SMS Marketing is an ideal way to promote a campaign

Many case studies can show anyone the effectiveness of promoting a marketing or communication campaign to a very large target audience in minutes.

For example, SMS marketing can launch a mobile loyalty program that can accumulate new subscribers who receive location-specific offers and alerts. Further examples could include the effectiveness of SMS by sending a link via SMS with the lure of finding out a special discount code or customers signing up for an SMS campaign to receive location-specific offers by texting a shortcode or by signing up and entering a phone number on a website.

A solution can be found using an SMS Marketing provider to set up a campaign to increase revenue, traffic, customers and brand loyalty.

Features of SMS Marketing Providers

One key feature you need to investigate from an SMS Marketing provider is the ability to build and deliver intelligent, data-driven SMS campaigns directly into their IT platforms. This can be done through a web interface or a fully managed service. Engaging customers or consumers with an SMS campaign that can be delivered directly to their mobile phones is vital.

Integrating SMS distribution into a client’s CRM, e-commerce, or business applications that integrate with the API platform is an essential requirement. Integrating your SMS campaign with other marketing channels means you can feed data back into your systems to view the campaign’s effectiveness.Sms Marketing Campaigns 1

Remember that over 90% of mobile users read their text messages within three (3) minutes of receiving them. So, it would be best to have a provider that can promptly deliver SMS to your customers. Still, most providers should be able to send SMS within 15 seconds via a reliable premium telecommunication gateway network that can handle large volumes of SMS.

There are two types of carrier gateways: direct and hybrid. Direct gateways use Australian telecommunication carriers such as Telstra, Optus, or Vodafone, which are usually more expensive. Hybrid gateways use overseas telecommunication carriers, which are cheaper but less reliable.

Another feature you must seek is getting your message or campaign notification out at any time of the day using the easiest-to-use platform. Whether you send single or multiple text messages, you must ensure the SMS Marketing company can build a scalable campaign based on your needs.

Equally important is having access to all the features you will need, including email-to-sms, web-to-sms, 2-way SMS, Keyword recognition, and a detailed reporting system. The privacy option should include an ‘opt-out’ functionality that gives you a good idea of your campaign’s return on investment (ROI).

An extensive review of major Australian and overseas SMS Marketing providers revealed that ClickSend has all the significant features required for an effective marketing or communication campaign.

 

Charges incurred when using SMS Marketing Providers

With all the features offered, there is a charge for sending each text message to a customer or consumer. Depending on the provider, the charges range from 10 to 30% more. The charges will also be determined by volume size, so from a cost-benefit perspective, the larger the number of SMS distributed, the cheaper the charge for sending a text message. SMS are charged on an individual basis and a monthly turnover.

The graph below shows that ClickSend is the best monthly distribution value. It is competitive for the small and mid-size number of text messages distributed monthly and cheapest for a large volume of SMS sent monthly.

Sms Marketing Campaigns2

Unlike some of its competitors, ClickSend charges a monthly fee. There are no contracts, setup fee charges, or expiry dates for SMS credits.

 

Reliability of SMS Marketing Providers

Reliability is an issue that always needs to be asked. You do not want delays and duplicate issues to impair the marketing campaign. One of the issues mentioned before is the type of gateway carrier used. Australian telcos are much more reliable, and direct connections to one of these carriers will provide better reassurance that the message will be sent.

The reliability of SMS marketing providers can vary depending on various factors, including their infrastructure, technology, customer support, and overall track record of success.

When evaluating an SMS marketing provider, several key considerations should be considered. These include their infrastructure, updated technology, proper compliance standards, adequate customer support, and reputation. Choosing a reliable, trustworthy SMS marketing provider with a proven track record of success is important. By evaluating potential providers based on these criteria, you can ensure that you choose the best partner for your SMS marketing needs.

Also, the prospective client needs to assess the uptime guarantee feature. It would be best to see that the provider has at least a 99.95% uptime guarantee and a robust enterprise infrastructure that ensures their platform is always available when required.

The graph compares the reliability of the major SMS Marketing providers based on the above factors.

Support provided by SMS Marketing Companies

It is reassuring to know that the SMS Marketing providers reviewed offer reliable customer service with a perfect uptime guarantee and Australian support on an ongoing basis. Overall, SMS marketing companies typically provide a range of support services to help their customers succeed with SMS marketing. The specific types of support provided may vary depending on the company and the customer’s particular needs.

Concerning support, the client must be able to work with an SMS marketing team to understand the client’s critical reasons for the campaign, the challenges they may encounter, and how they can add value to the campaign.

Sms Marketing Campaigns 3

For example, ClickSend offers an 1800 number or online software, meaning you can get in touch continuously. It also offers 24/7 email support and an international phone number on its contact page.

The other value from a support aspect is the availability of quarterly review reports and catch-up meetings to support the campaign process.

About SMS Comparison

The SMS Comparison Table and site were developed by a group of authors who are experts in SMS and have worked for many years in this field. Now that they have left this field, they have decided that an independent assessment of SMS providers should be available to the public free of charge. This resulted in a thorough review of significant SMS providers and the resultant SMS Marketing Comparison Table and associated sites.

While the SMS Australia Comparison Table is accessible to the public, the authors wish to disclose that some affiliate relationships exist. Such relationships do not impact the rates and fees users of the site will receive from these providers.

As the information comes from the provider’s website and not through an API feed, there is the risk that the data may become outdated without prior notice. As such, you should note below when the page was last updated. Before signing up, check with the SMS bulk providers’ website account.

The information is current, but the provider can make changes at any time without any notification, so please ensure you look at their websites after reviewing the information provided on this site. Should there be any different information, please notify the authors of this site, and changes will be made as soon as possible.

The latest update was on 8 April 2024.

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