A Complete Buyer’s Guide to Text Message Marketing Software

Email marketing can garner excellent customer and prospect responses, but it doesn’t pull in anywhere as many leads and sales as text message marketing. Short message service (SMS) campaigns enjoy a robust average open rate of 98 percent compared to a modest 20 percent for email. Businesses use text message marketing software to connect with and sell to customers via targeted messages that can be sent quickly and cost-effectively. 

Discover how the best text message marketing software works and how businesses can select a platform with the features they need to boost sales and loyalty. 

What is text message marketing software?

Text message marketing software is an application that helps organizations create, manage, send and analyze SMS and multimedia messaging service (MMS) marketing campaigns from various devices, including desktops, laptops and smartphones. SMS messages are limited to 160 characters while MMS messages can include links, images and videos. For simplicity, text message marketing is often referred to as SMS marketing

Text message marketing software often includes the following: 

  • Templates to help you create effective messages
  • Artificial intelligence (AI)-driven content-generation tools
  • Libraries of images and videos for MMS campaigns
  • Campaign scheduling tools 
  • Reporting and analytics features to provide insights on campaign performance
  • Two-way messaging with customers
  • Customer database segmentation for targeted marketing
  • Automation tools for sending welcome messages to new subscribers or congratulations messages on birthdays or other milestones

Who needs text message marketing software?

Businesses that want to engage with customers, boost sales and increase brand awareness need SMS marketing software. Texting gives companies a direct, personal and highly effective communication channel to reach their target audiences with news, information and offers.

Examples of businesses and organizations that benefit from text message marketing software include:

  • Retail stores: Retailers use SMS marketing software to send exclusive offers to reengage inactive customers, promote flash sales in-store and distribute coupons to reward loyal customers. Marketing texts can drive foot traffic to brick-and-mortar locations, lure customers to e-commerce stores, build customer loyalty and more. 
  • Restaurants and cafes: Food service businesses use bulk texting to promote daily specials, offer time-sensitive promotions and manage reservations. They may aim to tempt existing customers to try new dishes, drum up business during quieter periods and reduce no-shows.
  • Salons and spas: Beauty and wellness businesses use SMS services to offer special deals on new treatments, promote last-minute stylist availability and send appointment reminders. Their goals include persuading existing customers to spend more on extra services, filling schedule gaps and maximizing sales. 
  • Gyms and fitness centers: Fitness businesses use text message marketing to distribute class schedules, promote special events and motivate clients with tips on staying fit and healthy. They aim to improve session attendance figures, sell additional services to existing clients and boost customer retention rates.
  • Real estate agencies: Real estate businesses use SMS marketing to share new listings, announce open house events and notify clients about property price changes. These timely messages ensure motivated buyers and potential clients are aware of opportunities to visit properties and stay abreast of market changes. 
  • Nonprofit organizations: Charities use SMS marketing platforms to persuade people to donate or recruit new volunteers. SMS marketing helps nonprofit organizations stand out from the crowd and interact directly with potential donors or recruits.

Additionally, many organizations connect their texting solution to other platforms, including the following:

These are a few examples of businesses that benefit from text message marketing software and SMS texting use cases. These platforms are excellent tools for selling products and services, keeping clients in the loop and strengthening customer relationships

How much does text message marketing software cost?

SMS marketing software costs vary by provider, features, message numbers and more. Consider the following potential pricing factors: 

  • Monthly subscription fees: Basic plans start from $20 to $30 per month and typically include a few hundred messages. Higher-level plans usually have more text credit allowances and advanced features like MMS, CRM integration, web chatbots, advanced analytics, API access and more.
  • Per-message costs: You’ll likely be charged for overages beyond your text message allotment; however, many providers offer overage bundles to reduce costs. Some, but not all, platforms allow unused credits to roll over to the following month. 
  • Phone number costs: Many providers include one or more phone numbers (local or toll-free) in their plans. Additional numbers often cost extra, typically around $10 per month for local or toll-free numbers. Short codes (five- or six-digit numbers used for high-volume messaging) can be significantly more expensive.
  • Keywords: Some plans include a limited number of keywords (words or short phrases that trigger specific actions), with additional keywords costing extra (often $5 to $10 per keyword, per month).
  • Additional users: Depending on your solution, you may have to pay for additional users to access the platform. Extra seats generally cost around $10 to $20 per month. 
  • Setup fees: If you’re migrating from one provider to another and the switchover process is complicated, your vendor may charge an implementation and setup fee.
  • Annual vs. monthly billing: Many providers offer discounts if you pay annually instead of monthly. Such discounts can range from 10% to 20% off the monthly rate.
  • Compliance charges: You may need to pay compliance-related charges. Companies that send commercial text messages must subscribe to and be approved by the Campaign Registry and pay $15 monthly to stay listed. 

What are the benefits of text message marketing software?

Text message marketing software makes running targeted and effective SMS and MMS campaigns easy. Consider the following benefits of working with an SMS marketing service:

  • Easy campaign management: Instead of manually sending texts or using multiple SMS gateways to run text message campaigns, you can set up and launch campaigns quickly and easily via an intuitive dashboard. Instead of spending time on campaign logistics, you’ll have more time to focus on creating excellent promotions.
  • Better targeting and personalization: SMS platforms typically include tagging features and custom fields, allowing you to group customers based on the products and services they’re interested in, how often they shop with you or any other metric you choose. These tools make isolating specific customer types much easier. For example, you could tag customers who haven’t bought from you for more than a year and create a “We Missed You” campaign to lure them back.
  • Detailed performance insights: SMS marketing software automatically records and analyzes campaign results, helping you discern which messages and offers perform the best with specific subscribers.
  • Higher deliverability rates: Text message marketing platforms work closely with multiple carriers to ensure messages reach their destinations successfully, which results in high deliverability rates.
  • Compliance management: SMS marketing platforms help businesses manage the complex regulations surrounding text campaigns. They’ll help you sign up with the Campaign Registry and assist with opt-in and opt-out requirements. The Textline platform can even help businesses comply with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations.

What are the key features to look for in text message marketing software?

To make the most of text message marketing, ensure the system you choose includes the following features.

Campaign creation tools

Many SMS marketing platforms include robust campaign creation tools, such as: 

  • Templates: Most text message marketing software solutions offer built-in, customizable templates. Ideally, you should be able to save messages you create, including those you’ve adapted from templates.
  • AI tools: Several platforms are integrating AI-driven large language models that can write text messages for you based on the prompts you input. This feature is particularly useful for business owners with little or no experience composing marketing messages and some of the results are impressive.
  • Character counts: SMS text messages are a maximum of 160 characters (unless you link them, which will use up more credits). Look for a platform that counts the number of characters you’ve used when composing a message. A built-in URL shortener is also handy for saving characters.

Rich media support (MMS)

Not all SMS marketing platforms support MMS messages, which include more characters and allow you to add audio, slideshows, an image or up to 40 seconds of video.

Most service providers charge three credits for each MMS message and one credit for an SMS message. Although MMS campaigns are much more expensive, they often outperform SMS campaigns. You may not want this feature now, but it might be a good idea to choose a vendor that supports MMS so you can potentially use it in the future. 

Look for the following MMS support tools: 

  • Libraries: Some messaging software platforms, such as EZ Texting, partner with image and video libraries to give you access to millions of high-quality, royalty-free images and videos you can include at no extra charge in your MMS campaigns. 
  • Custom graphics: Some platforms have a Canva-like feature that helps you quickly create custom visuals, which are handy for branding and reinforcing your company’s visual identity across all marketing channels.

Campaign scheduling and automation

All SMS marketing platforms allow you to compose a message, select an audience and send it immediately. However, look for a service that lets you schedule campaigns for particular days and times. This lets you plan your marketing strategy and ensures consistent communication with your audience.

For example, a food delivery business could check TV and sports listings and note sporting events, award ceremonies or other live broadcasts. It could then create custom offers and visuals tied to each event and set its texting platform to send messages an hour or so before the event begins.

Other handy campaign scheduling tools include the following:

  • Recurring texts: Send messages at regular intervals to remind customers that you’re there and put your products and services at the top of their minds.
  • Dynamic scheduling: Many platforms let you send automatic messages on subscribers’ birthdays or other important events.
  • A/B testing: Use a platform’s A/B testing feature to learn which messages perform better or what message timing is most effective. 

Multi-channel marketing capabilities

Many SMS marketing services integrate with other business software, such as CRM systems and e-commerce tools, for better multichannel marketing: 

  • CRM: Connecting your SMS platform to your CRM allows you to run all text, email and telemarketing campaigns from one platform, ensuring more streamlined multichannel marketing and better results tracking. In addition, CRMs store every interaction, including purchases and support requests, to create customer histories. If your CRM has AI, it can use these histories to personalize future marketing campaigns to improve responsiveness.
  • E-commerce platforms: Many businesses link their SMS software to their e-commerce platform to reduce abandoned shopping carts. When a customer adds items to a shopping cart but abandons the purchase, the platform can trigger a text reminder, often with a discount, to encourage completion. 

Companies can also incorporate promotional codes and discount vouchers into their text message marketing campaigns, which customers can redeem online or in-store. E-tailers can add clickable links and calls to action to drive traffic to a special offer on their site.

Compliant contact management

Building a subscriber base takes time. Under U.S. law, you can only send marketing texts if you’re a member of the Campaign Registry — and you can only send messages to subscribers who have opted into your service. To help you navigate compliant contact management, look for a platform that can do the following: 

  • Help you join the Campaign Registry
  • Provide subscriber list-building tools, such as QR codes, website pop-ups and specific website landing pages 
  • Import your current contact databases 
  • Support double opt-in measures for ultimate subscriber consent
  • Manage the opt-out process 
  • Let you set message frequency limits so you don’t send too many messages to the same subscribers 
  • Automatically remove duplicate contacts and invalid phone numbers
  • Help you tag contacts and add custom fields for better subscriber segmentation

Comprehensive analytics and reporting

Look for an SMS platform with built-in analytics tools that track key metrics such as delivery rates, open rates, click-through rates and conversions. Platforms with A/B testing are particularly helpful, allowing you to see what message variations work best. Over time, you can learn the message types, imagery, language and offers your subscribers respond to best. 

If your SMS platform is connected to your e-commerce platform, you can also learn which customers bought a particular product or service as a direct result of receiving your campaign text. 

Also, opt for a platform that presents analytics both visually and in tables, as graphs make spotting trends easier.

Customer sentiment tools

Customers and prospects want to feel important to the businesses they patronize. Sending SMS surveys is one way to show them how much you value their input. Look for a platform with survey capabilities to discover where your audience wants to see you improve, what you’re doing well and which products and services they’d like you to offer. Conducting surveys — and acting on the information you receive — can be a great way for small businesses to demonstrate their commitment to serving their clientele.

What factors should you consider when choosing text message marketing software?

To make the best decision when choosing text message marketing software, take the following factors into account.

Number of users or departments

If you run a business that operates from multiple locations or has specific departments, consider a platform that can assign an identity and a degree of autonomy to each facet. This will allow individual managers to have greater control over campaigns to specific audiences they know and serve. You’ll still have general campaign oversight and can run corporate campaigns separately.

Additionally, your needs may be minimal now, but if you plan to expand, select a platform that can grow with your business and handle more frequent and complex campaigns.

Customer reviews and reputation

Virtually all SMS marketing service providers offer a free trial. However, you can’t take these platforms for much of a test run because you need a Campaign Registry subscription before you can send marketing emails. While you can see how a system looks, you won’t be able to evaluate its features.

Online reviews can help you better understand a platform’s functionality. Look for reviews from business owners, particularly those running companies similar to yours. Pay particular attention to reviewers’ opinions on platform reliability, customer service responsiveness and frequently recurring issues.

Ease of use

Compared with more complex CRM and enterprise resource planning systems, SMS marketing services are generally easy to use. They present clear, visually appealing interfaces with clearly signposted features and helpful on-screen prompts. Still, it’s important to choose a system you and your team find intuitive. Many platforms also feature extensive online knowledge bases with instructions, “how to” guides, videos and webinars, so look into a potential vendor’s online self-help tools if this is important to you.

Availability of support

No matter how easy a platform is to use, there’s always a learning curve. At some point, you’ll likely need assistance with your text message marketing software. Determine what implementation help a platform will provide, what support options it offers and how available its support teams are. If you prefer a particular support channel, such as phone, webchat and tickets, prioritize vendors that offer that kind of support. 

Mobile app functionality

Many SMS platforms offer full-featured mobile apps while others only provide smartphone access from a web browser. If mobile functionality is a significant factor for you, look for a package that delivers an excellent mobile experience with a robust app that will allow you to create and send campaigns, view campaign analytics and respond to customer messages directly from your mobile device.

What are the top text message marketing software services?

Numerous text message marketing platforms are available. Consider the following five excellent options that may be ideal for your business. 

Textline

Textline is a great choice for companies with multiple locations or departments that want to create highly targeted campaigns for specific customer segments. Its interface is intuitive and user-friendly and users will have no trouble learning to operate the platform’s many features. Textline’s impressive collaboration tools make it easy for colleagues to help each other resolve issues. They can even create group chats with up to 10 people and include customers in conversations. Textline’s security setup is also first-class. It adheres to System and Organization Controls 2, California Consumer Privacy Act and General Data Protection Regulation regulations and is the only HIPAA-compliant text marketing platform.

Textedly

Textedly is ideal for companies that want to upscale their text marketing campaigns over time. Its 13 service plan offerings start at $26 a month for 500 inclusive texts and go up to $2,999 for a massive 200,000 texts. With such a range of tiers and graduated pricing, companies can grow their campaigns incrementally. Each subscription tier offers free incoming text messages, unlimited contacts and MMS messaging. You can add extra features like personalization, Instagram campaigns and drip campaigns for a one-time fee. Textedly is an easy-to-use and flexible system; it’s a great value and should provide the functionality most businesses need.

EZ Texting

EZ Texting’s powerful platform is the most intuitive and user-friendly system on the market. Its AI integration is ideal for quickly writing compelling sales messages — a plus for those with little or no marketing experience. The platform’s notable Shutterstock partnership provides users with 2 million high-quality, royalty-free images and videos for MMS campaigns. There’s even a Canva-like tool for designing your own promotional imagery. EZ Texting offers a wide range of automation features and its first-class analytics tool is ideal for CRM integration.

SlickText

SlickText has an excellent array of well-executed features and a superb built-in loyalty program. You can gift subscribers rewards and points via text based on factors you select, such as how often they visit and how much money they spend. You can deepen engagement further with text-to-win competitions, voting-by-text polls and client surveys. The platform’s drag-and-drop interface will help you automate text responses easily. While some of the platform’s functionality is a bit challenging to manage, all things considered, SlickText is a highly capable platform with competitive pricing.

ProTexting

ProTexting’s easy-to-use tools are designed to help companies build subscriber lists and keep recipients engaged. Creating marketing emails is quick and straightforward, although the platform lacks the template variety many competitors offer. ProTexting’s contact management features are excellent, especially the segmentation tools for building smaller, more focused lists for targeted campaigns. If you’re away from the workplace, the system’s iOS and Android apps offer the same level of functionality as the standard web dashboard. ProTexting is a well-executed and feature-packed text messaging system that should meet the needs of most small businesses very well. 

To get the most out of your marketing plan, you need to take advantage of all of the tools available. Text message marketing can play a key role in boosting customer acquisition and retention, which is critical in running a successful business.