Share article:
How to send mass text messages
Do you want to message multiple customers easily and efficiently? In this guide, we’ll explain how to send mass text messages.
Effective customer communication is key for a successful business or organisation. Mass text messages offer just that! With one single message, you can reach many users at once. How does that work, and what’s the best way to send mass texts? Let’s explore!
What is mass texting?
Mass texting, also known as bulk SMS or one-to-many broadcast, means that you send one text message to multiple users at once. So, instead of having to type and send the same message several times, you just do it once.
Mass texting doesn’t actually happen from your regular phone, but through special mass texting services. These work very much like a professional email newsletter tool like Mailchimp or Mailjet.
What’s the difference between a mass text and a group text?
When you send a group text, your message ends up in a group chat, where everyone sees the entire message exchange. Mass texting on the other hand opens up an individual chat with every single recipient.
This means: if you send the same text to 40,000 people, you’ll be able to start 40,000 separate private chats afterwards. Also, if a user replies to your message, you’re the only one that sees that response and consequently, the entire one-on-one conversation stays between you two.
Since mass texting services are designed for businesses, you can also use special features. For instance, you can send images through MMS, dedicated mobile landing pages, or use variables like {{firstname}} that’ll automatically personalise each message. You’re also able to segment target groups for a more customised message or set automation rules for certain responses. And with tools for SMS analytics, you get detailed insights into each campaign.
Get started with mass texting in minutes
Start a 14-day free trial with Sinch MessageMedia and take our mass texting tool for a spin.
Why should businesses use mass texting?
There are several benefits to reaching out to customers via bulk SMS.
1. Wide reach
Australia counts 22.77 million mobile subscriptions with 98.82% of the population covered by mobile networks. And you can reach all of these people easily by sending an SMS. Even in more remote areas where internet data connections might be shaky, a text message can still get through.
SMS also reaches more people because text messages really cut through the noise. There are no deterring algorithms, no spam folders, and your message ends up front and centre on a phone screen where it gets the user’s full attention.
2. High open and click-through rates
Text messages not only reach a lot of people, Aussies also really love texting! 80% of people check their phones within 15 minutes of waking up and 70% open an SMS within five minutes of receiving it.
SMS reaches open rates of 98% and click-through rates of up to 36%. Those are some seriously impressive engagement metrics. Just imagine, where bulk SMS could take you!
3. Cost-effective messaging
Sending text messages is also cost-effective, especially with a special business plan that fits your company’s specific needs.
There’s also something else to keep in mind. SMS has an impressive return on investment (ROI). According to the Association of National Advertisers, SMS ROI performs at 102%, making SMS a smart investment. Think how much you have to pay for a Google ad and about the conversion rates you get out of these ads. In comparison, sending text messages is more affordable AND you get higher conversions. Win-win.
“SMS is the biggest return on investment that you can get. You can’t get that kind of ROI on the share market. You can’t get that anywhere.”
4. Efficient communication
With mass texting, you can reach thousands of people with only one message. That’s obviously more efficient than having to type and send an SMS 1,000 times. But that’s not the only way in which mass texting is efficient.
When using a business tool, there are also other ways to scale your messaging. For example, you can schedule messages to be sent at a certain time. You can set automations for certain behaviour, like a reminder text for abandoned shopping carts. It’s also easier to set up opt-in and opt-out choices for users.
5. Versatile use
Mass texting can also be very versatile. You can use it to send newsletters to subscribers, announce the launch of a new product, or notify customers that an item is back in stock. You can also segment your audience and send a special deal to your most loyal customers or happy birthday messages with a dedicated discount code. Bulk SMS is also a great tool for staff communication.
The possibilities are really endless, and literally any business from real estate agencies to flower shops to beauty parlours can benefit from it.
How to send mass text messages in 6 steps
With the right tool, sending bulk SMS is really easy, and it can all happen on the go from a mobile app or from the comfort of your desktop computer. Let’s have a look at how to send mass text messages in just 6 steps.
- Find a mass texting service that suits your needs and create an account. Some providers like Sinch MessageMedia offer free trials as well.
- With Sinch MessageMedia, you then simply click on the
icon and then select New Message. - Now, you can add multiple numbers either by copy-pasting them, adding them from the Contact Groups or by importing them from a file per drag-and-drop or uploading a file.
- Write your message in the Message content field. You’ll notice that the personalised fields are now mirroring the column headers in your imported data file.
- To see how the message will display on a recipient handset, you can click Send test. This allows you to send the composed message to yourself and / or a colleague without losing any of your data so you can continue with the send after vetting the message.
- Once you are happy, simply click Send now.
Take it for a spin
Sign up for a 14-day free trial and check out how easy mass texting is with Sinch MessageMedia.
10 ways to use bulk SMS
There are many use cases for sending out bulk SMS to your customers, employees, or even students. Here are some ideas to get you started.
Promotional messages
From a special deal for a popular product to promoting a new service: inform your customers about existing offers via mass texting.
Holiday deals
Offering a big discount on flowers for Valentine’s Day or a two-for-one deal around Australia Day? Send out a bulk SMS to get these deals in front of shoppers.
Loyalty rewards
Entice loyal customers to shop again by sending them vouchers. With a mass texting service, you can easily segment your customers and improve your targeting.
This method is extremely effective. Take for instance the American Doughnut Kitchen. By using customised bulk SMS, the company achieved a 40% increase in loyalty card redemption from customers.
Event invites
Bulk SMS can also be a great way to inform people about an upcoming event. Add a link to a mobile landing page or an RSVP form where people can also sign up right away. In a next step, you can even set up automated reminder messages to anyone who signed up to increase the number of participants.
Newsletters
You can also use mass SMS to keep users in the know about new products, upcoming events, company news, important industry developments, and much more.
Feedback and surveys
Gathering reviews and feedback can be tough. Make it easier for customers by sending them feedback forms and quick surveys on a channel they love to engage with! It’ll increase the number of answers you’ll get.
Special announcements
Are you opening up another store at a new location or gifting free parking to anyone who gets an annual gym membership? Mass text messages are perfect for those special announcements you want to get out to as many people as possible!
Staff notifications
Bulk SMS are also very useful for keeping your staff in the loop about relevant company news.
Important information for students
For educational institutions it might not always be very easy to get out critical information to all the students. Why not use bulk SMS? It’s fast, convenient, and will reach your students immediately.
How to send mass text messages for urgent alerts
From a bad weather alert to last-minute changes: sometimes you need to get important information out as quickly as possible. Simply send an SMS alert to keep everyone up to date.
Best practices for sending mass texts
Sending a mass text is different from sending an email newsletter or posting on social media. Since you have a character limit and people are reading your message on the go on a mobile device, your message has to be short and to the point. You also have to keep some special regulations in mind.
Here are some tips to help you get started.
Respect anti-spam regulations
Under the Australian Spam Act, users have to actively give you permission (opt-in) to send them text messages. They should also always have an option to unsubscribe from your messages (opt-out), for instance by replying “STOP”. You also have to identify yourself as a sender and include your contact information.
Not complying with these regulations, can have harsh consequences. Organisations can be liable to pay up to 220,000 Australian dollars (the fee for individuals can be up to 44,000 dollars) for a single day. Repeat offenders can face fines up to 1.1 million dollars (220,000 for individuals) per day.
Be mindful about the length
A text message is limited to 160 characters. When you add special symbols or emojis, your limit goes down to 70 characters. People also read your message on a small screen and often while they’re out and about. You should therefore be on point with your SMS to get your message across.
There are also some tricks to add more content into a text message, like adding links to web pages where users can find out more. You could also include an image that has additional information.
Include multimedia elements
Adding multimedia elements like images, links, or mobile landing pages also make your messages more engaging and lead to higher click-through and conversion rates. With a mass texting service like Sinch MessageMedia, you can easily add image files, links, and even mobile landing pages to your campaigns.
Make sure your content is useful
Don’t just send mass text messages to send them. Unless they bring real value to your customers, they won’t be successful. Before starting a bulk SMS campaign, you should therefore think carefully about what type of content your audience would really benefit from the most.
If you’re not sure, you can also ask your audience directly! Send users a brief survey to find out what content they would want to get from you.
Don’t send messages at anti-social hours
Timing is key to a successful mass texting campaign. You could have the most thoughtfully-crafted marketing message, but if your target audience is asleep while you send it, they might be more annoyed than pleased with your notification. So make sure, your message gets there at the right time.
Of course, the “right” time varies, depending on your target group. A 5 AM update for farmers fits wonderfully into their morning routine, while bankers will have more time to read your texts during their lunch break. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different time slots to figure out the best schedule.
Measure your results and optimise
When sending out mass text messages, you might not always get it right the first time. No worries! That’s where analytics tools come in handy. They’ll show you open and click-through rates, response times, and much more. These detailed insights will help you to optimise your campaigns. The more you look at what your customers really respond to, the more you’ll get out of mass texting for your business.
