As a leading SMS service provider, we at MessageWhiz frequently receive questions through our contact form about all areas of text message marketing. We thought it would be helpful to put together a few frequently asked questions, so our readers can easily find the information they need relating to text marketing services.

If you have a question you’d like answered, head over to our contact form and drop us a note. We’ll answer as soon as we can.

Is Text Marketing Effective

Like every other marketing tool, text messaging can be a powerful instrument to reach customers for small business, medium sized business, and enterprises. However, it needs to be done correctly for users to get the results they expect.

For starters, you’ll want to use an opt-in list of recipients (For more on building a list, see Growing Your Phone List) Sending out messages to people who haven’t requested may be illegal, and can get you reported to phone carriers as a spammer. If there are enough complaints you will find your messages blocked.

Once you have your phone list in place, work on your message. You should begin by A/B testing different messages, to see which marketing messages are most effective and get high click-through rates and conversions.

You’ll find that when done right, SMS delivers a high return on your investment, and is a highly effective marketing tool. At MessageWhiz, our customers have access to dedicated account managers who can guide them in crafting effective SMS marketing campaigns with our results oriented SMS marketing software.

What is SMS Marketing Software?

When people talk about SMS marketing software, they are usually referring to your service provider’s messaging platform. Most SMS service providers have software that its users log into. Once logged in, users can upload and manage their phone lists, design automated messages that are sent out when certain conditions are met, create message templates, and add customizations such as a recipient’s name.

Users can use the software to write their messages, choose their recipients, get a price estimate, preview their message, and send their messages to their recipients.

Most SMS marketing software will also include a reporting tool, where users can have insight into key analytics like open rates, click through rates, and cost per message.

Is Text Message Marketing Legal?

Every country has different laws and regulations regarding text messages. The first rule to understand about text message marketing legality is that if your recipients opted in to your messages, it is legal to send them text messages.

In the United States, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) prohibits sending messages to consumers without their consent. Three ways to grow your list and maintain a record of your recipient’s subscription request is having them text a keyword to join a list, have customers fill out a paper form, or have customers fill out an online form.

Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) functions similarly to the TCPA in the USA.

The European Union laws follow their General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). While GDPR covers a number of areas and can have costly consequences for companies that are not compliant, businesses that follow these seven rules can send  marketing messages to their customers:

1. Obtain consent
2. Report any security breaches to customers within 72 hours
3. Provide customers with access to their personal data
4. Provide customers with the right to reuse their data outside the business
5. Provide customers with the right to delete their data completely
6. Deploy appropriate security measures to safeguard data collection
7. Have the capability to appoint a data protection office, if needed

In the United Kingdom, laws generally align with that of the EU, through their Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) and Data Protection Act.

If you want to make sure you are above board in every country, you can safely send out messages if you receive written consent and confirm the recipient’s opt-in.

Is SMS Marketing Digital Marketing?

SMS marketing is one tool that digital marketers use to reach their customers. Digital marketing essentially is any marketing effort that uses an electronic device or the internet. This includes search engines, ads, social media posts, and blogs.

Among the key traits of digital marketing tools is that they are highly targetable. Unlike a newspaper ad or billboard which may be seen by thousands of people who are outside the target market, digital marketing assets are directed at specific groups or specific people. It could be based on demographics, such as age, gender, or geography, or can be targeted at specific people through a social account or phone number.

Additionally, digital marketing tools are measurable. Marketers have visibility into the number of people who saw an asset, how many people clicked on those assets, and the number of those people who converted. The data helps them optimize their marketing campaigns and see where they got value.

SMS marketing ticks all the boxes of effective digital marketing tools. It is highly targetable, as you can use it to send messages directly to people on your contact list. It is also easily measurable, as you can track sent messages, open rates, click through rates and conversions.

How much does text marketing cost?

Text messaging is not very expensive per message. MessageWhiz lists our prices on site, and you’ll pay less than a penny per message to the United States, and just under four cents a message in the UK. Prices differ by country, and usually there are volume discounts available if you send out enough messages.

Some companies offer additional pricing models. As you’ll see on the MessageWhiz price page, they offer performance-based pricing, where you pay little to nothing for messages unless your campaigns reach your targets.

Got any more marketing text questions?

If you have any questions about using SMS for your next marketing campaign, visit our contact us page and let us know. We would be happy to answer any questions that you have, and offer you guidance for your next SMS marketing campaign. Until then, have a great day!