Top 6 Ways Mass Text Software Can Improve Customer Engagement

Suffering from the pains of unengaged customers?

Are you tired of them:

• Not reading your email blasts?
• Not bothering to comment on your social media posts (or even like them)?
• Not responding to any of your latest offers?

We know. It blows.

You put all that hard work into creating the perfect messages, and then nothing happens…

But don't feel bad; you're not alone because it's the 21st century, and it's a real struggle to get people's attention.

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Luckily, the situation isn't as grim as it sounds. And there is something you can do.

Something a bit different. Something that's been proven to work time after time.

Something called SMS marketing.

It's a strategy that delivers 80%+ open rates and 30%+ click-through rates at very reasonable costs.

Jumping out of your chair yet?

We can't blame you, but sit back down, please. 🙂

And get ready to learn how mass text software can help you create engaging sales and marketing campaigns that'll make you want to find Friedhelm Hillebrand and Bernard Ghillebaert and personally thank them for inventing SMS technology.

What is Mass Text Message Software?

In a nutshell, it's a digital solution that enables you to text a large group of people.

And yes, it's more convenient than creating a group chat for your favorite customers.

Most (good) programs make it easy to segment groups of customers and send them a customized message that gets noticed.

Apart from segmentation, mass text software also lets you:

• Automate SMS sequences (known as drip campaigns) and replies
• Schedule messages in advance
• Send reminders and confirmations
• Nurture your prospects and customers from a wide range of devices (from PCs to smartwatches)
• Track insights and performance

When it comes to this type of solution, customers have the choice between two types of platforms:

1. Standalone mass text message software
2. All-in-one software, primarily in the form of CRMs (Customer Relationship Management tools)

We prefer CRMs, and we think you should, too.

Full disclaimer: we are the developers of a CRM called Ringy. You probably noticed our logo.

But this isn't the reason why we prefer CRMs.

We actually decided to build a CRM rather than standalone software precisely because of their benefits to salespeople, marketers, and customer support agents.

Namely, CRMs eliminate the need for overcomplicated tech stacks, painful integrations that require constant maintenance, and multiple invoices that really add up.

They make business sense in almost every case — the only valid reason to stick to a standalone solution is if you're 100% satisfied with your current SMS-less CRM.

Convinced?

Great, let's move on and quickly discuss the types of SMS messages you can send with mass text software.

Or feel free to click here to skip straight to the six ways you can boost engagement with mass texting if you're short on time.

Types of Bulk SMS for Business

1-way SMS

1-way SMS is exactly what it sounds like.

You use your mass text messaging software to send out short broadcasts to your customers.

You don't want (or need) them to reply.

It's commonly used for booking or payment confirmations, purchase receipts, and sharing links to landing pages.

Its main advantage is that it's cheap, while its biggest drawback is that people like to answer text messages.

Which ushers in…

2-way SMS

This type of bulk SMS for business allows you to have a basic conversation with your clients.

Most of the time, the replies are automated, which takes a time-consuming and often mind-numbingly boring task off your hands.

But how does your software solution know what to answer?

Simple — you give clear CTAs to your recipients.

For example, you can end your messages with action statements like "reply C to confirm" or "text Y for yes and N for no."

Your platform then tracks the responses and updates your CRM based on your customer's choice, notifying you only if further action is required (like suggesting another time).

What about if you want to have more meaningful conversations? Fear not, there is a solution, and it's called…

Conversational SMS

Think of conversational SMS as the 2.0 version of 2-way texting.

It doesn't require pre-set responses.

And it works by leveraging artificial intelligence (or good old-fashioned human intelligence).

You have the choice of:

1. Outsourcing replies to a friendly robot that uses advanced natural language processing to read, understand, and answer human inquiries
2. Getting a colleague to answer the messages

The first option is more efficient and cost-effective.

However, suppose your conversations are nuanced and complicated (say you're chatting about life insurance policies that involve a great deal of emotional intelligence). In that case, you're better off sticking to a human — for the time being, at least.

How Mass Text Messaging Is Used in Business Settings

Companies across the globe use these three types of bulk SMS for businesses to send out a wide array of marketing messages and general communication.

Need a couple of examples to get your brain going on how you can use mass texting?

Here you go:

And by the way, if you're wondering, "Does SMS work for my industry?" you don't need to worry. Really.

Even though only 39% of marketers and salespeople use SMS as a comms tool, pretty much everybody can benefit from mass texting these days, including:

• Retailers and eCommerce
• Restaurants and hotels
• Education
• Appointment-based services (i.e., doctors and beauticians)
• Subscription-based businesses (i.e., gyms and SaaS software)
• Agencies and contractors
• Event organizers
• Travel
• Real estate
• B2B and B2C sales

Told you it's pretty much everybody.

Alright, now on to what everyone has been waiting for, the star section of today's blog post:

How to Increase Customer Engagement with Mass Text Software

1. Get consent before you communicate

Nobody likes picking up their phone and seeing unsolicited messages.

It's annoying, and it's a privacy violation.

And instead of boosting engagement, you're only likely to supercharge the number of angry customers and costly lawsuits your business has to deal with.

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So save yourself from a world of pain and fines and get explicit consent before you start texting your leads and customers.

You can use strategies like:

• Sign-up forms on your website and email newsletters (using a lead magnet)
• Asking for consent at checkout
• Promising (and delivering) exclusive offers if they sign up
• Encouraging them to text a keyword to a short code via advertising

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Trust us, the extra hassle is worth the effort.

Especially when you begin seeing over 15% of your texts convert and up to 600% ROI.

2. Offer text-based customer service

Do you know what a good strategy for keeping customers happy is?

Listening to what they want and meeting their expectations.

So when 89% of consumers want to use text messaging to communicate, and 90% expect a response to a customer service issue in 10 minutes or less, you give it to them.

By reducing (or even eliminating) wait times and resolving problems quickly, you can leverage the need for instant gratification and increase customer satisfaction.

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And when you do that, you can be sure your loyal customers will be far more willing to engage with your other SMS-based mass communication, be it a special offer or a feedback form.

3. Send reminders and special wishes

People forget about things all the time.

Remember, we live in a distraction-based world.

And that's one of the reasons mass text software is priceless for salespeople and marketers.

You can easily automate messages you'd likely forget to send.

We suggest setting up sequences for:

• Dropping your customers a short birthday message with a relevant offer
• Adding texts for any other special occasion your CRM tracks (i.e., anniversaries)
• Reminding people of upcoming appointments and meetings
• Giving customers a heads-up that a big offer is coming to an end

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These short yet incredibly valuable messages condition your customers to perceive your messaging as timely and helpful.

This way, whenever they see one of your texts, it'll be second nature to open and engage with them.

4. Talk products

If people have agreed to opt-in to your SMS database, you can be confident they like your company.

Your products (or services) are somehow helping them improve their lives.

So leverage everything you know about them — by checking your CRM, of course — and then use software to send mass text messages that keep them updated on the things they care most about, like:

• Their favorite product categories
• Tips on how to make the most of their recent purchases
• New products and designs
• Discounts and special offers
• Upselling and cross-selling opportunities

But whatever you do, don't just send bland, generic messages.

Prove you've done your homework, and you're reaching out with customized information that's worth sending.

And before you get snappy and say, "Ain't nobody got time for that level of personalization," let us reassure you that your mass text software can send mass customized messages.

It might sound like an oxymoron, but custom fields make the impossible possible.

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5. Listen to your customers' thoughts and feedback

Nothing says “I care” louder than asking and listening to someone's opinion.

It's not enough to ask.

Everybody does that, and sooner rather than later, customers will pick up on the fact that you're only asking because you need their feedback.

And that does nothing for engagement and your relationship.

You need to make them feel like a valued member of the community.

Use mass text messaging software to:

• Send out an initial request for feedback
• Thank your customer for completing the survey
• Engage in short conversations based on their thoughts (this could be automated or run by a support agent)
• Follow up with the results of the survey (e.g. “Thanks to your feedback, we've now implemented a live chat service during business hours.”)

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6. Master your send times

Orange is the new black.

And “timing, timing, timing” is the new “location, location, location.”

A large chunk of your engagement numbers relies on you sending mass text messages at precisely the right time.

And while you can check the research and listen to marketing gurus for the so-called perfect time slot, you're much better off if you sit down and analyze what your data is telling you.

Which is pretty easy if you're using mass text software with advanced reporting.

Simply find the times that resonate best with your audience and stick to them.

Pro tip: don't consistently send SMS messages at exactly the same time; vary it just a little, so your customers don't pick up on the fact you're sending out mass blasts.

Top 3 Software to Send Mass Text Messages

If we've done our job well, you should be just about ready to consider a couple of options for getting started with mass text software.

If that's the case, then definitely read on.

If not, we suggest you pop over to our guide on SMS text messaging for more background reading and information about this business strategy.

Ringy

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We're Ringy. You already know that.

But don't roll your eyes and think we're just another company tooting our own horn.

That's not the case.

We're simply giving credit where credit is due.

After all, what would be the point of working 12-hour days if we beat ourselves up and refuse to drop a few nice words about ourselves here and there?

Modesty won't convince you to try our solution out.

And to prove it's not us just saying good things about our all-in-one CRM, here are three direct links to independent review sites:

• Software Advice
• Capterra
• G2

Key features:

• Affordable pricing with pesky user surcharges
• Just $0.005 per outbound text message
• Drip campaigns for both SMS and email
• Powerful automation sequences
• Includes a full-blown sales CRM and an integrated VoIP softphone
• Strong SMS analytics
• User-friendly mobile apps for texting on the fly

Monthly price: $99 a month + cost of credit packages (as of Mar 2022)

Close

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Close CRM is good. Seriously good.

And if you're serious about closing more deals, you should check it out.

Like Ringy, it's also an all-in-one sales CRM that does it all from contact management to mass text software to email automation and VoIP calling.

We love how user-friendly it is and how many integrations it has.

However, we can't overlook that it's significantly more expensive.

And yes, we know they have a plan for just $29 a month per user, but it doesn't stand up to the competition.

The reality is that you're looking at $99 or $149 a month per user to match the same functionality you can get for $99 a month for unlimited users with our solution.

Key features:

• CRM with a unified communication system
• $0.01 per outgoing SMS
• One-click SMS capabilities
• Advanced automation
• Instant insights
• Free migration and support

Monthly price: $29 to $149 a month per user (as of Mar 2022)

TextMagic

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TextMagic is our top pick for standalone mass text software.

Why?

1. It's relatively affordable
2. It has a ton of features
3. It's easy-to-use
4. It's straightforward to integrate into your existing tools

We still think you should go for a CRM — you know because it's more powerful and offers better value — but TextMagic is a valid alternative if switching CRMs is off the table.

Key features:

• 1-way and 2-way SMS messaging
• Pay-as-you-go
• Simple automation
• Easy to set up and use
• More than 200 supported countries
• Fast, secure & reliable

Monthly price: From $0.04 per outgoing SMS (as of Mar 2022)

Free Mass Text Software for Business – What's the Catch?

Good question, and one that was always bound to come up.

Free mass text messaging software doesn't exist anymore. Spammers abused them, and telecom companies have opted to finally block these solutions.

However, it's easy to get confused because there are still many hits for “free mass text software” or “mass text software free” on the internet.

These usually now link to:

1. Companies like TextMagic that wave monthly subscription fees
2. CRMs like Ringy include texting services as part of their overall package

Both options still charge you a small outgoing message surcharge to cover the telecommunication costs of sending an SMS.

If you find websites claiming to offer free mass text messaging software, you should tread very carefully because there's going to be a catch, and it could be that:

• The company is planning to sell your data to third parties
• They're scammers
• It's just a limited offer (i.e., the first 100 texts are free)
• You have to send each message out individually

Mass Text Software FAQs

“Can I send mass text messages from a computer?”

Of course, you can.

All you need is quality mass text message software and a couple of minutes of free time.

And we'll say more:

We recommend you use a computer (if possible) to send out mass texts because it's usually easier to set up the campaigns, segment your audience, and perfect the custom fields.

“How do I send a personalized mass text?”

The key is to put yourself in your recipient's shoes.

Ask yourself, “what kind of message would I like to receive?”

Odds are that you'd be impressed with an SMS that:

• Uses your first name
• Reflects your interests
• Ties in with your past interactions with the company
• Offers you something unique
• Includes a signature from the person sending you the message

This example should clear up the massive difference between good and lousy personalization.

Bad:

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Good:

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“What is the best app to send mass texts?”

Ringy, if you're looking for an all-in-one sales CRM that handles SMS messaging effortlessly

And TextMagic, if you're after simple, standalone mass text software.

“Is text blasting legal?”

Mass texting, or text blasting, is definitely legal. However, it's a heavily regulated and restricted business practice.

You need to know exactly what you're doing before you text your customers left and right.

We suggest you book some time with your lawyer, and you have a detailed look at the privacy laws governing text messaging in the countries you operate in.

This table should help kickstart your research:

Concluding Thoughts on Mass Text Software

In an era of diminishing attention spans and constant distractions, mass text software is a…

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Sorry about that; it turns out it was just a tiny boat.

What were we saying?

Ah yes, mass text software is one of the best ways to cut through the noise and actually communicate with your customers on a channel that still has high open rates and strong engagement.

Just don't betray their trust, respect their inboxes, and follow the six tips you learned today:

1. Get consent before you communicate
2. Offer text-based customer service
3. Send reminders and special wishes
4. Talk products
5. Listen to your customers' thoughts and feedback
6. Master your send times

You're bound to see impressive business results when you combine these with a market-leading software solution (like Ringy).

Ready to dive in?

Book a demo, and one of our friendly colleagues will show you how to get started.