Bulk SMS Marketing: What Is It and How to Make Use of It

Oleksandr Rohovnin

7 minutes read

SMS marketing might not be the most rapidly growing marketing avenue, but it still bears tremendous outreach value. With the right SMS marketing campaign, you can hit thousands of subscribers with a targeted message to nurture and convert some of them.

Of course, no business sends emails manually these days – instead, everyone uses bulk SMS marketing to get in touch with all of your subscribers at once while personalizing your message to every separate group by their needs and wants.

But then again, for mass SMS to pay off, you must still ensure that all your texts are delivered, opened, and, ideally, interacted with. Likewise, you should ensure all your messages are GDPR-compliant.

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Read on to understand how bulk SMS marketing works and how to use it for your business.

The Benefits of Bulk SMS Marketing

As you probably know, bulk SMS marketing means nothing more than sending SMS to as many potential clients as you can reach at once. In some niches, it’s quite effective: in the UK, 93% of consumers have either already signed up for SMS marketing or expressed interest in doing so.

Here are the advantages of mass SMS marketing:

How To Do Bulk SMS Marketing

Sending bulk SMS messages can be done automatically if prescheduled.

Here are your step-by-step actions to fire a bulk SMS campaign:

• Choose an SMS service provider
• Build and upload your subscriber list
• Segment your subscribers
• Write short, conversion-focused SMS with a clear CTA
• Schedule your mass SMS marketing campaign for the right time

Take a product tour to see how Phonexa can synergize bulk SMS marketing with your other marketing campaigns, pulling all data into a single dashboard.

Here are some practices to improve bulk SMS campaign conversion rates:

#1. Send SMS Only to Opted-in Users

Companies operating in the EU must comply with GDPR and local telecommunications regulations. EU markets should pay particular attention to changes in regulations and marketing best practices so they can comply at all times and preserve their credibility.

#2. Ensure Easy Opt-Out

Ensuring an SMS subscriber can easily opt out of your campaign is a legal requirement and a way to earn trust and increase customer engagement. A short instruction at the end of an SMS message, like “Text STOP to opt-out,” would do.

#3. Keep SMS Messages Within 160 Symbols

Any SMS exceeding 160 symbols is divided into two segments, leading to delivery risks, higher costs, and suboptimal user experience. So try to keep it short and sweet.

#4. Use Only One CTA

Consumers consider SMS a direct line of communication, so one CTA per message is often the most effective. You don’t want them to think about what they should do next – you want them to know what they clearly need to do.

Example: “Flash Sale! 30% off everything in the next 24 hours. Shop now: [Store link]. Text STOP to opt out.”

#5. Demographic and Engagement–Based Segmentations of Your SMS Campaigns

Most bulk SMS marketing campaigns require segmentation and a resonating message for all those segments, just like one does in email marketing.

Here are some basic segmentation principles:

#6. Apply Short Codes for Increase Engagement

Short codes are memorable 5-digit or 6-digit numbers that help imprint your brand in subscribers’ minds and make it easier for them to respond.

Example: “Hi [Name], Want to save on car insurance? Text QUOTE to 12345 to get a free personalised quote!”

#7. Update and Track Your Bulk SMS Campaigns

Here are the marketing metrics that you can actually measure for bulk SMS campaigns:

What Really Matters About Bulk SMS Marketing?

While mass sms marketing is very convenient, personalization is still a must. In fact, 56% of consumers become repeat buyers after personalised shopping.

Even with ever-toughening data privacy regulations, you still can collect consumer data and leverage it to synergise your SMS, email, social media, and other campaigns.

Synergize SMS and Email Marketing with Phonexa’s E-Delivery

Whether buying or selling web and call leads, Phonexa’s E-Delivery lets you market and remarket them with 100% guaranteed deliverability across campaigns.

Here is what you can do with E-Delivery:

• Engage and re-engage consumers with coordinated email and SMS campaigns
• Ensure 100% SMS and email deliverability
• Improve SMS and email targeting accuracy
• Integrate with other seven performance marketing solutions by Phonexa

Phonexa Software Suite: Covers All Your Marketing Campaigns

While E-Delivery covers SMS marketing through and through, your marketing isn’t to the confines of SMS messages. This is why you need Phonexa’s eight-in-one performance marketing software suite, a blend of top-tier software solutions for SMS, email, social media, affiliate, referral, and other marketing campaigns.

With Phonexa, all your marketing campaigns are coordinated for omnichannel coverage, with all marketing data pulled to a single dashboard. You have everything under one roof: no system switching, streamlined operations, and full compliance with major data protection and marketing regulations, including GDPR.

Here are the eight proprietary solutions you get at one price (online price calculator):

Build your plan today, or book a demo to explore more about Phonexa.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is bulk SMS in marketing?

Bulk SMS is a marketing message sent to hundreds and thousands of consumers simultaneously. However, these messages can also be personalised through the right bulk SMS marketing software.

How do you send bulk SMS for promotional purposes?

Bulk SMS outreach involves uploading the contact list, composing the SMS, selecting settings for the campaign, and testing it across various devices using software. Then you may launch campaigns where thousands of messages reach the target audience at the same time.

Is bulk SMS marketing legal?

Bulk SMS marketing is legal in the UK as long as you comply with the GDPR, PECR, and other pertinent regulations.