Mass Texting: Everything You Need to Know

Explore everything you need to know about mass text messaging to find easy and effective ways to convey messages to large audiences.

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Ninety-six percent of Americans own cellphones. On average, those cell phone owners open more than 98 percent of the text messages they receive. What’s more, cell users open most texts within three minutes of receipt.

Together, these statistics make one thing very clear: text messages are a powerful tool for reaching people. Mass text messaging makes them a powerful and efficient tool. Keep reading now to learn what mass texting can offer you.

What Is Mass Texting?

Put simply, mass texting is when a single person or company sends text messages to a large number of cell phones. In most cases, these texts are sent in batches, which are also called “campaigns.”

Batched messages may be standardized or customized. In standardized messages, every recipient sees the same thing. For example, “Special sale today! $10 off all hats at [Company Name] now through midnight. Enter code Hat$ to get your savings today!”

In customized messages, each contact’s personal information appears in the text. For instance, “[Recipient Name], your [Class Name] class today has been canceled due to bad weather. Please check [Instructor Name]’s website for your assignments.”

How It Works

Companies wishing to take advantage of the benefits of mass texting sign up with a mass texting service. They link the service to a list of:

  • Their constituents
  • Constituents’ phone numbers
  • Any additional personal information they want included in their messages

They then:

  • Compose their messages
  • Identify the constituents to whom the messages should be sent
  • Send the message or schedule when they want the messages delivered

The system then auto-sends all of the messages to the right people at the right time. Senders can use one-way messaging or two-way messaging.

In one-way messaging, recipients cannot reply. Instead, they may be directed to a website for further information or assistance if needed.

In two-way messaging, recipients can reply to the batch text. Their replies are forwarded to the line of the sender’s choice. This enables senders to engage in real time with their constituents in an efficient but high-touch way.

Who Can Benefit From Mass Texting?

Mass SMS text messaging can be a powerful tool for a wide variety of businesses and organizations. It is appropriate for:

  • Businesses needing to communicate with employees
  • Schools and colleges needing to communicate with students or parents
  • Companies trying to grow their sales or improve customer feedback scores
  • Medical service providers trying to reduce patient no-show rates or improve patient compliance with treatment
  • Municipalities needing to communicate emergency information to residents
  • Event organizers
  • Sports teams at all age and skill levels
  • Not-for-profit organizations communicating with volunteers and donors

Mass text messaging for business can be used to provide:

  • Event or appointment reminders
  • Discount codes
  • Marketing messages
  • News or informational updates
  • Emergency messages
  • Other relevant information or messaging

Mass texting can help senders reach their target audience in meaningful ways with a minimum of cost. It presents recipients with an image of the sender as proactive, engaged, and helpful.

It can also enable companies to keep their back-of-house costs down.

Mass Texting and Cost Effectiveness

Why is mass text messaging for business so cost-effective? There are several reasons.

First, text messages are short and to the point. They take less time to compose and send than longer-form messages like emails or voicemails. This saves senders valuable time, freeing up staff to do other things.

Recipients who reply to text messages likewise do so in short and direct messages that are easy for senders to assess and answer in a  matter of seconds. This is much more efficient than emails or calls, which are more likely to drag on or be vague.

Second, mass texting allows companies to reliably reach their whole target audience quickly. Text messages have a much higher open rate than emails or voicemails. Recipients also open texts within just a few minutes, while voicemails and emails can sit for hours or even days.

This means that instead of paying staff to sit for hours making calls, composing multiple emails, or cross-posting to multiple points trying to reach everyone, companies can achieve the same effect in seconds.

Third, text messages are proven to change recipient behavior. For example, patients who get timely appointment reminders show up to their appointments on time at much higher rates than those who do not. This saves medical offices huge sums of money in lost time, lost revenue, and follow-up.

Companies and organizations in any industry can achieve similar results using the best mass texting services to reach their audience.

Is Mass Texting Legal?

Some companies hesitate to use mass texting due to concerns about its legality. But is this really something they need to worry about?

Most concerns stem from misconceptions about the 1991 Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). This act prevents third parties from forcing high phone bills on unwilling customers by sending them unwanted calls or texts for which their cell providers will charge them. To prevent this problem, the law requires two things.

First, it requires that texts be sent only to parties who have agreed to receive them. This can be as simple as checking “yes” on a paper or digital form during a visit to the sender or when purchasing from them online.

Second, the law requires that text recipients have the ability and the opportunity to opt out of receiving further messages at any time. In many cases, this is as easy as instructing recipients to text “STOP” in reply to a message to remove themselves from the approved list.

As long as these easy and basic rules are followed, mass texting is entirely legal and companies have nothing to fear. It is important to note that emergency messages, such as weather alerts from municipal authorities, are exempt from these rules.

As a matter of etiquette, businesses can further protect themselves and their relationships with recipients by scheduling and sending texts only during standard business hours except where emergencies dictate otherwise.

Get Started With the Best Mass Texting Service Today

Mass text messaging can empower any business or organization to reach their goals efficiently and cost-effectively. To start taking advantage of this incredible tool, create your free account today.

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