable updates that pertain to their individual orders, you can make your customers feel as if you are speaking directly to them. In other words, SMS services allow you to show your customers how much you care.

Think about it this way: what are you losing by not choosing SMS.to? Simply put, you are missing out on a great opportunity to make your business more convenient and attractive for a wide array of consumers. You are also turning down one of the greatest marketing schemes of our age.

For this reason, businesses should turn to SMS.to to increase their profits and their brand loyalty. By keeping customers updated with their orders and in the loop with special offers and exclusive deals, businesses can take advantage of an audience that’s more willing to buy their services—again and again.

This means that it’s time to check out SMS.to and find out exactly what it can do for you. Simply put, if you are looking to:

• Grow Your Business
• Streamline Customer Service
• Increase Brand Loyalty
• Raise Profits

Investing in SMS.to could be the smartest thing you’ll ever do!

Summer’s just one season out—and with it, a bucketload of fresh, new SMS marketing opportunities.

If you haven’t already, it’s time to get started building an SMS campaign for the summer. By starting early, you can make sure that you get the most out of your summer marketing.

We’ve come up with seven unique ways that you can add a bit of flavor to your summer SMS marketing strategy. Consider these ideas as you look to build your own campaign for this summer.

1. Let Customers Know About Your Hot Deals

Have any summer discounts going on? Make sure that your contacts know about it.

Consider having a countdown to summer or other engaging activity that regularly reminds your contacts of any summer deals you may have. This way, they’ll start to see the start of summer as being synonymous with your deals.

This can boost your brand’s top-of-mind awareness—and its bottom dollar.

For this reason, don’t waste any time in letting your customers know exactly what you’ve got in store.

2. Hold a Sizzling Giveaway

Everyone loves free stuff—and the chance to win it. With a sizzling-hot summer giveaway, you can start to win the attention and the favor of your contacts.

You can increase participation by making sure that you incorporate SMS personalization. By making people feel involved, you can start to mobilize your customer base for better marketing throughout the summer months.

3. Inform Customers of Limited-Availability Opportunities

Caribbean cruises, trips to the beach, tanning out in the warm weather—these are among the many things that we associate with summer.

And they’re things we typically don’t do other times of the year. If your business specializes in providing certain services only in the summer, make sure that your customers are aware of any exclusive opportunities you may offer.

By emphasizing their exclusivity, you can make your products and services more appealing to your contacts—and increase your sales.

4. Host an Event—and Invite People to It

People have more time in the summertime enough to go to any events that you may be hosting.

For this reason, plan a block party, cookout, or some other form of community activity in your local area. Then, be sure to text your contacts to invite them out.

5. Offer and Advertise New Products

If you’ve got anything new hitting your stores in the summer, be sure to let your customers know. By sending personalized SMS informing your contacts of new and upcoming opportunities, you can make them feel as if they stay in the loop. This builds a sense of trust and familiarity and keeps them coming back for more.

6. Have Regular Surveys and Polls

Looking for a way to keep your contacts engaged while receiving valuable feedback? Consider adding surveys and polls to your SMS marketing strategy. These will provide you with the information you need to craft a better campaign, as well as see where your business should head.

7. Offer Special Discounts to the First 100 Customers

Looking to quickly catch the attention of your contacts? Offer a special discount or offer to the first 100 people who reply to your text. You can be sure that you’ll get responses faster than you thought possible!

With Easter just around the bend, it’s time to get creative with your SMS marketing. The holidays provide incredible marketing opportunities for businesses—so make sure that you don’t miss out.

Because Easter is one of the first major holidays of the year, you’ll want to make sure that you have a targeted SMS strategy in place.

Don’t know where to start? Check out these six creative SMS marketing ideas for Easter below!

1. Have a Contest

Perhaps one of the most fun and engaging forms of Easter SMS marketing is holding a contest. In keeping with the spirit of the holiday, you can have your own “text-to-win” contest.

Everyone loves a good egg hunt on Easter. By holding your own contest, you can get into the competitive spirit of the day and effectively market your brand.

You may even consider setting up and advertising your contest weeks in advance. You may have, for instance, different clues related to your brand, with the first person texting the final answer the winner.

How you decide to run your contest, however, will ultimately be up to you.

2. Hold a Promotion

You may instead choose to hold a promotion that allows consumers to take part only if they message a certain number.

For instance, your promotion may read “Text EASTER to 8888 for holiday discounts and savings!” Those taking part in the promotion and responding will then be given discounts on certain goods.

This type of promotion is one of the easiest and most-effective ways to get your contacts involved with your business.

Additionally, you can advertise such a promotion in other forms of media—on the radio, in a newspaper, or even on TV. In this way, your SMS marketing can supplement your overall marketing goals.

3. Advertise Your Seasonal Products

If you’ve got any Easter products, make sure that you’re using your SMS marketing to tell your contacts about them.

This works especially well if you’re using SMS personalization.

For instance, your texts may read something to the effect of:

“John, you could be missing out …

On all the great supplies you need to make your Easter cookout a blast. With up to 15% off select goods, we’ve got what you and your family need to make your big day a success!”

Even better, you could play on the fact that customers won’t have to hunt for their Easter goods by finding them all at your shop. This creative SMS marketing strategy is sure to win over more than a few of your contacts.

4. Let Contacts Know of Limited-Availability Opportunities

Additionally, if you have any limited-availability opportunities—such as an Easter flight to the Bahamas—let your contacts know. People enjoy taking advantage of exclusive opportunities—especially during the holidays.

5. Tell Contacts of Any Events You Sponsor

Even if you don’t have time to host an event, you may be sponsoring one. If so, take the time to allow your contacts to know. Depending on what it is—a community Easter egg hunt, for example—you may even wish to invite people out.

6. Have a Giveaway

Finally, consider holding a giveaway. Allow customers to compete by answering surveys, polls, or through text-to-win strategies. Whatever you decide, your contacts are sure to love the opportunity to win.

By following these SMS strategies, you can boost your Easter marketing campaign.

Mail merge allows businesses to add a new level of personalization into their SMS marketing. With proper use of mail merge, companies can start better connecting with their contacts to see powerful results.

Below, we walk through some of the key aspects of SMS personalization, as well as how you can start using it to further your own marketing strategy.

What is SMS Personalization?

First and foremost, what is SMS personalization? Perhaps the simplest way to describe it is the process by which you incorporate personal details into your bulk SMS messages.

Another way to think about it is that you start individualizing your contacts list. Instead of seeing the data as different numbers, you start thinking of it as different people.

This can have several benefits for you’re the utility of your strategy, as customers tend to respond better to personalized SMS. Remember, no one likes to feel like a cog in the wheel.

With the right use of SMS personalization, you can make sure that your contacts genuinely feel like you care. Additionally, it provides a number of other benefits that can help boost the effectiveness of your SMS marketing campaign.

Let’s take a closer look at how you can start using SMS personalization to boost your business.

How Can You Use SMS Personalization?

How can you use SMS personalization? Fortunately, with products like SMS.to, it’s never been so easy! Below, we break down five of the cleverest ways for you to start incorporating it into your marketing strategy.

1. Notifying Customers

As noted, SMS personalization allows you to add an individualistic touch to your messages. In other words, while you’re still sending them in bulk, you can include individual personal details—such as a name.

This can be a great way to stand out from other SMS and really catch your contacts’ attention. This proves especially useful if you need to remind them about upcoming appointments, or even deals or promotions. By making them feel involved, you’ll keep your customers actually engaged with the SMS you’re sending.

2. Staying Connected

This offers a great way to stay connected. Because you’re increasing the chances that your contacts are actually reading your messages, you can start to reach more people.

This keeps your business connected with the right people. Through the constant use of bulk SMS personalization, you’ll be able to start increasing your brand’s top-of-mind awareness to win over more contacts.

3. Building a Relationship

One of the ways you can do this is by building a relationship with your contacts. Because you’ll be addressing them personally, your contacts will begin to feel as if you care. This will allow you to build a stronger—and more financially-beneficial—relationship.

4. Tie Contacts into Your Brand

Through long-term use, you can start to feel like a part of your contacts’ families. By staying with them wherever they go and becoming a part of their daily lives, you can successfully incorporate them into your brand—or at least make them feel that way.

5. Raise Awareness

Finally, you can use SMS personalization to raise awareness about any projects or issues going on with your business. Let’s say, for example, that you have decided to put together some form of donation or activity to raise awareness for breast cancer month in October. With personalized SMS, you can reach out to your contacts to ask for their support as well, unifying everyone under a common cause.

By using these five SMS personalization strategies, you can add value to your marketing approach.

Is your SMS marketing not providing the results you expected?

Let SMS.to help. SMS.to offers several great benefits that work to upgrade your SMS marketing in no time. This powerful service uses reliable APIs to connect you with hundreds of mobile networks.

Want to learn more about how SMS.to can take your SMS marketing to the next level? Check out the nine great benefits below!

1. Price Beat

SMS.to offers incredible value for the price you pay. Our low cost helps more businesses just like you connect with the people they need.

Even better, with SMS.to, you can start adding much more value to your company in no time!

2. Scheduling

Want to make sure that your customers keep track of their appointments? Whether you work in a doctor’s office or as a loan provider, it can be more than frustrating when your customers don’t show.

It can be costly.

With SMS.to, you can send your customers real-time reminders to make sure they won’t miss any more appointments.

3. Shortlinks

SMS.to shortlinks provide the functionality you need to get more insight into your SMS marketing. Additionally, these attractive links can allow you to keep tabs on your customers’ interests.

4. Promotional Deals

Have a new deal that you’re sure your customers will love? SMS.to will make sure they see it! With our software, you can make sure that your promos reach more of your target audience!

5. Surveys

Do you need a better way to keep your contacts engaged?

SMS.to gives you all the tools you need. By giving you the option to set up surveys, SMS.to gives you the flexibility you need to find out what it is that your customers really want.

By properly incorporating these surveys into your digital marketing, you can start improving your strategy to see real results.

6. Autoresponders

Need a quick and easy way to get people to sign up for your mobile SMS marketing?

SMS.to’s autoresponder-creation capabilities will do the trick. With our autoresponders, you can make signing up and opting-in to your SMS marketing easier than ever before.

These convenient opt-ins allow customers to text a number to sign up for updates and alerts from your business.

7. Tracking

A good SMS marketing strategy is one that allows you to track your progress.

SMS.to provides all the tracking features you need so that you can know just where your SMS marketing stands at all times.

With our tracking, you can find out what works—and what doesn’t—so that you can start crafting a better marketing campaign in no time!

8. Alerts and Notifications

Have something that your contacts just need to see?

SMS.to can make sure that they do.

With our alert and notification options, you can make sure that your customers stay informed. From allowing them to know everything from weekly deals to appointments, these alerts make sure that your customers stay in the loop. They can also be sent to confirm online payments and logins, as well as perform a variety of powerful functions.

9. Polls and Feedback Requests

Finally, SMS.to makes it easy to organize and understand the feedback you get from your contacts. Start taking advantage of our polls and feedback requests to boost your marketing strategy in no time.

2-Way SMS allows businesses to build closer relationships with their contacts than ever before. By properly taking advantage of 2-Way SMS, businesses can increase their top-of-mind awareness by taking their message straight to consumers’ phones.

If you’re looking for a powerful new avenue that will connect you to your customers, consider how 2-Way SMS may be right for you.

Below, we’ve put together three of the most important ways that 2-Way SMS can benefit a business: through the creation of surveys, autoresponders, and campaigns. We’ll look at each one in depth so that you can decide how to best incorporate this functionality into your own SMS campaigns.

What Is 2-Way SMS?

First, let’s start with a brief recap of 2-Way SMS. This form of SMS differs from A2P (Application-to-Person) communication in that it allows for consumers to respond to automated messages.

As you may have already noticed, this provides a number of benefits to businesses employing 2-Way SMS. Notably, because it gives your contacts the ability to provide instant feedback, 2-Way SMS can offer a sense of community and trust between your business and its customers.

With this in mind, let’s take a closer look at the game-changing benefits offered by 2-Way SMS.

1. They Allow Businesses to Create Surveys

What better way to keep your customers engaged or get feedback than by creating surveys? From helping chip companies develop their next flavors to getting real feedback about customer experiences, surveys allow businesses to perform a wide range of services.

When used correctly, these surveys can help improve a business’s SMS marketing campaign. So what might these surveys look like?

With SMS.to, you can prepare the survey from our software and have it hit the phones of all your contacts. Let’s say that you own a local pizza restaurant, for instance, and you survey your contacts about which special to run for the upcoming weekend. Your contacts could then message you back from their phones—giving you access to the critical information you need.

As you can expect, your survey questions can range in seriousness. Used wisely, they can provide both the short-term and the long-term critical insight you need to get started growing your business.

2. They Let Businesses Establish Autoresponders

Autoresponders are particularly useful for businesses that attract large crowds—such as bars or restaurants. This is because autoresponders allow individuals to opt-in to your SMS marketing campaign by texting a number. When doing so, they give their consent to join your contact list.

How might businesses use these? Again, let’s look at our pizza restaurant example. You may announce to your customers that they can text the word “PIZZA” to a certain number to sign up for alerts, updates, and more. Or, you may choose to add this to your receipt.

Customers who accept the offer will automatically be part of your SMS campaign.

3. They Give Businesses the Opportunity to Start a Campaign

Finally, these SMS services give businesses the flexibility they need to start a true SMS campaign. With this campaign in place, you can be sure that you will be able to send updates and notifications to your customers—no matter where they are.

These powerful benefits can strengthen any business’s marketing campaigns.

SMS and CPaaS have changed the way businesses communicate with their customers. However, as technology continually develops, businesses can expect that these technologies will continue to evolve as well.

Because of this, it’s important that businesses stay abreast of technological changes. By understanding the future of SMS and CPaaS, business owners can better prepare for a game-changing technology—and get a competitive advantage in their markets.

Below, we’ll look at some of the most important predictions for the future of SMS and CPaaS.

1. Voice Recognition Will Be Increasingly Incorporated into SMS

With the rapid development of artificial intelligence and voice recognition software, the future of SMS looks to be much different than today.

Experts predict that it won’t be long before advanced voice recognition software and AI makes it possible to conveniently send voice-powered SMS. Once this is done, businesses will have more flexibility than ever to up their SMS marketing campaigns.

2. SMS Will Become Even More Business Friendly

But that’s not the only way that SMS will become better for businesses. Studies predict that more and more businesses will begin to take advantage of the growing benefits of SMS marketing.

Because of this, it’s important for businesses to get an early start in the field. By taking advantage of bulk SMS before your competitors, you can get an edge up in your local niche. As digital marketing campaigns of the future increasingly incorporate SMS, it’s important not to get left behind when it does.

3. Costs of SMS Will Go Down

As SMS technology becomes more advanced, the cost of using it will go down. Overall, this will increase the value of SMS services for businesses.

So what does this mean for you?

By starting an SMS marketing strategy, you may even experience a decrease in marketing costs for the same or even better results over time!

However, it also underscores the importance of starting your SMS marketing campaign early. As prices fall, more and more competitors will start to take advantage of the powerful benefits of SMS. For this reason, businesses that start early can capitalize on a growing market trend.

4. Cloud Technology Will Be More Important in CPaaS

Finally, CPaaS systems themselves look to change over the course of the next decade. Businesses across the globe have already begun to feel the effects of cloud-based technology—and as this begins to expand, businesses will have to start shifting more of their practices in that direction.

The growth of cloud-based technology remains among one of the most important tech trends for businesses to consider according to the Future Today Institute’s 2019 Tech Trends Report.

The Bottom Line

For businesses, it’s important to anticipate and prepare for the upcoming changes in both SMS and CPaaS. By having a concrete plan in place—and by starting an SMS campaign early—businesses can create a lasting advantage in the marketplace.

By keeping the above information in mind, you can start taking advantage of these benefits for your business.

Running an SMS marketing strategy can have several benefits for your business … but only if you do it the right way.

As of now, there are several regulations on the books that govern the way companies must handle their SMS marketing strategies.

Below, we’ll take a look at the information you need to know about SMS marketing compliance.

What Do You Need to Know About SMS Marketing Compliance?

First and foremost, it’s important to remember that businesses must request and receive consent before adding any consumers to their SMS marketing campaigns.

You cannot start messaging customers without their consent—even if you have their number. It’s for this reason, that you’ll find that companies often have options to fill in mobile numbers with consent forms on their online websites. You may even find these on paper signup forms.

If customers don’t agree to be part of your SMS marketing strategy, you should not message them under any circumstances.

These rules provide the basic groundwork for SMS marketing. But there are other important regulations of which you should be aware in order to run your campaign legally.

What Are Optout Shortlinks?

We’ve seen the importance of asking customers for their consent before messaging them.

But that’s only half the story.

Did you know that businesses must also provide consumers with an option to optout of SMS marketing campaigns? There are several ways that businesses can do this.

First, SMS services must be able to respond to the word “STOP.” Customers who text this back should instantly witness a cessation of new marketing texts.

However, many customers will text other responses, meaning that businesses must constantly scan and look to see if customers are asking to optout.

One way to streamline this process for your clients is by providing optout shortlinks. These shortlinks are condensed URLs that will allow them to quickly optout of your SMS campaign.

Importantly, you’ll notice that once your customers optout, they must receive a confirmation message.

Why Are They Necessary?

As noted, existing regulations require the consent of individuals in order to be part of any SMS marketing campaign. Because of this, they must also have the ability to recant their consent whenever they choose.

Without email optout links, businesses infringe on the rights of their consumers to stop receiving SMS. This does not bode well under existing regulations and could put businesses in legal trouble.

How Does This Fit with GDPR and Other Compliance Regulations?

The GDPR, known fully as the General Data Protection Regulation, was passed by the European Union and provides an updated regulation in regard to how companies must store consumer data.

Importantly, the GDPR makes it mandatory that businesses delete the information of any EU citizen who requests it. Keep in mind, however, because stored data isn’t generally separated by the nationality of users, most businesses apply these regulations to customers no matter where they’re from.

Under these regulations, you may be required to delete the data of anyone who has opted out of your SMS campaign.

Keep this information in mind as you look to run a successful SMS strategy.

If you run a small-to-medium-sized business (SME), you know how difficult marketing can be. Budget constraints often mean that you need to find the marketing approach that brings the most value to your business—at the lowest cost possible.

Fortunately, new bulk SMS services such as SMS.to allow SMEs to start cutting costs while enjoying several perks. Below, we’ll take a look at seven of the most important reasons why every SME should be using a bulk SMS service.

1. It’s Fast

Why use an SMS service?

Because they’re fast.

SMS.to allows businesses to get in touch with several of their customers with the click of a button. These messages will appear in their mobile inboxes—making them convenient to access.

2. It’s Reliable

SMS remains the most-effective marketing strategy for SMEs because it offers real results. Unlike other digital marketing methods—such as email marketing—SMS marketing reaches the majority of targeted consumers.

In fact, some studies estimate that over 90% of people will read their SMS—including ones used for marketing. This makes SMS marketing a much more reliable alternative than sending junk emails to a person’s inbox.

Even better, most people will read their SMS within a period of four minutes—meaning that you can reliably reach your clients in a matter of minutes.

3. It’s Inexpensive

Compared to other forms of advertising, SMS marketing proves to be quite inexpensive. With services like SMS.to, businesses can start reaching their marketing goals while staying on budget.

Because businesses can reach a number of customers in a matter of minutes, SMS marketing can grow a company’s reach in no time.

4. It Builds a Connection

Another powerful benefit of SMS marketing is that it allows businesses to develop a more “personal” relationship with consumers. Because SMS marketing actually reaches consumers—and because messages are typically read—businesses can start building better top-of-mind-awareness in their markets.

5. It’s Mobile-Friendly

Let’s face it: most people are always on their phones. SMS.to takes advantage of this by sending your message to a place where your customers are sure to read it.

By being mobile friendly, SMS marketing provides greater convenience for both businesses and consumers.

6. It Allows for Greater Insight

Even better, with the right SMS service, you can start to see insight into your marketing strategy. You’ll be able to see which SMS received the most clicks, allowing you to tailor your strategy to your audience.

This allows for more-successful marketing that can start boosting your business’s bottom dollar.

7. It Provides a Targeted Audience

Finally, keep in mind that SMS marketing is a form of opt-in marketing. This means that consumers receiving your texts have already expressed their interest in hearing from you.

What does this mean?

It means that they are more likely to read and respond to your messages. With this in mind, you’ll be able to help build a loyal base while strengthening your brand’s image and reputation.

For these reasons, investing in an SMS marketing service, such as SMS.to, gives businesses greater flexibility over their marketing strategy by producing real results.

If your business isn’t using bulk SMS, you’re missing out. This simple messaging system proves to be one of the most effective digital marketing methods for businesses of all types.

Businesses looking to harness the powerful benefits of using bulk SMS should be aware of certain laws. Below, we’ll take a look at two of the major benefits of bulk SMS for businesses. Additionally, we’ll look at how regulations such as the GDPR affect how businesses manage customer data.

Benefits of Bulk SMS

Bulk SMS offers a variety of benefits for businesses of nearly every size. As you consider bulk SMS services for your business, keep the following information in mind.

• 98% of Customers Read Their Texts

Why is bulk SMS effective?

Perhaps because it’s one of the most guaranteed ways to stay in touch with your customers. Studies indicate that the majority of people read their text messages—even ones used for marketing purposes.

In fact, with up to 98% of individuals reading their SMS, you can be sure that your promotional content is reaching a greater number of customers. This makes it one of the most effective marketing strategies for businesses across a variety of different industries.

But that’s not all that bulk SMS has to offer.

• SMS Is Extremely Quick

Another factor that makes SMS so effective is the fact that most messages can be read quickly. In fact, up to 94% of SMS can be read within four minutes—making customers much more likely to read your content.

This gives bulk SMS a leg up on other forms of digital marketing.

Regulations to Consider

In order to partake in SMS marketing, businesses must meet a number of important regulations. Keep the following in mind as you develop your own SMS marketing strategy.

• SMS Is Considered Opt-In Marketing

In order to establish an SMS marketing campaign, you’ll need to first get consent from your customers. Generally, opt-in forms are added to sign up pages, where users have the opportunity to opt-in for optional texts and other communication.

While there’s no guarantee that all customers will opt-in, as noted, the ones who do generally prove very responsive.

• You’ll Need to Follow GDPR Guidelines

The General Data Protection Regulation passed by the European Union places strict regulations on how companies use and protect customer data.

Implemented in May of 2018, the GDPR fundamentally changed regulations regarding the processing of consumer data. Businesses based in the EU or dealing with the personal information of citizens in the EU must comply with these new regulations.

Importantly, these new laws stipulate that businesses cannot obtain third-party information about customers. Instead, all information obtained must be done with the consent of the involved party. Additionally, if a consumer requests, all data that companies have must be deleted.

Because businesses risk facing hefty fines for mishandling information—and because global user data is not generally sorted by region—many companies have found it easier to apply these regulations across the board.

In doing so, you can help ensure that your SMS marketing strategy is done by the books.

Mobile Phones and Current Trends in Marketing

In today’s fast-paced world of instant communication, the trends are obvious; everyone has a mobile phone. Mobile phones are not simply used for communication, as first envisioned, but used to do just about every daily task you can imagine. Pay bills, watch a movie, play a game; and most importantly for your business: make purchases.  Social networking was originally designed to allow users to connect with friends and family with pictures, videos, and others.  However, many business owners also saw this growing connectivity trend as an opportunity to effectively advance their marketing campaigns.  It is this connectivity and high-speed communication that can allow a business to reach consumers and get rapid feedback. Near real-time tracking of demographic data to identify what is working best to continuously improve their marketing.

Put simply, bulk SMS marketing is the most effective method to reach new and existing customers.  It is the most cost-efficient way to communicate all the great things your business has to offer. If you are not in step with this trend, you will see your business trailing the competition very soon.

What Exactly is SMS and Why SMS Marketing?

SMS (short message service) is the text messaging service element used in mobile phones and internet browsers. Short text messages are sent via standardized communication protocols and allow the connectivity over communication networks that phone companies and internet service companies provide. SMS marketing is simply leveraging this messaging capability to reach your customer base quickly, and build a database of essential customer information.

Most SMS marketing campaigns start with a promotion to reach new customers. For example; your car wash business decides to offer a free car wash on weekdays.  You can bulk send to a list of mobile phone numbers an offer to text 12345, or some similar shortcode to FREE_WASH. Then send those that respond with the details on the weekday offer.  Often consumers will forward great deals to their social network. Given the ease of mobile communication these days and the whole social network trend discussed above, word travels very fast. The networking concept here is that “word of mouth”, advertising can travel at light speed with today’s mobile and internet capabilities. Your business needs to continue to leverage this capability to stay competitive.

Over time, the messaging and feedback can allow your business to build a database of customers, and sales trends. Which customers responded? Which days were the free wash most often used? How many new customers, were added as a result of networking, or those that were contacted by their friends.

Is Bulk SMS Marketing Really Effective?

Bulk SMS is simply sending your company’s message and marketing offers to many existing and potential customers in a single batch delivery. It is highly effective in terms of cost.  SMS marketing is currently, the least expensive method to target a list of potential clients. Along with customer feedback and demographic tracking that is an essential component of your SMS marketing campaign.  If you want to expand your customer base and keep advertising expenditures in check, bulk SMS marketing is a must. Your customized messages go out; and even, in the event, your customers are driving with their phones off, as soon as their phone is turned back on, your message is delivered.

A key to the overall effectiveness of SMS bulk Marketing is that you do not need any specialized skill to get your SMS marketing campaign going. You do need to obtain some web-based software to help organize, send and track your messaging, but again this type of service is relatively inexpensive and easy to initiate your SMS delivery process.  An SMS marketing campaign is a great way to let your customers know about new products, specialized services and unique offers that your company may have coming their way. SMS bulk Marketing is a highly effective way to stay in touch with your customer base, thereby increasing both sales and customer loyalty.

How to Get Started on the Initial Bulk List

To get started the first step is to define the basic data set your business needs to build your customer database. For our car wash example, the business may want to track the following:

1. Customer Mobile Number
2. Customer Email Address
3. Customer Name: LNAME, F_NAME
4. Address/Zip Code
5. Last Date of Car Wash
6. Service Code: wash, wash and wax, super wash, custom clean
7. Car Make/Model

With this data definition, the next step is to start collecting. Easier said then done, but there are likely ways your business is already gathering this information with existing customers or could start as a point of sales or deliveries are completed. This is also a process where getting help from an established SMS marketing firm with a robust tech platform can really help.  SMS.to is an excellent SMS support platform that can really help grow your business.

SMS.TO Mission

The SMS.to mission is to . SMS.to offers a smarter way for a business to communicate with customers to include full support to Bulk SMS marketing. So far in this article, we have only covered SMS platforms, but SMS.to can extend the bulk SMS concept to WhatsAPP and Viber as well.  The SMS.to offers the robust platform components (OmniMessaging & SMS API Gateway) that can integrate your company’s messaging and really start connecting with your customer base.

In today’s fast paced world of instant communication, your business must get better connected to new and potential customers. Your business can jump start its bulk SMS marketing campaign with the help of an experienced SMS marketing tech solution firm: SMS.to  Your company defines the message and data requirements and SMS.to integrates your workflow into the robust gateways that can effectively reach your target market segment.

Bulk SMS It is the most cost-efficient way to communicate all the great things your business has to offer and SMS.to mission is to simplify the process and help your company gain marketing share quickly.

When you run a small business one of the most important things that you need to think about is marketing. After all, you are going to want to try and secure as many clients and customers as possible.

The thing about marketing is that it comes in a variety of forms and it can be hard to know which approach is the right one to take. One that is often forgotten is SMS marketing. But why should SMS  marketing be something that you try out and how can it work for you?

The power of SMS marketing

It is no secret that many of us rely on our smartphones on a day to day basis. We don’t go anywhere without them and, during a quiet moment, we will be sat looking at them. This means that SMS marketing is a great way to reach your target audience, appealing to them and making sure that they know who you are and what you can do for them.

How to get SMS marketing right

Want to make sure that SMS works for you? Here are some of the things that you need to do in order to make sure that SMS marketing works for you.

Know who you are talking to

The first thing that you need to do when it comes to SMS marketing is knowing your customer. Think about who you are trying to appeal to and what they are going to want and need. Once you know who you are talking to, then you can make sure that you send out the right messages, to the right people.

Make sure your messages are clear

In a text message, you are limited to as little as 160 characters. Which means that you need to get to the point and quickly. You also need to make sure that your message is clear, despite being brief. This means you should always write them in plain English, avoiding the use of abbreviations if you can.

Add in a call to action

A call to action is when you tell your customer what they need to do next and they are known to really increase engagement, particularly in SMS marketing texts. There are a variety of calls to action within text messages that you can use. You can add in “Show This Text” where they can take the text into your store in order to gain a discount or “Click Here” which points them to a website whereby they can find out more info.

Always get your timing right

The thing to remember about SMS marketing is that it is immediate. Within 3 minutes of being received, the message is likely to be opened and read. Due to their immediate nature, it is best to send a marketing text just before your customers can use it. That way they won’t forget about it. It is also good to try and avoid late nights and early mornings when sending texts as they are likely to be ignored.

SMS marketing is an incredibly powerful tool for your small business to use, so, if you want to harness the power, why not try it out for yourself? With a little help, you can make sure that SMS works for you.

Despite living in an increasingly modern world, people often forget the most basic tools when they design solutions to problems. Because we focus so intensely on innovation and growth, we neglect an easy answer even when it is sitting right in front of us.

In the world of sudden accidents and instability, the need for a warning system and a communication system that is less likely to fail is vital. The SMS method is just one way in which you can keep everyone connected during a crisis, and we’ll be examining it here and now.

AlertSMS – Your Friend in Crisis?

Getting the best communication package together is tricky, and there’s no doubt about that. With all of the different options and choices that are out there for communicating with customers and clients, finding a reliable method isn’t easy.

The SMS option is one of the most common options available and indeed one of the most fundamental methods of communication in the modern age. A bulk messaging service can make all the difference when it comes to trying to get the absolute most from a set of goods or services, and we want to make sure that you get an experience you can count on.

How It Works

So, let’s take a look at how the process would work and what it might mean for you from the perspective of a company. Let’s say that there was going to be a natural disaster taking place. An earthquake or some main gas problem can quickly spread from one place to the next and devastate a company. It’s so crucial to, therefore, warn people all at once, because that way you can minimize the damages done to life and property.

That’s where a bulk SMS API system can come in handy because it really can make all the difference when you’re trying to communicate succinctly with many people. Everyone gets the same message at the same time, and there’s no confusion about what’s happening.

When everyone is aware of what’s going on, and they are taking steps to try and prevent a problem from happening, it becomes easy for people to make the correct steps to keep themselves and others safe in an emergency. You can evacuate an area, make sure to prep for oncoming shockwaves, or whatever problem you’re about to face.

Overall, these are just a few of the different things that you’re going to want to consider when it comes to trying to debate getting a bulk SMS system. There is no doubt that you can get so much use from them, even if it’s just passing general messages onto employees and making sure that business partners are kept up to date with what’s going on. Because there’s so much that you need to think about, you should make sure that you’re at least getting this small thing sorted and fixed. It is just one less thing to think about it, and it can make all the difference.

SMS, WhatsApp, and other text-based instant communication systems have become the universal way to reach customers, regardless of the industry you’re in.

Did you know that there is a 40% higher conversion rate for customers who receive an SMS? Or that 98% of SMS messages are opened within three minutes after they’re received?

The figures are powerful and show just why bulk SMS is the must-have tool for any business to achieve real ROI from their marketing. Here are some ideas about how you could use bulk SMS to secure the same results.

Remember to K.I.S.S

 No, we’re not suggesting you add terms of endearment to your bulk SMS – but do remember to K.I.S.S: Keep It Short and Sweet.

The whole point of SMS is that you can convey an instant message; the last thing your customer wants to see is a huge block of text. Condense what you want to say into the shortest possible text and your marketing campaign will be fair more effective than long, flowery sentences.

Get the timing right

Not everyone is a lark or a night owl so if you get carried away and forget about the time of day, you could end up with more complaints than commissions! Sending SMS messages early in the day or late at night is a cardinal sin that your customer won’t forget.

There’s lots of research about the right day and time to send a text message, but lots will depend upon the content you’re including. However, as a rough rule of thumb, if you avoid the rush hours and Mondays and aim for lunchtime, Friday afternoons and weekends, you should get a good return.

Shorten those links!

 If you are directing your customer with a link, make sure you don’t inadvertently include a long and unwieldy URL. It looks awful over SMS and can be a real deterrent for your customer to click, spoiling all your hard marketing work.

There are lots of different providers who you can use to shorten your URL so there’s no excuse. It looks far more professional and will be far more inviting for your customer to click.

Never send the same message twice

There may be times when you want to send more than one SMS for a campaign, but simply re-sending the same message would be marketing suicide.

Although you’re using a bulk SMS service, you still want your customer to feel individual and valued. A repeat SMS with the same content will make your messages feel more like unwanted spam than a personalized connection.

It’s more than possible to promote the same campaign but with different wording so have variations ready for when you want to send out those reminders.

Make it meaningful

This may sound obvious but it’s essential to only contact your customers when you really do have something to say. Make sure your message is clear and succinct and that your customer can easily see the reason you’re getting in touch.

If you bombard your customer with too many messages or the reason isn’t clear, your carefully worded SMS will be disregarded as spam and it could even affect the reception of future SMS communication too. 

For more top tips on bulk SMS and how to make your marketing meaningful with real ROI, get in touch with us today to find out how we could help.

Retail businesses have started to feel the impacts of technologies on their business models in recent years. Embracing technologies and augmenting current customer relationships and marketing efforts become more important as young and tech-savvy customers start increasing their purchasing power.

This particular clients’ behavior requires most businesses to convey messages all across many different channels as clients wanted to be informed about their favorite special deals and store and also offers made available to them through their medium of choices.

The following are campaign ideas that retail business owners can follow:

1. Customer Returns, Refund Offers, and More 

You can make use of SMS marketing in communicating with clients regarding refunds, repairs and product returns. These kinds of situations can result in massive amounts of customer frustration and satisfaction. However, with SMS marketing, you can keep your clients informed and can also manage their expectations.

2. SMS Marketing Linked to Email Marketing

Your SMS marketing strategies can be linked to your email marketing. Your retail business can send out SMS to clients and remind them about your retail business’s email newsletters.

3. Limited Time Offers 

Combining real-time messaging with limited-time offers are proven an excellent way of increasing urgency and business sales. This also adds a personal touch that makes clients feel more special that they can score the best offers and deals.

4. The Two-Way System 

SMS can provide you with a two-way system making it convenient for clients to opt for market programs and purchase services and products.

5. Loyalty Programs 

Setting up SMS loyalty programs allow your customers and members to get exclusive offers and then text them regarding new products to be released or give your customers the first options on pre-orders. This will surely entice customers and will keep them coming back.

6. Sale and Special Offers

You can make use of SMS in driving special offers and sales offered by your retail store particularly when it is aimed at a shorter period. Offers must include a compelling call to action and one message such as a particular brand or item. SMS marketing is essentially proven to get greater responses when offers are time sensitive where an average response to SMS retail promotions five times higher than the online advertising.

7. Coupons Via SMS

 This is a great strategy to connect clients with your target marketing messages and make sure that these are being read. With SMS, you can also include rich media to promote your products to the entire customer base.

As you can see, the retail business and SMS is the perfect match. If you can incorporate the SMS mentioned above campaign idea the proper and strategic way, can create a product or brand awareness, boost sales and enhance customer retention and can turn a profit to both big and small retail business. With the help of these ideas, you can now have the confidence that your message can reach your audience. Overall, the implementation of these abovementioned SMS campaign ideas for a retail business can benefit your retail business in many ways.

In the world of marketing, opportunities for innovation and creativity are endless and oftentimes some of the simplest communication methods are oftentimes overlooked and underrated. Which communication method am I referring to? The humble SMS of course. Let’s face it; the majority of your potential and existing customers for your business most likely own a smartphone. With a ratio of four mobile devices to every computer and smartphone users increasing daily, it is abundantly clear where customers spend a lot of their time during their day and one of the core principles of effective marketing is to go where your customers are, even if that means reaching them on their phones through SMS.

The key to getting your product or service in front of potential and existing customers is visibility, preferably wherever your customers are and what better way to achieve that by making use of a piece of technology that almost every single one of us has at arms reach; the smartphone! Mobile marketing is not something of the future, it is here now and you’d be missing out if you’re not capitalizing on this tried, a tested and reliable marketing method that has been around for over 20 years! Incorporating SMS marketing into your business practice will ensure your business is up to date with market trends as more and more businesses are starting to see the benefits of being mobile-friendly.

Below, I’ve listed six reasons why you should start using SMS marketing, not tomorrow, not next week, not next month, but today!

1. Immediacy

With SMS marketing, there is no need for campaigns to be printed out or for designs to be created, saving you valuable and precious time. Simply decide what your message will be and then send a bulk SMS to your customers which will take no longer than sending an SMS text on your own phone. The absolute bonus is the fact that 90% of SMS text messages are read within 3 minutes of being received which means you could see results immediately!

2. No Need to Reinvent the Wheel

The fact is, customers simply love using SMS texting due to its ease of use, accessibility, and simplicity which will allow you to bank on their familiarity with this communication medium, which is being used daily, worldwide after all. Since most people send and receive text messages all the time, the open rate of SMS marketing (the rate at which your targeted customers actually open up the text message) is a whopping 98%. In terms of reading rate, SMS marketing is way ahead of any other communication method around. So instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, why
not use what already works?

3. Direct Laser-Targeted Marketing

Consider this. What is one of the things most people absolutely cannot leave the house without? Yup, that’s right, you guessed it; their mobile phones! In fact, it is probably within arms-reach 24/7. Apart from meeting a customer in person or calling them over the phone, making use of SMS marketing is one of the most direct ways of communicating your message whilst ensuring your message is literally delivered straight into the right hands, at exactly the right time. How more laser-targeted can your marketing get than that?

4. Straight to the Point

In a world oversaturated with unread emails, overlooked advertisements and pamphlets and junk-mail simply thrown away, it’s easy to see that we suffer from an information overload while at the same time, trying to cope with our busy lives and demanding schedules. In contrast to the abovementioned communications media, SMS messages are the exact opposite. They are small and simple and don’t demand too much time and attention. They get the message across instantly and are more straight to the point. Think about it this way. How many SMS messages do you receive that you don’t open and read?

5. SMS Marketing is Budget Friendly

Regardless of your budget shape and size, SMS campaigns, in general, are highly affordable and you’ll also see a healthy return on your investment in SMS marketing. At just a few cents per message, you can have a highly targeted campaign without putting a dent in your pocket. Here at  sms.to, we offer the lowest and cheapest SMS rates and costs worldwide!

6. Intelligent Tracking

When it comes to detailed reports and tracking data, most service providers offer simple delivery reporting to check if your messages have been sent successfully. Here at sms.to we offer more intelligent tracking and not only tell you when your messages have been sent successfully but also provide you with details on how many people opened your message and exactly when across many campaigns, including detailed reports. We also provide several functionalities to meet your very specific, and crucial needs such as a feature called the ‘SMS Log & Scheduler’, where you can access & manage your SMS delivery reports in real-time, ensuring you get the most out of your campaigns!

SMS marketing truly is an efficient and cost-effective way to improve your sales and conversions and overall communication with your customers in large numbers. As technology grows and adapts, so does our marketing efforts and strategies and SMS marketing should definitely be included in your marketing arsenal. It is quick, simple, accessible and very straight to the point and your potential and existing clients will appreciate that! So what are you waiting for? Head on over to SMS.to and get started today!