Bulk SMS Messages Can Skyrocket Your Small Business

A Critical Small Business Tool – Bulk SMS Marketing.

Are you looking for information on sending bulk SMS messages the easy way? Well, look no further.

Today, I’m going to hand you, on a silver platter, everything you wanted to know about sending a Bulk SMS messages.

I’m going to go over the benefits. I’m going to tell you why as a small business you should be using bulk SMS messages in your marketing. I’m going to tell you who to send text messages to… and how often to send bulk sms text messages!

But wait, that’s not all…

I’ll tell you about the different bulk SMS systems… and even explain what a Bulk SMS Gateway is. I’ll touch on why you should NOT use a free Bulk SMS sender.

Finally, I’m going to share how to send a bulk message – step by step, and end with an overview of low priced, high value bulk message service prices!

Bulk SMS Made Easy

Thousands and thousands and thousands of small businesses are sending bulk SMS messages the easy way. I’m going to start by highlighting 5 benefits of sending bulk SMS messages… but don’t get me wrong, there are thousands of benefits… these are the big five.

• First, send thousands of messages in just seconds.

Just like email you can communicate with thousands of people in just seconds using bulk SMS messaging. But SMS messages have an advantage over email… and that’s benefit number 2…

• Second, Get 90% visibility for your message!

Yep, you read that right. According to some market researchers, 90% of SMS messages received are read… and most in the first 10 minutes! That’s critical to benefit number three…

• Third, target your marketing by TIME!

This is a huge advantage over any other marketing channel… if you want to market a special that’s good at a certain time… say a discount on pizza on Tuesday at 6:00 pm… then bulk SMS messages is the best way to do it.

• Fourth, short messages means EASY writing.

Many business owners struggle with their marketing message… the blank canvas of an email message can be scary! SMS Text messages are only 160 characters – so you’re not likely to struggle to find your message – you’re forced to be short and to the point!

• Fifth, sending bulk SMS is cost effective.

To send a message can be as little as $0.01 for a SMS message… Yep, to message your 100 best customers will cost you a whopping $1.00.

$1 buck… can you pay more for bulk SMS, sure. . .  but why!

Every time I meet a small business owner, I tell them the same thing… You need to be sending bulk SMS messages for your small business!

Communication via SMS message is great for customer engagement, and it’s the next generation of marketing.

Don’t believe me?

Just ask any millennial you know.

Dollars to donuts they prefer to communicate via text…

Email marketing is dying… online advertising is being blocked… and cold calling is dead! (Who uses their cell phone to talk anymore?)

Sending useful messages to engage with your customers in the most personal way possible is the future of brand development… and a guaranteed way to improve customer engagement – and drive sales!

So that brings up a great question

Who Should Small Businesses Target With Their Bulk SMS Messaging?

In a word, EVERYONE! (No, I’m not kidding)

You should target:

• Prospects
• Customers
• VIPs
• Employees
• Vendors
• And – Everyone Else!

Bulk SMS messages are a great way to communicate… and if you use them in the right way, you will skyrocket engagement… and you’ll see sales grow!

And that brings up a great question I often get.

How often should a small business send send a bulk SMS message?

Great question – and I’m glad you asked.

Here’s the problem… for everyone it’s different.

I know one entertainer who only sends bulk SMS messages to his list when he’s in town… so once a YEAR at the most!

I know another marketer who uses bulk SMS messaging to communicate with his sales team. So, he sends messages to his team two or three times a WEEK… and sometimes even more!

I know a personal trainer who uses bulk SMS messages to keep his customers motivated. He sends them messages 1 or 2 times a DAY. Some are inspirational quotes… others are recipe ideas… or workout routines!

If you’re running a restaurant, maybe you message once a week about a special, or discount, or coupon. If you’re doing B to B sales… maybe you message once a month.

The key is for every person, the details are different… but I’ll share a secret with you…

How To Send Bulk SMS Messages Effectively.

If you want to send bulk SMS messages, you’ve got to do it effectively.

There are three critical steps to effective SMS messaging. I’ll get to them below.

But, before you start sending messages, you’ve got to do something very important… You’ve got to find an SMS provider… someone who can send your SMS messages for you.

How hard is it to find a bulk sms provider?

Not very hard at all.

There are a number of ways to send bulk SMS messages.

Let me start off with the way I recommend doing SMS messages… I recommend you find an online SAAS provider. What’s SAAS? It’s shorthand for Software As A Service.

For example your online email provider is a SAAS. The email software is built, hosted, managed, and updated by a company. You simply sign up for an account and use the software to send your emails.

You can do the same thing with bulk SMS messages, or texting software.

I’m biased, but I think my company, Betwext.com is the best out there for Bulk SMS sending software.

There are other options.

You can find an app for your phone to send SMS messages… but many apps lack the functionality you need to do marketing effectively.

You can also buy software to install on your laptop or desktop computer. The problem here is keeping the software up to date… it’s your responsibility to make sure everything works correctly and the software is still functioning. If you modify the settings in any way, it’s on you to fix it and make it work… that can be very frustrating!

Now, while you’re looking for a bulk SMS provider, you might hear of someone mention an SMS gateway.

Think of an SMS gateway as a computer that sits between you and your customers wireless carrier. You tell the gateway to send a message… your gateway talks to the cell phone network… and the carrier sends the message to your customer.

Here’s the thing… the gateway is what many SAAS and apps talk to. You need a piece of technology to sit between your computer and the gateway. So, yes, you can go sign up for a SMS gateway… anyone can… but then you need to write your own software to talk to the gateway and send your message.

Look, let’s keep this easy – go find an online SMS Marketing system and let them do the hard work of developing the software. You focus on the marketing side… let the tech geeks worry about the technology.

Now, for a quick tirade..

You Should NOT Use A FREE Bulk SMS Service.

Why?

Because they are all a scam. Seriously. Think about it. To send a message the phone company charges money. Yes, real live money. So who would allow you to send a bulk message out for free?

Nobody.

There’s a trick. Maybe they limit how many you can send… or start charging after a certain number of sends… or worse yet – they get your customer phone numbers and start sending them messages without you knowing.

Don’t get caught in a trap by trying to be cheap. There are very low cost ways to send bulk SMS messages. Find one and use it!

That leads to the next topic for today…

How To Send A BULK SMS Text Message, Step-by-Step

Look, this isn’t rocket science… There are three primary steps to sending out your bulk SMS messages. Upload your contacts, Draft your message, then schedule and send.

First you want to upload your contacts into whatever SMS platform you are using.

Now, here’s a tip.

Make sure you only upload clean cell phone numbers. If you add contacts with landlines, burner phones, or disconnected numbers, you run the risk of your message being blocked by the carriers. You also want to make sure you’re following all the rules and regulations about sending people messages. Make sure everyone on your list specifically opted into getting messages from you!

Second… Draft your bulk SMS message

When you draft your bulk SMS messages, I want you to keep two things in mind.

ONE – always send interesting messages. Nobody wants to get boring messages about dumb things… so, keep your messages interesting, and informative. Be funny, provide important info, be educational, give lots of value!

TWO – always have a Call To Action. I don’t care what your Call To Action is… but use one. It can be simple like:

• Click here!
• Watch this video.
• Read this Article.
• Call this Number.
• Download this file.
• Sign-up for this webinar.
• Text me back.
• Visit the store today.

There are thousands of Calls To Action… use one in every message. Don’t forget this very important tip. It’s the easiest way to convey to your list what you want them to do.

Remember, you want to educate and connect with people by sending bulk SMS messages… you don’t want to scare them away!

Now, you’ve uploaded your list, you’ve drafted your message, and you included a call to action… Right?!?

Third, this is the last step, you want to schedule your message to go out.

Please, please, please don’t just hit the “send now” button.

Think about your message and when it will have the biggest impact. You don’t want to offer a discount on Friday – if Friday is your crazy day! No, what you want to do is figure out the time when your business is the slowest. Maybe a Tuesday afternoon… or a weekend.

Whatever the time is, schedule your messages then.

Remember you’re asking people to take action. You’re asking them to call, or text you back… or visit your store, or redeem a coupon.

Make sure your message makes sense and is going out at the most appropriate time.

If you’re promoting a business activity, send your message during business hours… maybe in the early morning. If you’re working at a nightclub, you probably want to send your messages in the early evening on Friday or Saturday.

Follow these three steps, and you’re sure to send some bulk SMS messages that have a major impact on your customers.

Now a final thought.

Many business owners are looking for “Low Price High Value Bulk SMS Service!”

In other words, they want to send their bulk SMS messages for cheap.

Well, like anything pricing is all over the map.

But, if you’re paying more than $0.01 cent for a SMS message (160 characters) or $0.02 – $0.04 for a MMS message (up to 600 characters)… then you’re probably paying too much!

See what I mean, when I say, Mobile Marketing is cheap and effective.

I hope you got some great ideas and knowledge from this article… and I hope your next bulk SMS message is a smashing success.

Remember sending bulk SMS messages for marketing is a very powerful tool that small businesses can use to grow customer interaction and sales. It’s a cost effective way to communicate with your prospects, customers, VIPs, and employees! Try sending Bulk SMS marketing messages today with Betwext.com.