The Power of Texting for Business Marketing in 2025

SMS communication allows immediate interaction and can boost customer engagement. But how can you make your text marketing campaigns even better?

Texting for business marketing is becoming a key tool for companies looking to communicate directly with their customers. Text messaging offers high open rates and engagement compared to other marketing channels. 

In this guide, we will discuss the importance of texting for business marketing and recommend the best platform to get you started.

How Business Texting Works

If you are looking to grow your customer engagement, business texting gives you a direct, simple, and fast way to reach people. Business texting uses short message service (SMS) technology to send short, reliable messages across mobile networks.

Using SMS for marketing allows your business to send promotions, service updates, appointment reminders, and even feedback requests straight to your customers’ phones.

Because text messages are delivered through mobile networks and not limited by mobile apps or spam filters, they are usually read much faster. This approach fits perfectly into today’s mobile-first habits, where people check their phones constantly throughout the day.

When used the right way, texting is not just about sending messages. It becomes a tool that builds customer loyalty, drives sales, and keeps communication lines open between your business and your audience.

Using a Text Message Marketing Service

You will need a reliable service built for businesses to manage text marketing campaigns. These services help you organize your contacts, schedule messages, and automate replies when needed.

The best services allow you to send personalized campaigns, set up automated responses, and track important metrics like delivery rates and click-through rates.

Choosing the right SMS business solution will allow your team to manage text marketing without adding extra work. Using a text message marketing service also lets you build smarter campaigns based on customer behavior rather than sending the same text to everyone.

When you are comparing platforms, it is important to look at features like message automation, list segmentation, easy scheduling, and analytics tracking. These tools will help you run efficient campaigns without constant manual oversight.

Building a Contact List

Before you send anything, you need to create a permission-based contact list. This is a legal requirement under texting regulations. Every customer you contact must have given clear permission to receive text messages from your business.

You can collect opt-ins through website forms, checkout pages, in-person events, or loyalty program sign-ups. It is a smart move to offer an incentive, such as a discount or early access to products, to encourage sign-ups.

Crafting the Message

The quality of your message can make or break the success of your campaign. Text messages should be short, clear, and focused on one goal at a time.

Customers should be able to glance at your message and know what it is about without needing to read it twice. If your texting platform supports MMS messaging, you can add images, videos, or GIFs to make your messages stand out even more.

Visual elements can be powerful tools, especially when promoting new products, events, or special offers. However, every image or video must serve the main purpose of the message.

Sending the Message

Once your message is crafted, it is time to send it. Good texting platforms give you flexible options, allowing you to send messages immediately or schedule them for the best times.

Most businesses prefer to schedule texts late in the morning or early afternoon when people are more likely to be checking their phones. Texts sent at odd hours, like very early in the morning or late at night, often get ignored or create frustration.

Automation tools inside texting platforms allow you to set up recurring campaigns, birthday greetings, appointment reminders, and abandoned cart messages without manual input every time. This saves your team time while keeping your marketing efforts active.

Receiving Responses

The best part about business texting is how easy it is to start two-way interactions. 

After receiving a text from you, customers can reply immediately if they have questions or need support. Handling incoming messages well makes a big difference in how customers feel about your service.

Using a texting platform allows you to organize responses neatly. You can view conversations by customer name, set priority levels, and route messages to the right team member.

Some platforms even offer automated replies for common questions, which helps you provide faster service without adding pressure on your team.

Types of Business Text Messages You Can Send

Knowing what kinds of texts you can send allows your business to get more value out of your texting campaigns without overwhelming your audience.

Here is a complete breakdown of the different types of business text messages you can send:

Promotional Messages

One of the most common ways businesses use texting is for promotions. Promotional texts help you announce sales, new products, limited-time discounts, and special offers directly to customers’ phones.

Because of how fast text marketing messages are read, these messages often create quick bursts of customer activity.

Appointment Reminders

If your business relies on scheduled appointments, texting is a perfect tool to reduce no-shows. Appointment reminder texts confirm the time, date, and location of appointments, helping customers remember and plan ahead.

Text reminders can also include options for customers to reschedule or cancel easily, helping you manage your calendar more smoothly. This is where call forwarding can also be useful, in case a customer wants to call your business directly from the reminder message.

Order and Shipping Updates

Keeping customers informed about their orders is another smart use of texting. Order confirmation messages, shipping updates, and delivery notices build trust and keep customers engaged with your brand.

Sending these updates by text makes sure customers receive them immediately without needing to check their emails or log into an app.

Event Invitations

If your business holds promotions, workshops, webinars, or local gatherings, texting is a powerful way to promote upcoming events. Event invitations sent by text tend to get faster responses than email invites, increasing your chances of filling seats and boosting attendance.

You can send event registration links, reminders as the date gets closer, and last-minute updates, all through easy and fast SMS campaigns.

Loyalty Program Updates

Texting makes it easy to keep loyalty program members informed. You can send updates about point balances, new reward options, and member-exclusive deals.

Customers appreciate loyalty program texts because they are short, relevant, and tied to real benefits. Loyalty messaging keeps your most valuable customers connected to your brand without needing constant reminders through other channels.

Surveys and Feedback Requests

If you want to know how your customers feel about your services, texting a short survey link or asking for feedback works very well. Texting removes barriers, making it easier for customers to respond.

Feedback collected through texts gives you direct insight into what customers like and what they want you to improve. Using the right user-friendly interface helps you create surveys that are simple and fast for customers to complete.

Customer Support Texts

Your business can also handle customer service through texting. Quick replies to questions, product information, and problem-solving messages can all be done without customers needing to call a support line.

Using texting for support also helps you manage one-on-one conversations better. Each customer gets personal attention, and you can solve issues faster without the delays common in phone or email support.

Automated Drip Campaigns

You can create drip campaigns to automatically guide customers over time. Drip campaigns send a series of texts based on customer behavior, such as signing up for a newsletter or abandoning a cart.

Having strong automation tools in your platform makes building drip campaigns easy and effective, helping you stay connected without extra manual effort.

Transactional Messages

Transactional texts include messages like receipts, booking confirmations, billing reminders, and security alerts. These are important for keeping customers informed and building trust.

Because transactional messages usually contain necessary information, they have high open rates and help customers feel that your business is organized and professional.

How to Choose the Right SMS Marketing Service for Business Marketing

Choosing the right texting software for your business is a big decision. You want a tool that will help you reach your customers effectively and efficiently. 

This is a detailed, step-by-step guide to help you make the best choice:

Features

Consider the features offered by the SMS marketing software. Here are some key features to look for:

• Automation: The platform should allow you to set up automated messages based on specific triggers, such as customer sign-ups, purchases, or birthdays. 
• Scheduling: Look for a platform that lets you schedule texts for specific times and dates. 
• Personalization: The platform should provide segmentation capabilities that enable you to include the recipient’s name, purchase history, and other relevant details in your texts to increase relevance. 
• Analytics: Look for a platform that provides detailed reports on open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, and more. 
• Automated reminders: Look for a platform that allows you to send automatic reminders for appointments, renewals, or special offers. 
• API integration: Make sure the platform can integrate with your existing systems through an API. 
• List growth tools: Look for tools that help you gather more phone numbers, such as signup forms, opt-in widgets, and keyword campaigns.
• Multi-site capabilities: Larger organizations will want the ability to send campaigns from headquarters while allowing the message to be sent from the participating location’s phone number for better engagement.

Make a list of the most important features for your business and compare them across different platforms.

Compliance

You should choose a platform that helps you stay compliant by managing consents and opt-outs automatically and providing additional controls to make sure any locations in your organization are kept in check.

Moreover, you need to ensure that the platform follows SMS text message marketing regulations like the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) in the U.S. 

These laws require you to get explicit consent from customers before sending them SMS text messages and provide an easy way to opt out. 

User-Friendly Dashboard

Daily use will be much easier if the platform includes a user-friendly dashboard.

You should be able to see your active campaigns, incoming replies, opt-out requests, and performance stats without needing to click through endless menus. Well-built dashboards simplify your workflow, which saves time and reduces the chance of errors.

Cost

Texting platforms can vary in price, so you’ll need to find one that fits your budget. Most platforms offer tiered pricing based on the number of messages you send per month. 

Be sure to compare the SMS marketing costs of different plans and what they include. Don’t just go for the cheapest option; make sure it has all the features you need.

Integration

Consider how well the texting platform integrates with your existing tools and systems. If you use a customer relationship management (CRM) system, email marketing software, or even appointment scheduling tools, you’ll want a texting platform that can easily integrate.

This will help simplify your workflows and make sure all your customer data is in one place.

Customer Support

Finally, look at the level of customer support offered by the platform. Responsive customer support can make a big difference, especially when you’re just getting started or if you run into any issues. 

You should check if the platform offers support through various channels, such as phone, email, or live chat. Also, see if they have a comprehensive knowledge base or community forums where you can find answers to common questions.

How to Set Up Your Texting Campaign

Texting feels natural to customers, it is quick to manage, and it helps you create real conversations that build trust and loyalty. However, to run a successful campaign, you need to plan carefully and set everything up correctly from the beginning.

Here’s a detailed guide to help you get started:

Step 1: Pick a Platform With a Well-Made User Interface

The first thing you need is a texting platform with a clean, simple user interface. You should be able to easily navigate between creating messages, uploading contacts, scheduling campaigns, and viewing reports without needing a technical expert on your team.

A confusing or messy interface will only slow you down and make it harder to manage your texting campaigns. When you pick Textellent, setting up and running campaigns will feel natural and quick.

Step 2: Build Your List of Potential Customers

Before you can send text messages, you need a list of potential customers who have given permission to hear from you. You can build your list through website sign-ups, in-store promotions, or social media opt-ins.

It is important to make it clear during sign-up that customers are agreeing to receive texts from your business. Being upfront from the start builds trust and helps you stay compliant with regulations.

Step 3: Segment Your Audience With Group Messaging

Once you have a contact list, it is time to organize it for smarter marketing. Setting up group messaging allows you to send targeted campaigns based on customer behavior, purchase history, or interests.

For example, you can create one group for VIP customers and another for new subscribers. This way, your promotions feel more personal and relevant instead of sending the same message to everyone.

Step 4: Plan for Internal Communication Too

Texting is not just for customers. You can also use it for internal communication within your business.

Keeping your staff updated about shift changes, meetings, urgent announcements, or training sessions through text ensures faster communication and better coordination.

Setting up separate internal groups helps you manage employee communication while keeping your marketing campaigns separate.

Step 6: Create and Send Text Messages

Now you are ready to send text messages. The best marketing texts are short, clear, and actionable.

Focus on one main idea per message, and always give the customer a clear next step, whether it is clicking a link, replying with a keyword, or visiting your store.

Make sure you personalize messages when possible by using the customer’s name or referencing their recent actions. Personal touches make your texts feel more authentic and less like mass messages.

Compliance and Regulations You Must Know

If you are using texting for business marketing, you must know the rules set by the TCPA. This law was made to protect people from getting unwanted messages or calls.

Staying compliant with the TCPA protects your business from large fines and helps build trust with your audience.

Consent and Opt-Ins Explained

Before starting any text message marketing, you need consent from your customers. Consent means the customer agrees to receive your texts.

Getting permission must be clear and cannot be hidden. You can ask for it through iOS and Android apps, online forms, or at checkout. Customers must know they are agreeing to receive texts for marketing purposes.

You must also keep a record showing when and how the customer gave consent. If you are ever asked to prove it, having this record protects your business.

Opt-Out Instructions and Easy Unsubscribe

Every text message marketing campaign must give customers a simple way to unsubscribe. Most businesses allow customers to reply with a word like “STOP” to end messages.

It should not be hard or confusing for someone to opt out. If a customer wants to leave, you must respect that right immediately.

Easy opt-outs are not just about following rules. They show that your business values customer choice and is not trying to force communication like unwanted phone calls.

Penalties for Non-Compliance

If you do not follow the rules, the penalties can be serious. Fines for breaking texting laws can reach thousands of dollars for each message sent without consent.

A mistake like using a business text messaging service to contact people without permission can hurt your business reputation and cost you a lot of money. That is why it is important to use the right SMS services to help you stay within the law.

Compliant platforms help you avoid problems by managing opt-ins, opt-outs, and customer records automatically, so you are always covered.

How a Platform Like Textellent Ensures Compliance

Using a good business texting platform like Textellent makes it easier to stay compliant. Textellent helps you collect clear opt-ins, manage unsubscribes automatically, and keep full records of customer consent.

It also helps you organize recurring messages carefully, which makes sure you only send texts to customers who have agreed to hear from you.

Textellent gives you tools to text customers safely, send emergency alerts when needed, and even manage campaigns using toll-free numbers when appropriate.

Choosing an all-in-one solution like Textellent guarantees your marketing is safe, legal, and customer-friendly from the beginning.

Why Textellent Is the Best Texting Solution for Business Marketing

Textellent takes business texting to a higher level. It allows you to set up automatic messages that react to how your customers interact with your texts. This makes sure every message is personal, timely, and fits exactly what your customer needs. 

Additionally, Textellent focuses on the entire customer journey and helps businesses set up campaigns to address all the relevant touchpoints. A rules-based engine means you don’t need any special coding skills to get it working, and you can create new customer experiences easily. 

Using Textellent’s sophisticated segmentation capabilities allows businesses to send targeted campaigns that can be triggered by events, customer actions, employee workflow, and more.

Textellent also comes with powerful and unique tools that work with your existing scheduling software. These tools make it easy to keep in touch with your customers before and after their appointments, helping create a smooth experience for them every step of the way.

The platform also provides a rich collection of text and image templates. 

How to Get Started With Textellent

Getting started with Textellent is simple and doesn’t take much time, so you can quickly begin boosting your business with effective text messaging. 

These are the steps to get set up:

Step 1: Sign Up

First, sign up for Textellent by filling in your business information and choosing a plan that matches your needs. 

Textellent has different plans to suit a variety of businesses. If you’re an accountant or tax professional, you can use a price calculator on their website to calculate your costs with just a few clicks.

Step 2: Get Connected

Textellent lets you connect it to the tools you already use, like your website or customer management system. 

You can follow the instructions on their website to set up and arrange for training with their support team to get everything hooked up.

Step 3: Send Messages

Once you’re all set up, you can start sending messages right from Textellent’s dashboard. It’s designed to be easy to use. 

You can quickly write messages, personalize them for your audience, and even schedule them in advance if you’re planning a big sale or event.

Step 4: Keep Track

After your messages are out, you can check their performance using Textellent’s tools. These tools show you details like how many people received and engaged with your messages.

Seeing these results will help you understand what’s working and what might need changing next time.

Best Practices for Business Text Message Marketing

After setting up your SMS campaigns, you should optimize them to make sure your messages are well-received and lead to the desired outcomes. 

Here are a few best practices you need to follow:

Use Two-Way Communication

Business texting is most powerful when you create two-way conversations rather than just blasting announcements. Opening a real conversation makes customers feel like their voice matters and that your business is there to listen.

For example, you can invite replies by asking questions in your texts. Instead of just saying, “Sale now live,” you could say, “Reply YES if you want early access to the sale.” When customers reply, it opens the door for more personalized interactions.

Building these two-way channels also gives you valuable feedback you can use to improve your products, services, and marketing strategies.

Integrate With Other Marketing Channels

Texting should be part of a broader marketing strategy. You can integrate your texting campaigns with other marketing channels, such as email marketing and social media.

For example, you can use texts to remind customers about an email promotion or to encourage them to follow your social media accounts for more updates.

Test and Optimize

Regularly test different elements of your texting campaigns to see what works best. This can include trying out different message lengths, CTAs, and send times.

You can use the analytics provided by your texting platform to monitor the performance of your messages. Pay attention to the SMS key metrics like open rates, opt-out rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates. 

Then, strategically use this data to optimize your future campaigns for better results.

Personalize Messages

Personalization makes your messages more engaging and relevant to the recipient. It’s ideal to use the customer’s name and tailor the content based on their preferences and past interactions with your business.

For example, instead of a generic message like “Check out our sale,” you might say, “Hi [Name], enjoy 20% off your favorite items this weekend! James – Your local store manager.”

Provide Value and Clear Calls to Action

Every text message should offer something of value to the recipient. Whether it’s a discount, important update, or useful information, make sure your message is worth their time.

Additionally, include a clear call to action. Tell your customers exactly what you want them to do next, such as “Shop Now,” “Claim Your Discount,” or “RSVP Today.” This makes it easy for them to take the desired action.

Send Text Messages at the Right Time

SMS frequency and timing are important. Even if you have the perfect offer, sending it at the wrong time will hurt your results. Try to send texts during business hours when customers are more likely to check their phones.

Avoid early-morning or late-night messages unless they are truly urgent. Being respectful of your customers’ time makes them more willing to stay subscribed to your list.

Track Performance With Analytics Tools

Without using analytics tools, you are just guessing what works. Tracking key numbers like delivery rates, open rates, clicks, and responses helps you see which campaigns succeed and which ones need changes.

Data also helps you identify patterns in customer behavior so you can plan smarter campaigns in the future instead of repeating the same mistakes.

Access to All the Services You Need

You should pick a texting platform that offers all the services you need in one place. Features like message scheduling, automation, surveys, loyalty updates, and easy integration with other tools save you time and make your campaigns more powerful.

Trying to piece together different services from different providers only creates confusion and slows you down.

Always Think About Long-Term Growth

Using business SMS professionally means you are not just sending random promotions. You are building a long-term customer communication channel that can bring repeat customers, higher loyalty, and a stronger brand reputation.

Texting is powerful when it is handled with care, consistency, and respect for the customer’s time and preferences.

How to Integrate Texting Into Your Overall Marketing Strategy

Customers expect fast communication, and texting gives your business a simple way to meet that need without overwhelming your audience.

Now, let’s look at how you can combine texting with other important parts of your marketing strategy:

Combining SMS With Email Marketing

Email and texting work best when used together. Email is good for sending full updates like newsletters, while texting is better for fast reminders and promotions that need quick attention.

For example, you can send an email about a weekend sale and follow up with a short text the next day, reminding customers about the final hours.

Some businesses use platforms like Constant Contact to manage both email and text in one place. However, if you want more advanced texting features and easier SMS marketing campaign automation, there are stronger options like Textellent, built specifically for texting needs.

Using SMS Alongside Social Media

Social media helps you reach large audiences, but not every follower will see your posts. That is why pairing social media with texting can boost results.

You can invite followers to join your text list by offering a small reward, like a discount when they text a keyword. In return, you can use texting to drive more engagement back to your social media pages by sending updates about giveaways, new posts, or special events.

Using texting and social media together gives your business more ways to stay connected without relying too much on one channel.

Texting as Part of Omnichannel Campaigns

An omnichannel marketing plan means connecting with customers across multiple touchpoints in a way that feels smooth. Your website, social media, email, and texting should all work together.

For example, if a customer browses your website and leaves, you could retarget them with a Facebook ad, a follow-up email, and a quick text reminder about a discount offer. Each channel supports the others and keeps your brand fresh in the customer’s mind.

Texting plays a key role in this because it offers speed and directness that email and ads cannot always match.

Retargeting and Nurturing Leads via Texting

Texting is one of the best tools for retargeting people who showed interest but did not buy. You can send cart reminders, back-in-stock alerts, or simple follow-ups encouraging them to complete their purchase.

Texting also works to nurture leads over time. You can set up a sequence where new leads get a welcome message, followed by product tips, and then a discount offer over several days. Short, timed texts keep the customer interested without feeling pressured.

This approach helps turn new leads into loyal customers by keeping communication easy, friendly, and quick.

Drive Results With Efficient SMS Marketing

If you are looking for a smarter way to stay connected with your customers, texting is one of the strongest tools you can use.

Texting gives you a direct, reliable line of communication that customers actually pay attention to. It is fast, personal, and the kind of interaction customers expect from the brands they trust.

Textellent is built to help businesses take full advantage of texting without adding extra complexity. With features like personalized campaigns, easy list management, automated responses, and detailed reporting, the platform makes it simple to create real conversations that drive real results.

Whether you are reaching out to promote a new offer, confirm an appointment, or build loyalty over time, Textellent keeps everything organized and easy to manage.

If you want texting to become a natural, powerful part of your marketing strategy, Textellent is the platform built to get you there. Sign up for a free trial or book a demo today!

FAQs About Texting for Business Marketing

Is it appropriate to text for business?

Yes, it is appropriate to text for business. Many companies use sms messaging to share updates, promotions, and customer service replies. It is important to get permission first and send messages that are helpful.

How do you use text messages for marketing?

You start by building a list of customers who want to receive messages. You can use sign-up forms on your website, checkout pages, or events.

Once you have permission, send short and clear messages about sales, new products, or updates. It helps to automate responses so customers get quick replies without you needing to do it manually.

There are a few reasons to plan texts carefully. It keeps your audience engaged and makes sure customers stay happy to hear from you. Also, use unlimited keywords and unlimited contacts if you plan to grow your list over time.

Is there a free SMS marketing tool?

Yes, some tools offer free options. For example, Textellent and EZ Texting let you try a basic plan. Free tools are good for testing but often limit how many texts you can send or how many contacts you can have.

If you run a small business, a free plan can be enough to start. Later, you may want more features like better reporting or automation, which come with paid plans. Using a service with a web app also makes it easy to manage everything online.

Is it legal to send marketing text messages?

Yes, it is legal if you follow the rules. You must get clear permission before sending marketing texts.

The Federal Communications Commission requires businesses to have opt-ins and to let customers unsubscribe anytime. Good texting platforms help you manage this automatically.