SMS Marketing Resources & Guides
Compare SMS platforms, understand self-hosted software and gateway costs, and discover practical ideas for growing your messaging program.
Software Comparisons
Compare SMS platforms and choose the right software model.
UltraSMSScript vs GoHighLevel
Compare a dedicated SMS platform with an all-in-one CRM and marketing suite.
Read article COMPARISONUltraSMSScript vs Trumpia
Compare self-hosted and hosted SMS software with a managed messaging service.
Read article COMPARISONUltraSMSScript vs Twilio
Compare ready-made SMS marketing software with Twilio messaging APIs, and see how they work together.
Read article COMPARISONUltraSMSScript vs TextGrid
Understand the difference between SMS gateway infrastructure and white-label marketing software—and how they work together.
Read articlePlatform Guides
Learn about self-hosting, pricing, gateways and white-label SMS services.
Self-Hosted SMS Marketing Software
Explore software ownership, server control, and gateway flexibility.
Read article PLATFORM GUIDESMS Platforms with the Lowest Cost Per Text Message
Understand the full cost of business SMS and how direct gateways affect pricing.
Read article PLATFORM GUIDESMS Software with a One-Time Fee
Learn how one-time software licenses compare with recurring subscriptions.
Read article PLATFORM GUIDEBring Your Own Carrier
Connect your own supported SMS gateway and control your messaging costs.
Read article PLATFORM GUIDEBest White Label SMS Reseller Software for Agencies
Launch a branded SMS service with client accounts and flexible pricing.
Read articleSMS Marketing Tips
Practical strategies for compliant, effective SMS campaigns.
Blog Articles & Historical Updates
Explore our archived SMS marketing articles and product history. Older information is provided for historical reference.
10DLC News
As you have probably heard by now from the SMS providers you have accounts with(Twilio, Plivo, Telnyx, etc...), mobile carriers in the US are launching a new 10DLC(10 digit long code) product…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESMMS vs SMS: What Are The Main Differences?
When subscribing to text messaging services, you have probably heard about SMS and MMS. This article will educate you by going into detail on the differences between MMS and SMS messaging.…
Read article BLOG ARTICLES3 Simple Tricks You Can Use to Improve Text Back Numbers of Your Text Marketing Campaigns
The popularity of text messages gives the perfect grounding for a very successfully SMS blast campaign, with an open rate of 98% . Combined with the average response rate of 45%, your text…
Read article BLOG ARTICLES7 Ways Churches are Using Text Messaging Services to Connect with Members
With the modern world chugging forward, constantly discovering new technologies and ways to utilize those discoveries, the population must adapt to maintain their connections. As a church this…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESMake Sure Your SMS Marketing Campaigns are GDPR Compliant - Here’s How
You have a lot of creative freedom in SMS marketing, whether you’re targeting a local subscriber list or have your eyes set on a bigger percentage of the 5 billion registered mobile subscribers…
Read article BLOG ARTICLES8 Mistakes Growth Hackers Make When Creating Text Marketing Campaigns for The Elders
It’s easy to make mistakes when you’re just starting your business or experimenting to find the best marketing tools; there is so much to do and prepare for, that some things simply slip through…
Read article BLOG ARTICLES5 Reasons Why Long Code Numbers are Better for Notifications and Reminders
Entering the world of SMS marketing for the first time can be very confusing, especially when you get bombarded with new terms and phrases at every turn. As you start to get to know how SMS…
Read article BLOG ARTICLES3 Questions You Need to Ask Yourself When Picking the Best Bulk Text Marketing Tool
So, you’ve been won over by the promised effectiveness of text message marketing, you’ve read the statistics, seen that 86% of Americans choose to opt-in to SMS messages, and been bowled over by…
Read article BLOG ARTICLES7 Secret Call to Action Tricks That Will Skyrocket Your SMS Marketing Conversions
Amongst all the things that make up a good SMS campaign, a call to action is perhaps the most important. A call to action is like the old saying ‘save the best for last’, it’s your last word to…
Read article BLOG ARTICLES6 Tested SMS Marketing Templates That Produced Amazing Results (and You Can Use for Your Business)
One of the biggest benefits of SMS marketing over the other marketing types is speed. It doesn’t take long to read a text and it doesn’t take long to reply to a text. The average person (95%)…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESThe Basics of Effective Lead Segmenting for SMS Campaigns
More and more people are choosing to opt-in to SMS marketing every day, but their reasons are very varied. In a recent report , 29.9% of customers opted-in to receive coupons, 7.3% to get…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESHow to Create an SMS Contest Your Leads Will Want to Participate In?
Nothing quite draws in the same level of excitement as a good contest. Between the motivation to win, the satisfaction of winning, and the desire to perform well, there are a lot of reasons why…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESHow Effective is Text Message Marketing for Local Political Campaigns?
Political marketing has undergone some major changes in recent years , as social media has stepped forwards to provide global platforms for political candidates to get their voices heard.…
Read article BLOG ARTICLES5 Proven Lead Magnet Ideas for a Simple SMS Marketing Campaign
Good marketing gives the consumer something that they want, great marketing gives the consumer something that they can’t resist. Offering something that your customers simply can’t turn down is…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESThe Role of QR Codes in SMS Marketing (with 3 Real World Examples)
When it comes to finding the perfect addition to your SMS marketing campaign, there are few features more well-suited than QR codes. Designed to be read by customers on smartphones, QR codes are…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESHow to Apply AIDA Copywriting Formula to SMS Marketing?
Over the years, copywriters have developed their own techniques for creating copy that is effective , engaging, and tailored to get the best possible results. These techniques have paved the way…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESWhy Coupons and SMS Marketing Campaigns Go Together like Bread and Butter?
There are few things more quintessentially American than bread and butter. They are the ideal combination: morning, noon, and night. It’s hard to imagine a more perfect pairing… but not…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESThe Differences Between Good and Great Bulk SMS Marketing Software
Text messaging has come a long way since the first text message was sent more than 25 years ago on the 3rd of December 1992. Now, texts have become one of the world’s most successful advertising…
Read article BLOG ARTICLES5 Reasons Why Old-School Marketers Think SMS Marketing Sucks (And How to Convince Them It Doesn’t)
Today, more than 50% of the population , worldwide, have access to the internet. The growth of the internet has influenced almost every single aspect of day to day life. Now, you can access all…
Read article BLOG ARTICLES7 Simple Copywriting Hacks You Can Apply to Your SMS Marketing Texts
The purpose of a copywriter is to design text that can boost the awareness of a brand and convince an audience to respond. A good piece of copy will attract readers, keep them engaged, and give…
Read article BLOG ARTICLES6 Simple Tricks to Improve Conversion Rates for Your SMS Campaign
Unlike some marketing styles, the potential of SMS marketing is well-researched and well-documented. The potential for success is outstanding, from the initial open rate to the communication…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESWhat Your Open Rates Say About Your SMS Marketing Campaign
Launching a new SMS marketing campaign is an exciting time. You’ve made the investment, you’ve produced the content, and you’ve got your subscriber list at the ready. The moment that the message…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESDo Personalized SMS Campaigns Have Better Conversion Rates?
From the humble email marketing campaign to classic leaflet advertising, the mediums for advertising are not in short supply. However, in a world where consumers are constantly bombarded with…
Read article BLOG ARTICLES4 Amazing Examples of Using SMS Blasts for Quick Polls
An SMS blast is one of the most unique forms of digital brand marketing. It gets your brand out there in seconds for your entire subscriber list, or just a select few, to see. You can send a…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESHow to Create a Sense of Urgency with Your SMS Marketing Texts
The way that customers interact with brands is changing as the digital world continues to grow and evolve. With everything accessible within seconds through desktops and mobiles, customers can…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESShort Texts vs. Long Text for SMS Marketing: The Ultimate Throwdown
So, you’ve decided that SMS marketing is the right marketing tool to add to your campaign, but you’re stuck for how best to launch your first campaign… There’s a lot to get to grips with to…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESWhat Do Consumers in 2018 Think of SMS Marketing?
There are two sides to any successful SMS marketing campaign. In fact, there are two sides to any marketing campaign. What you think, and what consumers think. It’s far too easy to get caught…
Read article BLOG ARTICLES10 Reasons Why SMS Marketing Can Outperform Traditional Marketing for Brick and Mortar Businesses
The face of the high street is changing, and now more than ever before, brick and mortar businesses are under pressure to up their marketing game and appeal to a wider audience. According to a…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESHow to Make Sure You Don’t Spam People with Your Marketing Text Messages
There is one big question that every business needs to ask when it comes to marketing: how much is too much? SMS marketing is the gateway to establishing a brand, it gets customers through the…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESIs Your SMS Marketing Software Innovative Enough to Stay on Top?
The benefits of a well-optimized SMS marketing campaign are pretty exceptional; the strategy offers an impressive reach, multiple ways to connect with your customers, and a high open-rate.…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESA Few Industries That Are Most Suitable for SMS Marketing
If you created a full list of every form of marketing, there would be few that stood out as diverse, flexible, and effective as SMS marketing. The benefits of an SMS marketing campaign are…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESWhat Kind of Conversion Rates Can You Expect from a Properly Optimized SMS Campaign?
The success of any marketing campaign hinges on conversation rate and return on investment (ROI). If your marketing campaign hasn’t got a good conversion rate, then something must be going wrong…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESThe Only Way of Generating Real Estate Leads with Text Marketing
Marketing campaigns are often only thought of in relation to big businesses that are looking to sell their products to a mass audience. What often isn’t considered are the needs of different…
Read article BLOG ARTICLES7 Factors You Need to Consider When Doing Mobile Marketing for Your Small Business
Many small businesses and start-ups hit that same point of realisation, when they start to see just how important adequate marketing is for the future of their businesses. It can come as quite…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESA Look Inside Your ROI When Adding SMS to Your Marketing Strategy
The key to selling any product is excellent marketing. The same goes for services as well. If you want to get your product or service out there for the world to see, or even just your local…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESHow To Determine What Is A Fair Bulk SMS Price
With a 98% open rate , SMS is an efficient channel for businesses to deploy to reach customers. But where to begin and how is the bulk SMS price even calculated? With SMS being a mature digital…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESHow To Use A Mass Text Messaging Service In An Academic Setting
Mass text messaging services are changing the way our educators communicate with students and parents and can even save lives. "The best way to respond [to an emergency] is to have the most…
Read article BLOG ARTICLES10 Ways Bulk Text Messaging Can Help Your Remote Team Stay On Task
80% of smartphone users check their phone before brushing their teeth in the morning. Are you utilizing this statistic in your internal business strategies? IDC research released a statement…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESHow A Mass Texting Service Can Help Keep Your Employees Safe
More than 92% of adults in the United States own a cell phone. This figure includes both smartphones and regular mobiles. Many rely on phone calls and emails to share information while at work.…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESGuide: Choosing the Best SMS Solutions Company
Are you considering SMS solutions as part of your marketing strategy? If you haven't considered SMS marketing for your business, you should. Cellphone ownership has skyrocketed to the point…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESTop Signs Your Business Needs Bulk SMS Software
Looking for new ways to invest in marketing for your business? Wondering if bulk SMS software is the right choice for you? SMS marketing comes with plenty of advantages and can be a huge help…
Read article BLOG ARTICLES8 Tips to Make Your SMS Blast Effective
Did you know that, on average, Americans check their cell phones 80 times a day? That's once every 12 minutes when you factor the hours you're asleep. That close connection to our phones is the…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESShould You Use SMS Polling?
Asking customers for their opinions about your business can feel like a double-edged sword. The positive feedback can be a confidence booster, and the negative feedback -- well, not so much. But…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESHow Top Restaurants Are Winning at SMS Marketing
Are you looking for an effective way to bring more customers to your restaurant? You're on the right track. SMS marketing is a powerful and relatively untapped direct marketing channel. If you…
Read article BLOG ARTICLES5 Ways to Improve Your SMS Campaign Results
It's hard to resist a platform where 98% of target audiences read your content. But is your messaging compelling enough for the simple style of SMS? Give your SMS a competitive edge to deliver…
Read article BLOG ARTICLES5 Measurable Benefits of SMS Marketing
What if your advertising could follow your customers wherever they go? This may sound too good to be true. However, SMS marketing can put your marketing efforts right into the hands of your most…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESHow to A/B Test Your Text Marketing Messages
Are you trying to figure out if your text marketing campaign is as effective as it could be? Perhaps you've been working on a new text marketing format or campaign but you're unsure how to…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESCommon Ideas for Uncommon Campaigns: A Compendium of SMS Inspiration
Although every marketer and charitable coordinator likes to bask in the glow of a successful outreach campaign, many find it easy to forget that successful promotions don’t just happen. Forget…
Read article BLOG ARTICLES15 Nonprofits That Used SMS to Make a Difference
Charities are quite literally supposed to be labors of love. As Franklin Delano Roosevelt said, “Charity literally translated from the original means love, the love that understands, that does…
Read article BLOG ARTICLES12 Companies That Boosted Their Business With Mobile Marketing—and 2 That Bombed
Try searching for “mobile marketing” online and you’ll likely end up with results focusing on Facebook Messenger chatbots or Instagram interactions, viral YouTube videos or punchy Snapchat pics,…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESSMS Speeds Past Facebook
If Twitter is the social media site that swoops into the slipstream to speed over the surface of the earth, then Facebook is a two-ton behemoth that trudges over the landscape, its every step…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESBye Bye, Birdie: SMS Trumps Twitter
Of all the arrivals on the social media scene, few have caused as much hubbub as the micro-blogging/link-sharing/abbreviated-message-spamming/blue-bird-mascotted site Twitter. “We are the…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESThe SMS Resurgence
A few years back, the only kind of marketing that got gurus excited was social media. Facebook had blown up bigger than Mount Vesuvius, Time was cataloguing influential tweets prior to Twitter’s…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESFive Surprising Advantages of SMS Marketing
Many of the advantages of an SMS marketing plan are immediately apparent to even the most casual observer. For instance, SMS has great response rates. Recipients engage with it quickly,…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESSMS as an Infrastructure Substitute
People like to pigeonhole SMS. Text messaging en masse is typically categorized as a marketing endeavor, a way for businesses to get the word out about products or promotions to potential…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESHow to Make Bank During Big Holidays with SMS
The winter holiday rush has come and gone, leaving traditional retailers reeling in its wake. Big names such as Target , Macy’s , and Kohl’s all reported softer sales traffic, and the market has…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESKeep Them Guessing: How SMS Can Bolster Multi-Channel Marketing
Memory fascinates us. You know Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man , how he could pluck peoples’ numbers out of his head after perusing the phone book a single time (or, at least, after making it halfway…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESBack in Black: SMS as Dark Social Media
Relatively ordinary terms can take a turn for the dramatic when someone slaps a splashy adjective on them. Take the word “dark,” for instance. There’s all sorts of unobserved and unidentifiable…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESSMS Schools Higher Ed: A South African Study
Just like any big institution, higher education has struggled to not get bogged down in an increasingly challenging competitive environment. A college education may be part of most parents’…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESThe Science of Successful SMS
SMS in general—and SMS marketing in particular—may seem like fairly new technology. The truth, though, is that it’s really not. SMS has been around for about three decades, and its longevity has…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESSizzling Synergy: How Texas Roadhouse Built Brand Loyalty Through SMS
Back in 2014, the Louisville-based restaurant chain Texas Roadhouse was facing a challenging competitive environment. According to Value Line Investment Survey , beef prices had begun to soar,…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESHow SMS Best Meets Customer Expectations
An acquaintance I once met told me about a difficult commercial transaction he experienced while caring for a critically ill family member. This individual was so sick that everyone doubted he’d…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESSuperior Steps to Building an Exclusive SMS List
By now, I hope readers of the blog are more or less convinced that SMS marketing has the potential to boost the bottom line of most every type of business. Stellar engagement statistics. High…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESUnderstanding SMS Specifics
Current paradigms propel future plans. Yeah, I know, that sounds pretentious, a faux-profound statement cloaked in catchy language. But it really is true. The boxes into which you place an idea…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESBack to Basics - The Fundamentals of SMS
For every veteran marketer who manages to establish a connection with consumers through their smartphones, there’s a bevy of eager neophytes who want to engage in the mobile space but simply…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESRetailers Ignore SMS to Their Peril
If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you know that SMS messaging has worthwhile applications for all sorts of businesses. Real estate and education , construction and banking have…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESCustomer Touchpoints Where SMS Makes All the Difference
Consumers can sometimes think of commerce as a bloodless enterprise, a disconnected, impersonal process where buyer and seller both chase value without ever pausing to connect with one another…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESSMS Still Propels Businesses to Success
Business-related publications still spill a lot of ink over mobile marketing. In-app advertising, peer-to-peer promotion (think of how Audible.com prompts listeners to send friends a free…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESThe Most Important Guideline for Your SMS Campaign
One of the dangers of digging deep into any area of business is getting bored with it. Day-to-day activities can get dangerously dull, and when that happens, professionals sometimes try to spice…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESSMS Solutions for Nonprofits
Note: This is the fourth of four posts detailing the non-marketing uses of SMS messaging for various types of organizations. Nonprofits are big business. Though charitable organizations don’t…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESSMS Solutions for Realtors
Pity the poor real-estate agent. Few jobs couple such fantastic fiscal upsides and a near-universal need for its services with the sheer difficulty of break into the business. Since becoming an…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESSMS Solutions for Schools and Daycares
Note: This is the second of four posts detailing the non-marketing uses of SMS messaging for various types of organizations. Routine tends to blunt the edges of significant events. Every day,…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESSMS Solutions for General Contractors
Note: This is the first of four posts detailing the non-marketing uses of SMS messaging for various types of organizations. It’s no secret that home and business owners hate dealing with general…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESSMS Is More Than Just Marketing
When we talk about SMS, we tend to think of it primarily in terms of marketing, promotion, getting the word out about your particular service or business. There’s nothing wrong with that, per se…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESBoons and Banes of Effective SMS Marketing
Readers of a certain age may not fully appreciate just how new cellular and online technologies are. Though both seem more or less permanent societal fixtures, they’ve only really been around…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESDoes Your Business Need an SMS Plan?
Doubtlessly you’ve heard the old proverb about what every problem look likes to a man who has a hammer. While a mallet-wielding do-gooder might, at worst, bruise a few thumbs, the situation…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESStooping to Conquer: SMS Marketing as a Service
What is the point of business? Why do humans engage in commerce? Is trade between parties something inherently unjust, ethically neutral, or morally good? Stay with me here. All of this…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESSMS Pops the Email-Marketing Balloon
When email marketing arrived on the scene, experts and entrepreneurs alike heralded it as the death knell for direct marketing. You remember all those hyperbolic letters that would appear…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESThree Best-Practice Principles For a Successful SMS Campaign
In our previous post, we highlighted how Americans are increasingly married to their smartphones, using them for all sorts of activities and during all sorts of activities. Cellular devices have…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESA Match Made in Marketing Heaven
Marriage has popped up in the news quite a bit during the past few years, and pundits aplenty across the political spectrum have offered their own prescriptions for and prognostications about…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESBeyond Profit: How SMS Marketing Is Changing the World One Text at a Time
Those of us working in the field of mobile marketing think about the humble ( and not so humble ) cell phone each and every day. To us, it’s an omnipresent piece of technology, an effective…
Read article BLOG ARTICLESSMS Marketing vs. Email Marketing
For businesses looking to reach out to a large number of potential customers, email marketing campaigns have become the go-to. Text message marketing, or SMS marketing, is a relative new-comer…
Read article