Alexis Kestler
As a fellow data geek, I‘m always exploring new marketing technologies that can boost results. Lately, I‘ve been experimenting with SMS marketing – and TextMagic has really impressed me.
Text messaging presents a huge opportunity that many businesses overlook. Let me walk you through why SMS merits attention – and how tools like TextMagic make it work.
The Untapped Potential of SMS Marketing
Here are some compelling stats that highlight the power of SMS for customer engagement:
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SMS have an unrivaled 98% open rate within 3 minutes. In comparison, email only sees 20-30% open rates.
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90% of customers would like to receive notifications from businesses via SMS.
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75% of consumers prefer SMS for personalized offers and discounts.
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43% of millennials want offers sent through text message.
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SMS coupons have a 6x higher redemption rate than printable coupons.
Clearly, consumers want to engage with brands via text messaging. And the results are unmatched by most other channels.
But the biggest roadblock I see? Most businesses still don‘t have an SMS strategy in place. Their loss could be your gain.
Key Benefits of Text Message Marketing
Here are five compelling benefits of using SMS in your customer engagement stack:
1. Instant Delivery and Response
Text messages have an average response time of just 90 seconds. There‘s no faster way to reach customers.
2. Higher Opt-In and Engagement Rates
Consumers readily provide their phone number to brands they trust. This leads to SMS achieving 50-200% higher response rates compared to emails.
3. Versatile Use Cases
SMS can be leveraged for promotions, alerts, reminders, support, surveys and more.
4. Cost-Effective
Sending bulk SMS only costs around $0.005 per message – much more affordable than social or search ads.
5. Scalability
Bulk text blasts can reach your entire subscriber list at once – allowing both personalized and mass communication.
For local businesses, SMS marketing should be a no-brainer addition to your martech stack.
Next, let‘s look at how TextMagic helps you unlock SMS at scale.
How TextMagic Makes SMS Marketing Easy
After trying most major SMS providers, TextMagic stands out as my platform of choice – especially for small businesses.
Here are some of the key reasons why:
User-Friendly Interface
TextMagic‘s web and mobile apps simplify creating, sending and managing SMS campaigns. Features like contact segmentation, template messaging, and scheduled sending make TextMagic intuitive for beginners.
Enterprise-Grade Delivery
Through partnerships with all major telecom carriers, TextMagic reliably delivers 99%+ of text messages. Their SMS gateway uses priority routing for optimal global delivery speeds.
Two-Way Messaging
Customers can respond directly to your SMS campaigns – turning text blasts into conversations. Reps can reply or assign messages, enabling text-based lead follow-ups.
End-to-End Analytics
Robust analytics provide actionable insights into your best-performing messages, customer groups, engagement rates, sales impact and more.
Integrations
Zapier and API integrations enable connecting your CRM, email, social media, forms and other marketing tools with TextMagic. This allows creating unified customer journeys.
Security
From encryption to SOC 2 compliance and routine third-party audits, TextMagic adheres to stringent protocols to secure customer data.
Affordable Pricing
With pay-as-you-go, per-message pricing starting at just $0.004, TextMagic offers high ROI. There are no monthly fees or hidden costs.
Let‘s look at how small businesses can put TextMagic to work…
SMS Marketing Use Cases and Campaign Ideas
TextMagic lends itself well to several core SMS marketing applications:
| Use Case | Campaign Examples |
|---|---|
| Promotions | Limited-time sales, coupons, discounts, flash deals |
| Alerts | Order confirmations and shipping updates, appointment reminders |
| Customer Service | Shipping delay notifications, answers to product questions |
| Client Communications | Appointment confirmations and reminders, billing alerts |
| Lead Generation | Links to gated content, offers to website visitors who abandon cart |
| Surveys | Feedback requests, NPS or CSAT surveys |
| Events | Event registrations, schedule reminders, venue updates |
The versatility of TextMagic allows restaurants, retailers, service businesses and more to engage customers in relevant, non-intrusive ways.
You can get creative with two-way conversational campaigns as well. Some examples:
- Daily deals – Send subscribers personalized daily offers to incentivize revisits
- Polls – Gather feedback by texting polls/questions to customers
- Content sharing – Notify customers when you publish new blog content
The options are endless. Focus on use cases that help you achieve core business goals like lead conversion, repeat sales, upselling, referrals, reviews etc.
Step-By-Step Guide to Launching Your First TextMagic Campaign
Ready to get started with SMS marketing? Here is a quick 4-step checklist:
1. Find Your Use Case
Start by identifying a specific goal for SMS marketing, like increasing webinar signups or collecting customer feedback. Keep the campaign niche and targeted.
2. Create Your List
Upload phone numbers of customers who have opted-in to SMS notifications from your brand. TextMagic makes it easy to import and segment contacts.
3. Set Up Your Message
Use the TextMagic web editor or template gallery to set up engaging campaign content. Schedule the messages for delivery.
4. Analyze Performance
See open rate, click-throughs, and conversions driven by the SMS campaign. Identify your most responsive customer segments for better targeting.
TextMagic simplifies every one of these steps through its user-friendly platform. And the impact on customer experience and revenues can be remarkable.
How Much Does TextMagic Cost?
One of the biggest appeals of TextMagic is affordable pay-as-you-go pricing with no monthly fees. Cost per SMS starts at just $0.004 – one of the lowest rates in the industry.
There are also no charges for incoming messages or app usage. You only pay for outgoing texts on an on-demand basis.
Volume discounts are available for high-volume SMS senders. For context, here is a pricing comparison with other top SMS providers:
| Platform | Cost Per SMS |
|---|---|
| TextMagic | $0.004 |
| SimpleTexting | $0.006 |
| CallFire | $0.0075 |
| Zipwhip | $0.01 |
| SlickText | $0.04 |
As you can see, TextMagic offers very competitive pay-as-you-go rates, especially for smaller text volumes. For high-volume use cases, be sure to negotiate custom enterprise pricing.
Top TextMagic Alternatives Worth Evaluating
While I firmly vouch for TextMagic, here are a few other excellent SMS marketing platforms:
- SimpleTexting – Another very affordable PAYG option with excellent delivery rates.
- CallFire – Great for more advanced voice/SMS use cases.
- Salesforce Mobile Studio – Seamlessly integrates SMS with existing Salesforce workflows.
- SlickText – Specializes in mass texting for political and advocacy campaigns.
I always recommend piloting 2-3 tools to find the right fit for your workflows. Most offer a free trial – take advantage of that!
The Verdict – Should You Use TextMagic?
For most small businesses new to SMS marketing, TextMagic is likely the perfect starting point. With their combination of simplicity, deliverability, affordability and automation capabilities, they remove all friction from launching effective SMS campaigns.
My advice – dip your toes in the water with a limited test campaign and track the impact on your KPIs. Expand scale as you optimize your messaging and strategy. With the right execution, SMS can become one of your highest performing marketing channels.
Give TextMagic a try today and share your thoughts or questions! I‘m always happy to chat SMS tactics.
