Blasting Text: The Easy Guide to Launching Successful SMS Campaigns [2024 Update]

Blasting texts and SMS marketing can work wonders for your business – the click-through rate (CTR) for SMSs is 9.18% higher than any other digital communication channel.

In many ways, SMS marketing and blasting texts is the holy grail of direct-to-consumer communication.

Consumers view it positively, and 82% open every text they receive. It is a direct line from you to them, in real time, the CTR is unparalleled and the costs are minimal. 

So, how do you do SMS marketing and text blasting right? What goes into a successful campaign? And which tools are the best blasting SMS tools to use?

Today, we’re covering just that: what SMS blasting is, the benefits, how to grow your SMS list, how to run a successful SMS campaign, and a quick review of the best blasting SMS software tools to use. 

Let’s dive right in!

Quick Comparison – 11 Best SMS Blasting Software Tools

What is an SMS or Text Blast?

A Short Message Service (SMS) blast is a short text message sent to a group of receivers at the same time. The group can be as large or small as needed, from a handful of people to thousands of people.

In marketing, SMS blasting is usually used to alert people of an upcoming sale or promotional offer. However, text blasts can be used for any communication that needs to be direct, immediate and short.

In addition to promotions, Text blasts are often used for things like sending customers a discount coupon code, reminding clients of upcoming appointments or sending out important notifications to members or staff.

Text blasts form a crucial part of SMS marketing, which is one of the simplest and most successful marketing channels available to businesses of all sizes, in all industries. 

Take a look at this video by Learn with Shopify for some great blasting text strategies:

Why Use Blasting SMS Marketing? The Benefits of Text Blasting

SMS blasting and SMS marketing as a whole are often overlooked, in favor of more modern channels like social media. 

However, there are some major benefits to using SMS for your marketing communication.

Let’s take a look at the most important ones: 

1.SMS Open Rates Are High

If you think email open rates are high (18%), think again. The average open rate for SMS marketing campaigns is 98%, which completely blows email marketing campaigns out of the park. SMS campaigns also cost considerably less, which means they provide a great return on investment (ROI).  

While 90% of consumers read an SMS within 3 minutes of receiving it, 45% of emails are sent to the spam folder. SMS open rates aren’t higher than only emails. SMS Comparison confirms that consumers are more likely to open texts over any other messaging medium. 

2.Immediate and Direct Marketing Channel

As almost 5 million people own mobile phones worldwide and 82% of consumers open every text they receive, blasting text marketing is a direct way to communicate with your customers. 46% of people spend 5-6 hours on their phones daily, proving that using blasting texts as a marketing channel is worth the time and investment.

Plus, 80% of Americans have to check their phones first thing in the morning. All these statistics boil down to one thing: if your business uses blasting text marketing, your consumers will undoubtedly see your marketing material. And not only will they eventually see your material, but the interaction will be immediate and highly accessible.  

3.Mobile-friendly Marketing Method

By using SMS marketing and text blasts, you’re tapping directly into all the benefits of mobile marking. More and more consumers want businesses to communicate with them directly, through mobile-friendly methods, and an SMS blast service is a great way to do just that.

Among app notifications, email marketing, and direct mail, 48% of consumers prefer SMS communication. The same report confirms that 83% of US teens prefer text communication more than ANY kind of communication, including social media.

But here’s the thing, why do consumers prefer SMS marketing so much more than other marketing mediums? It’s simply because consumers are always on their phones, and they want mobile-friendly marketing efforts to accommodate that. 

4.Cost-effective Marketing Channel

Using an SMS blast service the most it may cost to run an SMS marketing campaign is around $500 per month. And that’s assuming you’ve chosen a plan with all the bells and whistles.

However, for an email marketing campaign, your costs can quickly reach twice that at around $1000 per month. 

SMS marketing is also a lot cheaper than social media marketing. The industry average for the cost of social media marketing ranges from around $4000 to $7000 per month.

Essentially, your businesses can save a lot of money by using an SMS blast service for your SMS marketing and text blasts, and it may be much easier to reach your desired ROI. 

How to Grow Your SMS List – 10 Tips to Gain New Subscribers

If you want your SMS marketing campaign to generate profit, grow your SMS list constantly.

At first, this might be a hassle, and you’ll find mediums that don’t work for you and some that do. To give you a head start, here some tips to grow your SMS list:

1. Use an incentive your consumers can’t decline: To optimize your SMS blasting list, offer your audience an irresistible reward for joining. You can do this through discounts, freebies, or coupons. Your reward must be something valuable to your audience for them to act on it. 
2. Add an SMS sign-up option on your checkout page: Catch your audience right before they check out through an SMS opt-in feature on your checkout page. Include information about what customers can expect from signing up to your SMS list and reassure them that they won’t be spammed and their data will be secure. 
3. Promote your SMS list on your landing pages: Use popups, slide-ins, or footer ads to promote your SMS list. 
4. Use loyalty and referral programs: Loyalty programs and referral programs are a great way to engage your customers, again new leads and get relevant people onto your SMS list. Offer incentives to customers for their referrals and repeat purchases when they sign-up for the SMS list and refer a friend. 
5. Promote your SMS list through live events (online and offline): Hosting live events and promoting your SMS list at the same time is a great way to engage your customers, network and capture qualified contacts for your SMS list. In a B2B context, webinars are hugely popular and highly effective.
6. Add an SMS list opt-in to all your existing marketing channels: Promote your SMS list on every active marketing channel you use and provide an easy way to opt-in. Remember to highlight the benefits/rewards of opting-in and what the immediate incentive or reward is. 
7. Create urgency around your CTA: People are more likely to act on an offer when there’s urgency around it. Offer the first 10 or 20 people an exclusive offer for joining your SMS list, or use a countdown timer to encourage people to act immediately. 
8. Run a challenge or contest: Whether you host a social media contest or run a contest through your website, it’s a fantastic way to gain leads for your SMS list. Incorporate urgency and an irresistible incentive in your contest.
9. Target existing customers in person: Hand out flyers or have an ‘entry box’ for new sign-ups in your brick and mortar locations. 
10. Segment your audience and add personalization: Segment your audience based on their preferences and use personalized marketing methods for each group in terms of the incentives offered and the ways in which you reach them to sign-up for your SMS list. 

7 Steps to Launch a Successful Text Blasting Campaign

Like any marketing campaign, an SMS blasting campaign needs to be carefully planned and executed to be effective. Luckily, SMS campaigns are some of the easiest to plan and manage! 

Here are 7 steps to take for a successful text blasting campaign that reaches the right people, at the right time, and drives high conversion rates:

1.Define Your Business Objective

Before launching your text blasting campaign, you need to be clear about your business’s aim. Starting with this makes it easier to direct your text blasting campaign, identify your ideal buyers and brainstorm a CTA.

For starters, choose one primary objective you want to achieve from your text blasting campaign. For example, multiplying your sales, raising brand awareness, or securing loyal consumers. 

When choosing your goal, ensure it’s SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound). Communicate your goals to your entire team, so you are all working in the same direction.  

2.Establish Your Audience

Be clear about the type of consumer you’re hoping to add to your SMS list. Be specific about this to determine which marketing methods to use.

If you have various ideal buyers in mind, segment your audience and use the appropriate marketing methods for each group.

Establishing your audience will be simple through understanding them. Use surveys and quizzes to broaden your understanding of what your consumers want from your business. 

This will help you establish your audience and increase customer appreciation too.

3.Choose the Best SMS Marketing Software for Your Business

After establishing your audience, you need to choose the SMS marketing software (aka your SMS blaster) for your text blasting campaign.

Choosing the best SMS marketing software can be tricky, so refer to our list above on how to evaluate SMS marketing software for your business.

4.Create an Encouraging CTA

Brainstorm an exciting CTA that’s ought to persuade your audience to join your SMS list. Your CTA should be clear, concise, and engaging.

Use bold, large text as your CTA and place it on a visible section of your website. You can also promote your CTA through social media. 

5.Create Short but Sweet Text Messages

For the text message content for your text blasting campaign, ensure your content is flawless. If content writing is not your area of expertise, you can hire freelance content writers to get this done for you. 

If you decide to curate your own text messages, ensure they are concise and to the point. Your text messages must also be captivating and include a clear CTA. To get through to your audience, you can include slang words and emojis too.

6.Develop a Schedule for Sending Text Messages

The time you send your text messages is vital as you need your recipients to see them. Send messages before 9 am and after 9 pm, as most consumers don’t work during those times.

Run a few tests from your SMS blaster tool to determine the best time to send your text messages. 

7.Track and Analyze your SMS Marketing

Tracking and analyzing your text blasting campaign is essential to ensure you’re accomplishing your aim. Track vital metrics to determine whether you need to ramp up your marketing efforts or if you’re on the right track. 

Here are a Few Metrics to Track for a Text Blasting Campaign:

• Subscriber growth rate: This is how many subscribers you’re gaining for your SMS list. Track this rate weekly and identify which marketing efforts are accelerating your subscriber growth rate. 
• Subscriber churn rate: This rate describes how many subscribers are opting out of your text blasting campaign. You should keep your churn rate below 2%-3%.
• Redemption rate: This metric is how many consumers redeem your offers. If this rate is low, consider changing your incentive. 
• Cost per redeeming rate: How much does it cost per customer that redeems your offers? Determining this will help you reveal your profitability.  
• CTR: Your CTR describes how many consumers click on the link in your text messages to get to your desired action. 
• Conversion rate: Your conversion rate is how many consumers not only click on your text message but complete your desire action. 

How We Evaluated the Best Text Blasting Services & How to Choose the Best One For Your Needs

When it comes to text blast apps and services, there are many, many options to choose from!

It can be challenging to extract which are the best, so to make it easier, we have reviewed dozens of options and selected the best ones to feature here.

We chose them based on: 

• Features 
• Integrations
• Pricing and value-for-money
• User-friendliness 
• Reviews and ratings from real-life users 
• Our own experience using the software
• Level of support offered by the provider
• Scalability 

All the SMS blasting tools we have featured here are great options. So, how do you select the best one for your unique needs?

Here are some tips to help you make the best choice:

How to Pick the Best Text Blast Services for Your Needs

Most SMS marketing software offers month-to-month subscriptions, but you’re still committing to one software and it is important to choose the best option for your unique needs. 

When you’re looking for the best text blast service for your needs, consider the following when you’re evaluating and comparing tools:

1. Usability: How simple and straight forward it it to use the software? Is the interface intuitive? Most SMS sending tools are pretty simple and straightforward to use but they’re not all made equal!
2. Integrations: Can the SMS software integrate with the other tools in your stack, such as your CRM, email sending tools, calendars and planning tools?  
3. Customer support: Ideally, customer service should be quick, knowledgeable and available 24/7, or at least available during working hours in your time zone.  
4. How easy it is for consumers to sign-up? A good SMS marketing tool will have sign-up solutions that are quick and easy for your subscribers, and also gather enough demographic information to be able to accurately segment your list. 
5. Tracking and reporting: Accurate tracking and easy to view and understand reports are critical for campaign success. You should view your performance clearly, and ideally, your SMS software should have real-time analytics to show the impact of your text message blast.
6. Data security: Through SMS marketing, you will collect sensitive personal and contact information from your consumers. The SMS platform you choose must support PCI 1 level security, which is the same security for processing credit card payments. Conduct a security audit of your own to ensure the SMS platform has sufficient data security. 
7. Fit for your industry and niche: Check the vendor’s portfolio to see if others in your industry and niche, with similar needs to yours, are using the software. 
8. Scalability: Ensure that the SMS software you choose has the capability to scale and grow with your needs (and that it will still be affordable at higher send volumes than you need right now) the best text blast service is one you can grow with over time.  

11 Best Text Blasting Software

You that know how to launch a blasting text campaign and how to choose the best SMS blasting software for your SMS marketing campaigns, let’s review the best text blast services and the top SMS blasting tools to use:

1.MobileMonkey

MobileMonkey is all about dynamic, engaging mobile chatbots and helps agencies, in-house marketers, brands, and influencers develop successful blasting SMS campaigns.

In addition to text message blasts, this SMS software allows you to market through Facebook Messenger, Instagram, web chat, SMS blast, omnichat, and Agency. 

MobileMonkey integrates with Zapier, allowing you to connect it to thousands of other apps and programs. 

B2C businesses can use MobileMonkey’s advanced SMBots to provide their consumers with 24/7, live support. And the Instagram features enable automatic responses to customer queries and tools that reward users for interacting with your brand.

Plus, MobileMonkey’s own chatbot-OmniChat offers a multi-platform chatbot builder, instant communication, and a unified chat inbox to handle all communications relating to your SMS blast.

Integrations

• Zapier
• Live chat
• Google Sheets 
• Webhooks

Pricing:

• Custom pricing

Website: mobilemonkey.com

2.SimpleTexting

SimpleTexting is an SMS marketing tool that offers an intuitive dashboard with everything you need right at your fingertips.

You can send personalized blasting texts/SMS blasts with pictures and other media forms.

SimpleTexting offers two-way conversations, to communicate in real-time with your leads and customers. 

Businesses can also track CTR’s, subscriber rates, and delivery rates. SimpleTexting also allows you to segment consumers, schedule texts, and create autoresponders.

You can also create automated birthday messages, recurring campaigns, extended texts, and tiny links. Many popular brands like Starbucks, SAMSUNG, and Lego have all used SimpleTexting. 

Integrations:

• Zapier
• Mailchimp
• Hubspot
• Salesforce
• SMS API
• Shopify
• Instagram
• Slack
• Pipedrive
• And many, many more

Pricing:

• Free Trial: 14 Days
• Fixed Plans: From $29/month
• Custom Plans: (more than 50 000 credits p/m)

Website: simpletexting.com

3.ClickSend

As an SMS marketing software ideal for experienced marketers, ClickSend offers robust features for blasting SMS campaigns.

Users enjoy real-time tracking with the ability to send 4800 messages per minute and draft text messages for up to 1224 characters. You can send customized messages to any country, and ClickSend handles all your opt-outs.

ClickSend offers 24/7 customer support, and you can set reminders and schedule automated text messages too. You can also add security features like 2-step verification and one-time passwords. 

Integrations:

• Zapier
• Slack
• Salesforce
• IFTTT
• Shopify
• Zoho
• Xero
• Gmail
• Freshbooks
• Facebook
• Whatsapp
• Instagram
• Twitter
• And more!

Pricing:

• From $$0.0234 per SMS

Website: clicksend.com

4.TextMagic

TextMagic allows brands to send texts online, convert texts to emails and schedule messages.

It’s also possible to manage your opt-outs, use SMS templates, personalize text messages and create SMS surveys.

You can export valuable data too, like your CTR rates, conversion rates, and delivery rates.

This SMS marketing software has worked with clients of all kinds like QiQ, MaidPro, SDL, and Fylde Property. TextMagic also has two-factor authentication and a carrier lookup function for your text blasting campaign. 

Integrations:

• Mailchimp
• Zapier

Pricing:

• From $0.040 per MMS, text, and lookup

Website: textmagic.com 

5.EZ Texting

Blast SMS marketing couldn’t be easier with EZ Texting. With a long list of integrations, businesses of all sizes rely on this tool for results-driven SMS marketing.

You can add or upload contacts and create customer segmentations for targeted marketing. 

EZ Text allows businesses to set notifications to stay ahead of customer communications, and you can set reminders to keep buyers engaged.

You can seamlessly track and measure your analytics, and leverage real-time data to respond to questions as they occur. 

Integrations:

• HubSpot
• ConstantContact
• Shuttershock
• MailChimp
• Shippo
• BigCommerce
• Keap
• Magneto
• Google Ads 
• Aweber 

Pricing:

• Launch: From $25 /month
• Boost: From $75 /month
• Scale: From $125 /month
• Enterprise: From $3000 /month

Website: eztexting.com

6.Textedly

 Textedly allows businesses to send between 10 and 10,000 SMSs at once! Businesses using this platform have achieved impressive results.

Textedly has increased its open rates by a whopping 98%. You can use this platform for text-blasting marketing for retail stores, schools, restaurants, and many more businesses. 

With this tool, you can create custom SMS opt-in web forms, and conversation triggers and use text keywords.

With Textedly, businesses don’t need much more. What’s even better about this platform is they offer FREE incoming messages and unlimited subscribers.

The analytics are super comprehensive too, for accurate tracking. 

Integrations:

• Slack
• Salesforce
• Zapier
• MailChimp
• Pipedrive
• Shopify
• Google Sheets
• Zoho CRM
• Twitter
• Constant Contact

Pricing:

• Free Trial: 14 Days
• Bronze: $24 /month
• Plus: $39 /month
• Enterprise: $50 /month

Website: textedly.com

7.Podium

Podium is an SMS marketing tool for local businesses.

The purpose of this platform is to guide businesses to deliver improved customer experiences and boost buyer engagement.

You can start your blasting text campaign with prebuilt templates and customize it to your brand.

Configuring Podium is quick and easy, and using it is easier! You can target specific customer segments, create opt-in forms and receive real-time notifications.

Podium also provides functions for digital payments, text-to-pay, and website chat. 

Integrations:

• CCC
• Adam Systems
• Airtable
• Caldenly
• BigCommerce
• Clio
• DealerVault
• Dentrix
• Eaglesoft
• FieldEdge
• HubSpot 

Pricing:

• Free Trial: 14 Days 
• Essentials: $289 /month 
• Standard: $449 /month 
• Professional: $649 /month 

Website: podium.com

8.JookSMS

JookSMS knows how vital sound SMS marketing campaigns are today.

In turn, this platform has a valuable range of services to handle all your text blasting strategy requirements. You can send promos, alerts and notifications, and configure two-step authentication.

Handling mobile payments is typically challenging, but fortunately you have JookSMS.

Users can improve their missed payment collections and billings while ensuring they’re customers are engaged and reminded of them.

Integrations:

• Undisclosed 

Pricing:

• Prepaid: From $0.026 per SMS
• Basic: $25 /month
• Gold: $50 /month

Website: jooksms.com

9.SlickText

Configuring Podium is quick and easy, and using it is easier! You can target specific customer segments, create opt-in forms and receive real-time notifications. Podium also provides functions for digital payments, text-to-pay, and website chat. 

Businesses love using SlickText because it’s super easy to configure and use. You don’t have to worry about complex, time-consuming onboarding and a clunky interface.

As industry experts, SlickText delivers optimized features and functions, putting your customer at the center of your campaign. 

Integrations:

• MailChimp
• Zapier
• HubSpot
• ActiveCampaign
• ClickFunnels
• Google Sheets
• Facebook Lead Ads 

Pricing:

• Free Trial: 14 Days
• Basic:$29 /month
• The Set Up: $49 /month
• The Lil Bro: $79/ month
• The Big Bro: $139/ month
• The Boss: $189/ month
• The Albatross: $350 /month
• The Whale: $750 /month
• The Monstoro: $1250 /month
• Enterprise: Custom Quote 

Website: slicktext.com

10.Brevo

Brevo is one of the most popular solutions for blast text marketing.

This platform will help you pick the best tools to achieve your customer engagement goals. Through powerful AI automation, you can focus on the tasks that matter.

To ramp up their value, Brevo offers 24/7 customer support. And if you need a tool offering more than just blast text marketing, Brevo offers features for email marketing, CRM and web chat. 

Integrations:

• Shopify
• Stripe
• Magneto
• Gleam
• ThriveLeads
• Zoho
• MailPoet
• Facebook
• PayPal
• Wix 
• Eventbrite 

Pricing:

• Free Forever
• Starter: From $25 /month
• Business: From $65 /month
• Enterprise: From $1000 /month

Website: brevo.com

11.ActiveCampaign

While ActiveCampaign is more widely known for email marketing, they provide specialized SMS marketing features too.

However, you only get SMS marketing in the Plus, Professional, and Enterprise plans. You have loads of different prebuilt SMS templates, like new subscriptions, events, and reminder texts. 

Like many other top blast text marketing platforms, ActiveCampaign has automated functions.

This means you can skip the tedious tasks and optimize your blast text campaign for the best results.

Your automated workflows will send customers’ follow-ups and route text messages to the right agents.

Integrations:

• Facebook
• WordPress
• WooCommerce
• Shopify
• Salesforce
• Unbounce
• Supermetrics
• 4screens 

Pricing:

• Lite: $39 /month
• Plus: $70 /month
• Professional: $187 /month
• Enterprise: Custom Quote 

Website: activecampaign.com

Final Thoughts on Text Blasting SMS Marketing 

Blasting SMS marketing is a fantastic medium to communicate with your consumers.

Not only do consumers want brands to message them more, but texts have higher open rates than emails. And most people check every single one of their texts! 

Choosing the best SMS marketing software for your text blasting campaign and growing your SMS list is effortless through this guide.

You have all the information to launch a victorious text blasting campaign and 4 of the best SMS marketing software to pick from. 

References

Techjury: 35+ Must-Know SMS Marketing Statistics

Campaign Monitor: Ultimate Email Marketing Benchmarks: By Industry and Day

G2: 45 SMS Marketing Statistics Your Customers Wish You Knew

VentureBeat: Why businesses can’t ignore SMS (Hint: 90% of people read a text message within the first 3 minutes)

Spam Laws: Spam Statistics and Facts

SMS Comparison: SMS Marketing Statistics for USA Businesses

Bankmycell: Mobile User Statistics: Discover the Number of Phones in The World & Smartphone Penetration by Country or Region

Statista: How Much Time on Average Do You Spend on Your Phone on a Daily Basis?

Reviews.org: Cell Phone Behavior: How Obsessed Are We?

FinancesOnline: 48 SMS Marketing Statistics You Must See: Market Share Analysis & Data

BuildFire: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know About SMS Marketing

WebFX: How Much Does Email Marketing Cost?

The Content Factory: How Much Does Social Media Marketing Cost?