Every few years a new way to reach customers and clients emerges as a favorite among marketers. At the moment, that trend is TikTok. Before that? Direct text messaging and SMS campaigns.
SMS marketing provides a lot of bonuses, but it's especially helpful to get the information your customer or lead needs directly to their phone–something most people look at hundreds of times a day.
Let's take a look at what you need to know when deciding on an SMS marketing platform.
What is SMS marketing software?
SMS marketing software is a powerful tool that allows businesses to reach their customers and prospects via text messaging. This software enables businesses to create, manage, and execute text message campaigns that can be used for a variety of purposes, including promotions, reminders, and notifications.
Using SMS marketing software, businesses can send targeted and personalized messages to their customers and prospects based on their preferences, behaviors, and demographics. The software allows businesses to build and maintain customer databases, segment them based on different criteria, and create automated campaigns that send messages at specific times or events.
SMS marketing software can also provide real-time analytics and reporting, allowing businesses to track the effectiveness of their campaigns, measure engagement rates, and identify areas for improvement. This information can be used to refine and optimize future campaigns and enhance the overall customer experience.
What are the benefits of SMS marketing?
SMS marketing offers a range of benefits for businesses that are looking to enhance their marketing efforts and improve their customer engagement. Here are some of the key benefits of using SMS marketing software:
- Direct and immediate communication: SMS marketing enables businesses to communicate directly with their customers and prospects without email or social media platforms. Text messages have a 98% open rate, and they are usually read within minutes of receipt. This direct and immediate communication allows businesses to get their message across quickly and effectively and to reach customers in real-time.
- Personalized and targeted messaging: SMS marketing allows businesses to send targeted and personalized messages to their customers and prospects based on their preferences, behaviors, and demographics. This level of personalization can help businesses to improve customer engagement and loyalty and drive sales and revenue.
- Cost-effective and efficient: Compared to traditional marketing channels such as print or TV ads, SMS marketing is an affordable way to reach potential customers. SMS messages have a low cost per message and can be sent in bulk to large audiences. Additionally, SMS marketing software offers automation and scheduling features, allowing businesses to set up and manage campaigns with minimal effort.
- Real-time analytics and reporting: SMS marketing software provides real-time analytics and reporting, allowing businesses to track the effectiveness of their campaigns, measure engagement rates, and identify areas for improvement. This information can be used to refine and optimize future campaigns and enhance the overall customer experience.
- Opt-in and opt-out options: SMS marketing software allows customers to opt-in and opt-out of receiving messages, giving them control over their communication preferences. This ensures that businesses communicate only with customers interested in their messages, and it helps avoid spam and unwanted messages. Additionally, the opt-in process can help businesses to build a database of engaged and loyal customers.
How to choose the best SMS marketing software?
Finding the right SMS software for your business depends on how you are looking to utilize the software. Make sure to pay attention to the following when selecting an SMS platform.
- Features and functionality: Different SMS marketing software solutions offer different features and functionality, such as automation, segmentation, reporting, and integrations. Choosing a solution that provides features that align with your business needs and goals is important. For example, if you want to send personalized messages based on customer behavior, you may need software that offers segmentation and automation features.
- Ease of use: SMS marketing software should be easy to use and manage, even for those without technical expertise. It should offer an intuitive user interface, with clear instructions and guidance on how to set up and manage campaigns. Additionally, it should provide easy access to customer support in case you encounter any issues or have questions.
- Compliance and security: SMS marketing software should comply with regulations and laws related to SMS marketing, such as the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Additionally, it should have adequate security measures to protect your customer data and prevent unauthorized access.
- Pricing and scalability: SMS marketing software pricing models vary widely, from pay-per-message to subscription-based plans. Choosing a solution that fits your budget and offers scalability as your business grows is important. You should also consider additional costs, such as setup or integration fees.
- Customer reviews and reputation: Before selecting an SMS marketing software, it is important to read customer reviews and ratings to gauge their experience with the software. You can also research the company’s reputation, including its history, mission, and values. A software solution with a positive reputation and satisfied customers can provide peace of mind and assurance of a good investment.
The best SMS marketing software for 2024
The following SMS software solutions provide a user-friendly interface, automation, segmentation, reporting, and integrations to make SMS marketing campaigns more effective and efficient. Additionally, they comply with regulations and laws related to SMS marketing, have adequate security measures, and offer scalability and competitive pricing. Positive reputation and customer reviews are a testament to their ability to help businesses engage with their customers effectively and drive growth.
ActiveCampaign
G2 Rank: 4.5/5 stars
ActiveCampaign is considered one of the best SMS marketing software solutions because of its comprehensive set of features and functionalities that help businesses engage with their customers and prospects effectively. The software provides a user-friendly interface that allows businesses to build and manage customer databases, segment audiences, and create personalized campaigns.
Additionally, ActiveCampaign offers automation, reporting, and integrations with other marketing tools, such as email marketing and CRM software, to make SMS marketing campaigns more efficient and effective.
Here are some of the unique features that ActiveCampaign offers:
- SMS automation: ActiveCampaign offers automation features that allow businesses to set up and manage SMS campaigns with minimal effort. For example, businesses can trigger SMS messages based on customer behavior, such as abandoned carts or purchases.
- Dynamic content: ActiveCampaign enables businesses to send personalized SMS messages tailored to customers' preferences, behaviors, and demographics. This can help to increase engagement rates and drive sales.
- A/B testing: ActiveCampaign offers A/B testing capabilities, allowing businesses to test different SMS campaigns to see which performs better. This can help to optimize campaigns and improve overall ROI.
ActiveCampaign primarily caters to small and medium-sized businesses looking for a comprehensive SMS marketing software solution that provides automation, personalization, and integration capabilities. Additionally, ActiveCampaign is well-suited for businesses that want to build and maintain a loyal customer base through effective engagement and communication.
What languages does ActiveCampaign support?
ActiveCampaign fully supports 14 different languages outside of English. Some of these languages include Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, German, French, and Polish.
ActiveCampaign also partially supports Danish, Finnish, Simplified Chinese, Turkish, and Vietnamese.
Which currencies does ActiveCampaign accept?
ActiveCampaign supports U.S. dollars (USD), Euros (EUR), and Brazilian real (BRL).
What is the entry price point for ActiveCampaign?
ActiveCampaign’s entry-level pricing starts at $15/month. With the Starter plan, you get multi-step automation, email sends 10x your contact limit, site and event tracking, basic reporting and analytics, access to 900+ integrations, A/B testing, hundreds of beautifully designed email templates, and more.
Plus, no matter what plan you choose, you’ll enjoy features like:
- Accelerated onboarding
- Contact migration
- Chat and ticket support
- Customer enablement workshops
- And video tutorials
Find all plans on the ActiveCampaign pricing page.
Twilio
G2 Rank: 4.4/5 stars
Twilio's robust features and capabilities help businesses effectively engage with their customers and prospects. The software provides a flexible API that allows businesses to build customized SMS marketing campaigns tailored to their unique needs and goals. Additionally, Twilio offers a range of features, such as automation, segmentation, reporting, and integrations with other marketing tools – making SMS campaigns more efficient and relevant to customers.
Here are some of the unique features that Twilio offers:
- Programmable SMS: Twilio offers a flexible and customizable API that enables businesses to build unique SMS marketing campaigns that are tailored to their specific needs and goals. This can help businesses to create personalized campaigns that resonate with their customers and prospects.
- Two-way messaging: Twilio provides two-way messaging capabilities, allowing businesses to communicate with their customers and prospects via SMS. This can improve engagement rates and enhance the overall customer experience.
- Global reach: Twilio has a global reach, enabling businesses to send SMS messages to customers and prospects in over 180 countries. This makes it a great solution for businesses with a global customer base.
What languages does Twilio support?
Twilio supports multiple languages to cater to its global user base. The Twilio Programmable SMS API supports sending and receiving messages in over 100 languages. Some of the most popular languages supported by Twilio include English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, and Japanese.
What currencies does Twilio accept?
As of August 30, 2019, Twilio accepts payment in US Dollars (USD), British Pounds (GBP), and Japanese Yen with verified Japanese phone numbers.
More billing details can be found here.
What is the entry price point for Twilio?
Twilio offers a variety of products and services with different pricing models. Entry-level pricing depends on the product or service being used. The Programmable SMS API, commonly used for SMS marketing, has a pay-as-you-go pricing model that starts at $0.0075 per SMS message sent or received in the US.
International SMS messages have a slightly higher price, ranging from $0.01 to $0.05 per message, depending on the destination country.
In addition to the pay-as-you-go pricing model, Twilio also offers subscription plans for some of its products and services. These plans usually provide discounted rates for higher volume usage and access to additional features and functionalities. The subscription plans are generally suited for businesses with predictable or high-volume use.
Visit Twilio’s pricing page for up-to-date pricing and plan information.
Does Twilio integrate with ActiveCampaign?
Yes, ActiveCampaign integrates with Twilio. Visit ActiveCampaign and Twilio’s integration page for full details on the integration.
SlickText
G2 Rank: 4.8/5 stars
SlickText is another good SMS marketing software option because of its user-friendly interface and comprehensive set of features that help businesses effectively engage with their customers and prospects.
The software provides a range of features, such as automation, segmentation, reporting, and integrations with other marketing tools, that make SMS marketing campaigns more efficient and effective. Additionally, SlickText offers a variety of pricing plans that cater to businesses of all sizes and industries.
Here are some of the unique features that SlickText offers:
- Drip campaigns: SlickText provides automation features that allow businesses to set up drip campaigns, which are a series of SMS messages that are sent to customers over a specified period. This can improve engagement rates and enhance the overall customer experience.
- Loyalty program: SlickText offers a loyalty program feature that allows businesses to reward customers for their loyalty and engagement. This can build a loyal customer base and increase customer lifetime value.
- Advanced reporting: SlickText provides advanced reporting capabilities that allow businesses to track the effectiveness of their SMS marketing campaigns, measure engagement rates, and identify areas for improvement. This information can be used to optimize future campaigns and improve ROI.
SlickText primarily caters to small and medium-sized businesses that are looking for a user-friendly and affordable SMS marketing software solution.
Additionally, SlickText is well-suited for businesses that want to engage with their customers through personalized and targeted SMS campaigns and for businesses that want to build a loyal customer base through effective communication and engagement.
What languages does SlickText support?
SlickText supports multiple languages, including English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, and Dutch. Availability may be limited to a user's location and your product or service.
What currencies does SlickText accept?
SlickText accepts US Dollars (USD), Euros (EUR), British Pounds (GBP), Australian Dollars (AUD), and Canadian Dollars (CAD).
What is the entry price point for SlickText?
SlickText offers a variety of pricing plans that cater to businesses of all sizes and industries. Slick Text offers a free 14-day trial, and their entry-level plan called “The Basic” plan starts at $29/mo. This plan includes 500 texts per month, free incoming texts, unlimited contacts, picture messaging, rollover texts, and live chat support.
Does SlickText integrate with ActiveCampaign?
Yes, SlickText integrates with ActiveCampaign. With this integration, businesses can create automated SMS campaigns triggered by customer behavior, such as abandoned carts or sign-ups, and send personalized SMS messages based on customer information stored in ActiveCampaign. This integration allows for a more holistic marketing approach and enhances the effectiveness of marketing campaigns by combining multiple channels.
You can find full details by visiting ActiveCampaign and SlickText’s integration page.
Attentive
G2 Rank: 4.8/5 stars
Attentive primarily caters to e-commerce businesses seeking a comprehensive SMS marketing software solution that provides automation, personalization, and compliance features. The software provides a user-friendly interface allowing businesses to create and manage SMS campaigns easily.
Attentive offers automation, personalization, segmentation, and reporting features that make SMS marketing campaigns more efficient and effective. Furthermore, Attentive’s SMS marketing platform is designed to comply with regulations and laws related to SMS marketing, ensuring that businesses can stay compliant and avoid legal issues.
Here are some of the unique features that Attentive offers:
- Mobile messaging platform: Attentive’s mobile messaging platform allows businesses to create and send personalized SMS messages to their customers and prospects. The platform is designed to provide a seamless and engaging customer experience across multiple devices.
- Advanced automation: Attentive offers advanced automation features that enable businesses to create automated SMS campaigns triggered by customer behavior. This can help companies to save time and resources while delivering personalized and effective marketing messages.
- Integrations: Attentive integrates with other marketing tools, such as email marketing and CRM software, to provide a more holistic marketing approach. This can help businesses to create a more comprehensive and effective marketing strategy.
What languages does Attentive support?
Attentive supports multiple languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, and Dutch.
What currencies does Attentive accept?
Attentive accepts US Dollars (USD).
What is the entry price point for Attentive?
The entry-level pricing for Attentive’s services will depend on the specific needs of each business. Attentive offers customized pricing plans that take into account factors such as the size of the business, the number of subscribers they have, and the features they need.
As a result, there is no set entry-level pricing for Attentive’s services. However, it’s worth noting that Attentive’s pricing plans typically start in the range of several hundred dollars per month. This is just a general range; the actual cost will depend on a business's specific needs.
Does Attentive integrate with ActiveCampaign?
ActiveCampaign currently does not have a direct integration with Attentive.
Textedly
G2 Rank: 4.8/5 stars
Textedly is designed to cater to a wide range of businesses, from small startups to large enterprises, and offers several unique features that set it apart from the competition.
One of the primary features of Textedly is its ability to send mass text messages to large groups of people quickly and easily. With Textedly, businesses can create and manage mobile marketing campaigns with just a few clicks, sending personalized messages to thousands of subscribers at once.
The software also offers advanced reporting and analytics tools that allow businesses to track the success of their campaigns and make data-driven decisions about future messaging strategies.
In addition to its mass texting capabilities, Textedly offers several unique features that make it an attractive choice for businesses looking to take their SMS marketing efforts to the next level. These features include customizable keywords, two-way messaging capabilities, and integrations with popular CRM and marketing automation tools.
Overall, Textedly is a great choice for businesses of all sizes looking to engage their customers with personalized, targeted SMS marketing campaigns.
What Languages Does Textedly Support?
When it comes to the languages that Textedly supports, the software is primarily designed to work with English text messages. This means that businesses using Textedly will typically send messages in English, and the software’s user interface and support documentation will also be in English.
However, Textedly can also send text messages in other languages as long as those languages use standard characters and are supported by mobile carriers. For example, businesses could send text messages in Spanish, French, or German, among other languages, as long as the characters used in those messages are supported by mobile carriers.
Additionally, businesses can customize the sender ID of their messages to display in different languages, allowing them to personalize their messaging campaigns further.
What Currencies Does Textedly Accept?
The fees for Textedly’s services are typically billed in US Dollars (USD), and customers can pay for the service using a credit card or other payment methods that the company accepts. The specific payment methods that Textedly accepts may vary depending on the country and region in which the customer is located. I
t is important to note that the currencies and payment methods accepted by businesses using Textedly’s services may differ from those accepted by Textedly as a software provider. It’s always a good idea to check with the business directly to see which payment currencies they accept.
What is the entry price point for Textedly?
Textedly offers a range of pricing plans that cater to businesses of all sizes, from small startups to large enterprises. The basic plan starts at $29 per month and includes features such as unlimited contacts, automated message sending, and customizable keywords.
Textedly offers a free 14-day trial for businesses who want to test-drive the software before committing. You can find up-to-date pricing information by visiting Textedly’s pricing page.
Does Textedly integrate with ActiveCampaign?
Textedly has no native integration with ActiveCampaign, but you can use Zapier to synchronize your contact lists between the two platforms.
TextMagic
G2 Rank: 4.4/5 stars
TextMagic is a top-rated SMS marketing software that offers businesses a wide range of powerful features for managing their mobile marketing campaigns. The software is designed to cater to businesses of all sizes, from small startups to large enterprises, and offers several unique features that set it apart from other SMS marketing solutions.
TextMagic can send mass text messages to large groups of people in more than 100 countries around the world. This makes it easy for businesses to reach customers wherever they are, regardless of their location.
The software also offers a variety of automation tools, including drip campaigns and triggered messages, that make it easy to engage with subscribers throughout their customer journey.
Overall, TextMagic is a comprehensive SMS marketing solution that offers businesses a wealth of powerful features for reaching and engaging with their customers through mobile messaging. In addition to its powerful mass texting and automation capabilities,
TextMagic also offers several features that make it a great choice for businesses looking to maximize the impact of their SMS marketing efforts. These features include two-way messaging capabilities, integrations with popular marketing and CRM tools, and the ability to send messages in different languages.
What languages does TextMagic support?
When it comes to the languages that TextMagic supports, the software is capable of sending text messages in more than 50 languages. This means that businesses using TextMagic can send messages in various languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese, and many others.
Additionally, TextMagic offers a feature that allows businesses to translate their messages into different languages, making it easy to reach customers worldwide. The ability to send messages in multiple languages is a key advantage of TextMagic, as it allows businesses to communicate with customers in their preferred language, regardless of where they are located.
What currencies does TextMagic accept?
TextMagic supports US Dollars (USD), British Pound (GBP), Euro (EUR), and the Australian Dollar (AUD).
What is the entry pricing for TextMagic?
TextMagic pricing is based on price-per-text, price-per-multimedia-service (MMS), and price-per-Lookup. Pricing is based on the country you plan on sending the message to, and the rates vary per message. As of January 2024, it would cost $0.04 (USD) to send a text message within the United States and $0.093 (USD) to send a text message to Germany.
Does TextMagic integrate with ActiveCampaign?
Yes, you can integrate TextMagic with ActiveCampaign. You can view the full details by visiting ActiveCampaign and TextMagic’s integration page.
