5 Best SMS Software for Business Text Messaging in 2024

SMS marketing is a fast, direct way to reach your audience and get your message noticed amid an overloaded inbox. While an email might sit unread, a text message tends to be opened almost immediately.

With the right SMS software, you can send messages tailored to customer behaviors, preferences, and even special dates like birthdays. Direct engagement with your audience boosts loyalty and increases sales potential.

In this article, we will explore SMS marketing’s advantages and how it complements your existing digital strategies. We will also list the best SMS software options and discuss strategies for maximizing the impact of your business messages.

Why Business Should Use SMS Marketing Service

SMS marketing is a powerful tool for businesses. It offers a direct and personal way to reach customers directly on their mobile devices—a place most check frequently. 

SMS is not only used for promotions; now, it can also improve customer service, simplify scheduling, and boost engagement.

Improved Customer Engagement

Businesses should use SMS marketing services to achieve high customer engagement. Text messages have a high open rate, often reaching over 98%. This means that your target audience will see almost every message you send.

Higher Open and Response Rates

Text messages are much more likely to be opened and responded to than emails. Emails can often get lost in crowded inboxes or be marked as spam. However, text messages are typically read within minutes of being received. This immediacy can be crucial for time-sensitive promotions or important updates.

Instant Communication

SMS marketing allows for instant communication with your customers. Whether you send out appointment reminders or promotional SMS, your message will be read almost immediately. This can be particularly useful for businesses that need to get information out quickly.

Cost-Effectiveness

Using SMS software for business is also a cost-effective marketing solution. SMS marketing cost per message is relatively low. Moreover, the return on investment can be impactful because it has high open and response rates. It’s an attractive option for businesses of all sizes.

Better Customer Service and Support

SMS can also be used to improve customer service and support. Providing a direct line of communication allows businesses to quickly address customer inquiries and resolve issues. It can lead to higher customer satisfaction and loyalty.

What Should You Look for in an SMS Marketing Solution?

SMS software for business equips companies with tools designed to improve direct customer communication. Here are some of the essential features that make SMS software invaluable for businesses:

Mass Texting Capabilities

One of the primary features of SMS software is the ability to send messages to a large group of recipients at once. 

This is particularly useful for businesses running marketing campaigns, sending promotions, or delivering important updates.

Automated Responses

SMS software often includes automation capabilities so businesses can automatically respond to common inquiries for immediate feedback outside business hours. 

For example, an automated response might automatically respond to a prospect with product information or confirm receipt of a customer’s question about business hours, what to bring to an appointment, or expected response times.

Integration with CRM Systems

Integration with customer relationship management (CRM) systems is another crucial feature. It allows businesses to sync their customer data across platforms to ensure messages are sent to the right people at the right time.

Integration can also help track customer interactions and improve the overall customer experience.

Personalization Options

Personalization is key to effective communication. SMS software allows businesses to customize messages based on customer data, such as name, purchase history, or location. 

It might also include the company and local manager’s name so that the message feels like it was sent one-to-one from that manager.

This makes the messages more relevant and engaging for the recipients.

Analytics and Reporting Tools

Understanding the performance of your SMS campaigns is vital. 

Many SMS software solutions provide detailed analytics and reporting tools so businesses can track open, click-through, and conversion rates.

Compliance with Regulations

Compliance with TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act) regulations is essential for any SMS marketing business. 

SMS software helps businesses adhere to these regulations by managing consent and providing opt-out options for recipients.

Common Use Cases of SMS Software

SMS software can be used in various ways to enhance business operations. Here are some common use cases:

Marketing Campaigns

SMS marketing campaigns can include promotional offers, discounts, and special events. For example, a retail store might send a text message with a limited-time discount code to encourage customers to visit their store or website.

Appointment Reminders

Healthcare providers, salons, and other appointment-based businesses can send automated reminders to clients and even provide links to speed up the check-in process. This helps ensure that appointments are kept, reduces the likelihood of missed appointments, and ensures that they run smoothly.

Order Confirmations and Updates

E-commerce businesses can use SMS to send customers order confirmations and shipping updates. This keeps customers informed about the status of their orders and improves the overall customer experience.

Event Notifications

Organizations can use SMS to notify attendees about upcoming events, schedule changes, or important announcements. This ensures that participants are well-informed and engaged.

Build vs. Buy: Which SMS Solution is Right for Your Business?

Building a custom SMS marketing solution offers complete customization and control over features, integrations, and scalability. However, it requires significant investment in time, money, and technical expertise, with ongoing maintenance and updates handled by your team.

Buying an out-of-the-box solution provides immediate usability, addressing most marketing needs without development delays. It integrates well with essential tools in your MarTech stack and is a cost-effective and time-efficient option for many businesses.

When deciding between these two solutions, businesses should weigh several factors:

• Does your business require specific features that only a custom solution can provide?
• Are you prepared for the upfront costs of building versus the ongoing subscription fees of buying?
• Do you need to deploy your SMS marketing quickly?
• Do you have the technical expertise and resources to build and maintain a custom solution?
• Will the solution need to scale significantly in the near future?
• How well does the solution integrate with your existing MarTech stack?

Introducing Textellent

To overcome the risks associated with building a custom solution, consider partnering with a leading customer engagement platform like Textellent. 

Textellent provides robust, ready-to-use SMS marketing tools that integrate seamlessly with your existing systems. This platform offers the customization and scalability needed for effective SMS marketing without the high costs and resource demands of building from scratch. 

Top 5 Best SMS Marketing Software in 2024

Choosing the right SMS marketing platform can impact your business’s SMS marketing strategy. Here, we compare the top 5 SMS marketing platforms and software in 2024, highlighting their key features, pros, and cons.

1. Textellent

Textellent stands out as the top choice for SMS software among the many options available. It seamlessly integrates with other SMS marketing tools and calendars your business uses. 

This solution also synchronizes everything from client lists to business hours within the platform.

Key Features:

• No code – ready-made campaigns: Just configure the way you need it
• Drip campaigns: Automate messaging to keep your audience engaged over time
• List growth tools: Allow customers to subscribe by texting a specific keyword
• Advanced scheduling app: Let customers easily book appointments or make reservations
• Management tools: Filter communications by name, tag, incoming, outgoing, and more
• Automated reminders: Decrease no-shows with automated reminder messages
• Bulk messaging: Easily send messages to large groups using shortcodes
• Two-way communications: Enjoy free incoming messages
• MMS support with media library: Include images and access a library of text and image templates
• Seamless integration: Connect with other apps through Zapier, direct APIs, and more
• Text-enabling for landline or VOIP lines
• Unlimited tagging: Organize your audience with unlimited tags
• Automatic replies: Set up automated responses for sales and customer inquiries

Textellent’s SMS marketing solutions are tailored for businesses that need effective communication and marketing automation. Its comprehensive feature set is designed to upgrade your marketing strategies through automated and personalized messaging.

This automated texting solution provides a range of pricing plans tailored to your industry, the volume of messages, and the features needed. Their flexible options are designed to accommodate the needs of all business sizes.

2. Twilio

Twilio is a development platform with tools to build out text messaging services that provide a flexible API that lets businesses integrate various communication methods into their services, including SMS.

Pros

• Allows businesses to build the custom functionality they need
• Only allows execution of code from Twilio requests
• Some features built within the Twilio console, including the Twilio Node.js Helper Library
• Provides a familiar development setting using Node 14

Cons

• Requires technical knowledge and resources to implement
• Requires technical staff to maintain the code
• Costly if the business needs to switch to another service
• Costly for large-volume use

Twilio offers a flexible pay-as-you-go pricing model starting at $0.0079 per message, with volume discounts and customizable solutions for businesses with extensive messaging needs.

3. EZ Texting 

EZ Texting is a pre-built texting application known for its user-friendly interface and focus on simplicity. This SMS messaging app is a great choice for small to medium-sized businesses starting with SMS marketing.

Pros

• Access a suite of tools for crafting and sending SMS messages
• Use customizable templates for multimedia messaging
• Easily integrate with other systems via API
• Hi-Volume lines available

Cons

• Limited advanced features for scaling
• Basic automation tools

EZ Texting provides tiered monthly plans starting at $20 for 500 messages and customizable plans to suit larger texting requirements.

4. TextMagic

TextMagic provides a versatile text messaging service with strong tools for both inbound and outbound SMS campaigns.

Pros

• Extend communication through SMS, email, and voice services
• Send messages to thousands of recipients simultaneously with a single click
• Builds lists through smart import features

Cons

• Higher pricing for premium features
• Limited support for smaller businesses

TextMagic follows a pay-as-you-go pricing model starting at $0.02 per message, allowing businesses to buy credits as needed with no monthly fees.

5. SimpleTexting

SimpleTexting is a text message marketing platform emphasizing customer engagement through text messaging campaigns and SMS surveys.

Pros

• User-friendly platform
• Good integration capabilities
• Strong analytics tools
• Effective automation features

Cons

• Limited customization options
• Can be expensive for high-volume users

SimpleTexting offers various monthly plans beginning at $29 for 500 credits, with options scaling to custom enterprise solutions for higher volumes.

How to Choose the Right SMS Software for Your Business

Selecting the appropriate SMS software for your business will impact your marketing and communication strategies. Here are the key factors to consider when choosing an SMS software solution:

Understand Your Business Requirements

Begin by identifying the primary goals you hope to achieve with SMS software. 

Whether it’s to enhance customer service, boost marketing efforts, or streamline communications such as appointment scheduling, understanding your specific needs will help you pinpoint the most important features of your business.

Assess the Ease of Use

The SMS software you choose should be intuitive and user-friendly. Look for a platform your team can quickly adapt to without extensive training. 

An interface that is easy to navigate will help your team use the software efficiently, reducing the learning curve and minimizing potential operational errors.

Consider Your Budget

Evaluate the cost of different SMS software options. Consider the upfront costs and ongoing expenses, such as fees for additional messages or advanced features. 

Choose a pricing model that fits your budget while offering the needed functionalities.

Check Integration Capabilities

Ensure that the SMS software can integrate seamlessly with your existing business systems, such as your CRM or email marketing platforms. Effective integration will simplify your workflows and trigger many of your messages automatically.

Evaluate Scalability

Your chosen SMS software should be able to grow with your business. Without performance issues, it should support increasing demands, such as more users and higher message volumes. 

Scalability is key to accommodating your business’s growth without switching platforms.

Support and Compliance

Opt for software that offers reliable customer support. This is crucial for troubleshooting and getting help when you need it. 

Additionally, the software must comply with relevant regulations, such as TCPA, in the United States. It protects your business from legal issues and safeguards customer data.

Why Switch to Textellent’s SMS Solutions?

What sets Textellent apart from the competition is the availability of ready-made templates and campaigns. Our ready-made templates and campaigns save you time and hassle, allowing you to launch professional messaging campaigns without starting from scratch.

Textellent’s user-friendly interface means your team can get up to speed quickly. No steep learning curve here – just quick, efficient tools that help you get results fast. Our comprehensive analytics and reporting tools also give you the insights to track your campaigns and make smart, data-driven decisions.

Textellent is more than SMS software; it’s a complete solution for boosting business communications and customer engagement.

How to Integrate Textellent into Your Existing Systems

Integrating Textellent into your business operations is a straightforward process that simplifies communication and improves customer engagement. Here’s a step-by-step guide to get you started:

Step 1: Get On Board with Textellent

First, sign up for a Textellent account. Fill in your business details and choose a plan that fits your needs. Textellent offers flexible pricing plans tailored to various industries. You can use the ‘Select Industry’ option to quickly find plans suited to your business.

Here’s a quick pricing run-down:

• Lite plan: $29/month, includes one user and 250 SMS credits.
• Essentials plan: $49/month, includes one user and 750 SMS credits.
• Standard plan: $99/month, allows two users and includes 2,000 SMS credits.
• Premium custom plan: Customize based on your business needs for users, credits, and more.

If you’re an accountant or tax professional, there’s a special calculator to estimate your costs.

Step 2: Consider Integration Options

Textellent’s text messaging service can be integrated with your existing website or CRM system. This setup allows for automation, such as sending texts based on specific customer actions on your site. 

Check out the API guide on Textellent’s website or contact their support team for assistance with the integration process.

Step 3: Craft Your Message

Log into your Textellent dashboard and draft your SMS using the message creation tool. Keep it concise and aligned with your marketing goals. Personal touches and images can make your messages feel more special and engaging.

Step 4: Choose Your Recipients

Select who will receive your message by filtering your audience based on previous interactions or manually selecting contacts. Tags can be used to represent a variety of information, including events attended, products purchased, preferences, and more.

Ensure you have consent from your contacts to comply with SMS regulations, which helps maintain trust and legal compliance.

Step 5: Schedule Your Message

Decide when to send your message. With Textellent, you can send messages immediately or schedule them later. Consider when your customers are most likely to read it—timing can significantly impact engagement.

Step 6: Track and Tweak

After sending your message, monitor its performance and keep an eye on delivery rates, open rates, and responses. Use this data to refine your future messages and improve your SMS campaigns continually.

Ready for Effective SMS Marketing? Switch to Textellent!

Want to improve your customer engagement effortlessly? Textellent offers easy-to-use texting features, affordable plans, and reliable support.

Textellent offers seamless integration and powerful tools to make your SMS campaigns more impactful. Don’t let complex systems slow you down. Choose Textellent for a quick, effective way to boost your marketing.

Sign up for a free trial or request a demo consultation today.

FAQs About SMS Software for Business

What types of messages are most effective with SMS software?

Effective SMS messages are typically concise and clear and include a call to action. They might be promotional (e.g., sales, discounts), informational (e.g., product updates, news), or transactional (e.g., order confirmations, appointment reminders).

Personalizing these messages to the recipient’s previous interactions with the business can further enhance their effectiveness.

How do businesses typically get started with SMS software?

Businesses usually sign up with a provider, configure their account settings, import contact lists, and create their first messaging campaign. Many providers offer tutorials or onboarding sessions to help new users understand the platform.

Is there a no-obligation trial period so I test it out?

Yes, Textellent offers 2 weeks to try out the service for free. You will still need to have your account registered with the carriers, but that process is easy and painless and is intended to prevent spammers from accessing the service. At the end of two weeks if you are not satisfied, you can stop the service.