SMS has emerged as the most effective marketing channel to reach the most people. According to Statista, 6.8 billion people own a mobile phone, making them potential customers to receive promotional SMS. Statistics also show that 44% of Gen Z customers and 47% of Millenials prefer receiving brand text messages over other channels.
So how do you send bulk messages to this large audience?
The easiest way is through an SMS gateway software provider. Businesses use SMS gateways to send messages to many customers cheaply, conveniently, and concurrently regardless of their location or network difference. They also give you analytical insight into the performance of SMS campaigns which can help you improve your promotional strategy.
This post shows how SMS gateways work, some gateway providers, and factors to consider before choosing one. You will also see a step-by-step guide to starting a campaign with a bulk SMS gateway. We shall begin by defining an SMS gateway.
An SMS Gateway is a software that sends messages from an application to a phone in the form of an SMS. Ordinarily, a message sent from an application is incompatible with SMS; however, the SMS gateway converts the message format so receivers can get the SMS on their phones. SMS gateway, or API, helps you send bulk messages to customers in different countries using different mobile networks.
Some of the use cases of SMS gateway include promotional messages, one-time passwords, delivery notifications, welcome messages, etc.
SMS gateways come in different types, such as HTTP, SMPP, and FTP.
This API lets you easily integrate your existing CRM with the SMS provider’s software to begin your mass messaging campaign. HTTP supports secure transactions using SSL encryption. A downside to HTTP is the high cost of implementing the protocol.
Short Message Peer-to-Peer API is one of the most widely used protocols for exchanging messages. It features a high throughput of up to 200 messages/second. This SMS gateway API guarantees instant delivery through its direct connection with providers and carriers. Using this gateway for your marketing provides you with 2-way bulk SMS messaging for better customer engagement.
FTP uses text files to send and receive messages. To send messages, you must create a text file and place it in the outgoing directory, which converts the text file into SMS. Using FTP, you can upload up to 100,000 messages as text files. While FTP can handle bulk messaging, it is not ideal for time-sensitive messages like OTP.
SMS gateways provide businesses with great features to take their marketing to the next level. Let’s see some of these features.
Using a gateway for SMS, you can reach more people simultaneously. You don’t have to write messages manually; SMS APIs enable bulk sending of messages to engage customers.
Bulk SMS gateways go beyond SMS and can integrate with email, Web, and social media channels. You can use SMS Gateways to reach a global market on different platforms.
You can schedule when you want the messages to go out and the frequency of the messages using event-based triggers, such as holiday sales, to send promotional messages automatically. You can also automate where messages end up using an SMS router.
If you use SMS as an OTP channel for your customers, the SMS gateway provides a more secure way to send these messages. With encryption and advanced authentication, the SMS gateway protects your messages from cyber-attacks like phishing.
SMS gateway APIs are cloud-based systems that send messages on mobile networks through a Short Message Peer-to-Peer (SMPP) protocol to Short Message Service Centers (SMSC). The SMS API communicates with the gateway through the RestAPI, an interface containing the customer database to send the messages.
This is how the SMS gateway works in practice:
There are several advantages to using SMS gateway software for bulk campaigns. Let’s run through some benefits.
SMS gateway with API offers one of the cheapest marketing methods. Running a bulk SMS costs much less than traditional advertising methods like TV or billboards.
SMS gateway services are built to cater to a lot of people at the same time. As your business grows, the SMS gateway helps you keep up with the increasing customer base without downtime to your marketing campaigns.
Gateway for SMS is highly secure, and you can rest assured that the messages are safe from cyber-attacks. Leveraging the encryption of SMS APIs, the security of each message is guaranteed.
Almost everyone has a phone, and they read their SMS 98% of the time . SMS gateways help you with your bulk SMS campaigns by enabling you to reach millions of people in no time.
SMS gateways help you measure the progress of your bulk SMS campaigns with instant data. Some of these gateways have a dashboard showing you the delivery and open rates, among other metrics.
Consider these factors before settling for a gateway provider, as it may heavily impact the success of your SMS campaigns.
How far does the text gateway go? How many countries does it support? This is an important feature, especially if you have international customers.
Select a texting provider that allows you to integrate your existing CRM infrastructure. Integration is essential to running a streamlined marketing and communication process.
Find an SMS provider that allows easy API configuration to connect with your service. Consider the programming language to see how compatible it is with your service.
Compare the SMS gateway pricing model of different providers and choose the one that offers value for money based on your marketing needs.
Ensure to choose a provider that complies with regulations such as the GDPR, TCPA, and other regional and local laws concerning user data. The provider should know the requirement for consent of users before sending messages, as well as the timing and frequency of messages.
Contact past clients and learn how the provider works and the client’s experience with their service. This should give you an idea of whether they are reliable or not.
It would be best to have a provider with robust support, including training, technical assistance, and troubleshooting for your service.
Choose an SMS gateway provider that offers reporting on key metrics such as open rate, click-through rate, and conversion rates of the messages.
Now that you know the major factors to consider when choosing a texting gateway provider, here are some top providers you can select from.
BSG is a global communications provider with omnichannel features that work across several platforms like SMS and Viber. BSG provides a bulk messaging platform with a 99.9% delivery rate for numbers on its database. With our RESTful API, you can easily integrate your CRM infrastructure with our platform to begin your mass texting campaigns.
Features:
● Analytics and reporting to track your messaging campaigns
● Phone carrier lookup to verify customer contact details.
● Supports two-way messaging.
● Supports secure authentication methods like OTP.
● Campaign management
● Customizable message templates.
Pricing:
BSG pricing typically starts from $0.01 per message. However, the pricing is dependent on the destination country. Check the BSG pricing page for more details.
Twilio is one of the most popular SMS providers in the market. Twilio uses REST API, which adds to its functionality. Twilio goes beyond SMS messaging and has an omnichannel messaging feature that integrates well with other social media channels like WhatsApp and Facebook.
Features:
Pricing:
Pricing begins at $0.0079 per message for the first 150,000 messages. The price drops to $0.0077 for messages up to 300,000; the next 150,000 attracts $0.0075.
Sweden-based Sinch is a well-known and reliable SMS gateway provider. The CPaas platform provides businesses with several messaging channels like Viber, MMS, and WhatsApp. Sinch also enables the activation of secure login options like OTP for businesses.
Features:
Pricing:
$0.0078 is the price for sending or receiving a message on Sinch. For bulk messaging prices, you need to contact the provider.
Messagebird is an omnichannel provider with APIs for voice, SMS, WeChat, Instagram, Email, etc. The provider enables over 200 direct-to-carrier connections giving it a wide reach.
Features:
Pricing:
It costs $0.008 to send a message on Messagebird. Contact the sales department for a quote to send bulk messages.
Telnyx is a messaging solutions provider with an extensive network spanning 190 countries. Telnyx has direct access to the Public Switch Telephone Network (PSTN), which cuts out the intermediaries, resulting in less cost and higher quality.
Features:
Pricing:
Telnyx pricing starts at $0.0020 per message if you send up to 150 million monthly messages.
Commencing an SMS marketing campaign on an SMS gateway may seem difficult and technical. If you need help beginning, you can use this step-by-step guide.
We have provided the factors to consider before choosing a gateway provider. Importantly, consider the reach, security, and features the provider offers.
The next step is to sign up with the provider. Provide your business name and other necessary information to register.
After signing up, you must verify your identity on the platform. This is important because regulations mandate a sender identify himself when sending messages. In addition, receivers are likely to react positively to messages containing the business name.
This is the stage where a customer SMS database is important. The phone contacts of your customers who opt-in to receive promotional messages are uploaded for easy sending of messages. You can use a mobile number verification service to confirm each number before uploading them.
Once you have created the messages using preset templates, you can schedule when the messages go out. Factor in the frequency and the exact timing of the messages to avoid breaching regulations and maximize customer engagement.
Using a gateway provider with analytics and reporting gives you a bird’s-eye view of how well the campaign is doing. Knowing the number of messages delivered successfully, these reports will help you improve your mass marketing strategy.
Test to check the reliability and delivery rate of the SMS gateway provider. The speed of delivery is also critical if you plan to send high-priority messages like One Time Passwords.
To run an effective SMS campaign, note the following practices.
● Use brief messages with all necessary information within the 160-character limit of SMS.
● Personalize the message by using first names to make the receiver feel special.
● Use Call-to-action tags to prompt the receiver to react to the message.
● Be strategic about the timing of the messages.
● Build a database of customer contacts by asking them to opt-in for promotional messages.
● Use multiple channels such as SMS, social media, Viber, email, or billboards.
● Always track the messages using key metrics like open rate, conversion rate, etc.
SMS gateway is a fast and easy way to reach the most customers simultaneously. In the article, we looked at some SMS gateway providers highlighting their features and pricing models. You can start your mass marketing campaign using an SMS gateway with the guide we provided above.If you are unsure of the SMS provider, choose BSG , a mass SMS messaging service with all the tools to scale your marketing campaigns.
I have been involved in B2B and B2C marketing for over 10 years, including consulting
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