Mass sending text messages is the most effective way to deliver information to thousands of people in just one go. It is the most used data service in the world. Because text messages don’t require any network connectivity and are received by millions of phones, you can be assured that all your recipients would be notified (unless their phones were turned off).
This article provides a step-by-step process on how to mass send SMS. There are two ways: through an online web service or using an Android app. We’ll cover both methods in this guide.
1. Text Message Marketing Online
The first method is to use an online service that allows you to send mass text messages in just a few minutes. We’ll recommend just two services, which are Twilio and Mass SMS Gateway . Both services offer multiple features for sending text messages such as XML and HTML templates, sending via email or the web, instant delivery verification and tracking of your texts.
They differ in terms of pricing and features.
Twilio is a cloud-based service that lets you send SMS messages anywhere, anytime using your web browser or free Twilio app for iOS and Android. It’s easy to use, fast and reliable with just $0.0075 per message (that’s around $5 for sending 1000 text messages).
The service has very good documentation and a support system so you can easily learn how it works. You will also get some useful development tools such as the TwiML API, which allows you to create your own messaging applications quickly without any knowledge of programming languages like XML/HTML or HTTP Request etc.
On the other hand, Mass SMS Gateway charges highly for its unlimited package ($300 per month for unlimited texts to US numbers), but the service is delivering messages almost immediately and provides good feedback after sending. Both services enable you to send a text message up to 140 characters in length, with formatted text as well.
2. Text Message Marketing Android App
There are hundreds of apps in Google Play market for mass text messaging, but most of them don’t have good reviews or no ratings at all due to their suspicious permission requirements such as reading contacts and SMS data which makes users skeptical about installing these apps on their phones.
However, there are some good ones that can do the job effectively without requiring excessive permissions: A Better Texting (has more than 50 million downloads and 4.5 rating) , SMS Scheduler (has more than 100k downloads and 4.5 rating) , Bulk SMS Sender (more than 60K downloads and 4.1 rating), Text Free – Text from PC into Mobile (more than 10 million downloads and user rating of 3.8).
All these apps have similar interfaces which you can use to send mass text messages by entering the phone number or contact name, selecting the message template, scheduling a specific date-time for sending out the texts, previewing your texts before sending out and finally pushing the “Send” button to confirm. These apps also provide setting options such as turning on/off vibration alert and including sender’s name in the message etc. so that you could customize it according to your need.
3. TextSanity: Cost-effective SMS Marketing
TextSanity is a cost-effective international text messaging service to reach out your customers and non-customers around the world. Their solutions enable you to send bulk text messages and make money with them using their free tools, such as an API and dedicated server for sending texts online without any programming experience required.
You can also use Text Sanity’s own web app for mass text messaging which includes some unique features such as:
1) List building & direct marketing: Send opt-in text messages to your prospects who haven’t opted-in for any offer. You can target specific audiences, send short code numbers, track responses and more using their dedicated marketing app TextSanity Marketing .
2) Feedback & survey: Collect feedback from your customers by sending useful surveys to them via texts. Track the results and status of all your sent messages in one dashboard that includes replies, open rates, spam reports, click rates etc.
3) Auto responders: Use autoresponders to send automated response texts when a contact responds or sends an SMS to you. You can also customize the message contents as per your business needs.
To conclude, there are several good options to choose from whether you want to send mass text messages on a budget or need an unlimited service for sending out texts. The best part is that all these services offer money back guarantee if you are not satisfied with their services (just contact them within 30 days of your purchase).
