Volume Were Never Booking You Again

If y'all have a small business organisation and want to make sure your lodge confirmations, booking reminders, promotions, and the like are actually seen by your customers, SMS marketing tools are one of the best ways to do it. SMS marketing apps can be used to personally bulletin your customers or send automatic texts based on a calendar, marketing list, or other integrated app. Your customers can even text y'all straight back.

Don't miss a lead: automate your SMS messaging

I've been roofing technology for ten years, and I've been responsible for updating this listing for the past four years. In that time, I've deeply researched and tested more than 40 of the height SMS apps for small businesses. This yr, I likewise have a personal stake: we're currently exploring adding SMS functionality at Snapsure, a photography alerts company I co-founded. And so with that, here are my picks for the best SMS marketing tools.

The 6 all-time SMS apps for small businesses

• TextMagic for getting started rapidly with an SMS service

• SimpleTexting for piece of cake-to-run SMS marketing campaigns

• Sakari for outgoing SMS marketing

• Salesmsg for small-scale, local businesses using SMS

• EZ Texting for not-technical people who want some guidance on SMS marketing

• Twilio for customizing your SMS marketing

What makes a dandy SMS app?

How we evaluate and test apps

All of our best apps roundups are written past humans who've spent much of their careers using, testing, and writing virtually software. We spend dozens of hours researching and testing apps, using each app every bit it'due south intended to be used and evaluating it against the criteria we set for the category. We're never paid for placement in our articles from whatever app or for links to any site—we value the trust readers put in u.s.a. to offering authentic evaluations of the categories and apps we review. For more than details on our procedure, read the full rundown of how we select apps to feature on the Zapier blog.

Email is a terrible way to communicate with your customers. Inboxes are overflowing, apps like Gmail automatically divide your messages into a binder that'due south never checked, and many people only don't open up them anyway—no matter how of import they are. I can't count the number of times I've missed an important update to a booking or change to an order I've made because information technology was sent by email—especially over the concluding two years when everything has been and so unsettled.

SMS or text messages, on the other mitt, are opened up to 98 pct of the time, and oftentimes in the beginning few minutes after they're received. They're too a super convenient way for your customers to reply. Smartphone messaging apps are quick, like shooting fish in a barrel to use, and fit into day-to-24-hour interval life, while email is, to be honest, generally atrocious.

SMS marketing is a huge business organisation around the world, so there are dozens of unlike SMS marketing platforms available. Most of them, yet, aren't really advisable for pocket-sized businesses. Many of these apps are designed for enterprise companies, political campaigns, and other groups looking to send thousands of SMS messages a day every bit function of a marketing entrada, rather than smaller businesses that want to maintain a more personal human relationship with their customers. Similarly, a lot of "apps" are really API services that developers can use to add SMS functionality to their ain projects, rather than a service you tin sign up for and use straight away.

To cutting through the huge range of options, nosotros set 5 key criteria that nosotros were looking for in SMS apps:

• Easy to use for regular people. Setting upwardly an SMS app for your business shouldn't require hiring a specialist. At that place are plenty of great apps that can plug into whatever existing setup you have, without you needing a huge corporeality of technical knowledge. Some of the apps—and especially the API services—just weren't convenient enough to recommend. Yes, y'all might need to read through the assistance documents or ask the support team a question or 2, just all of our picks are easy to get started with. In practice, this means that almost all the apps on the list take a defended web app you tin log in to and apply to ship and receive letters. A lot of them also take the ability to ship and receive text messages through your email client or with mobile apps.

• Capable of true two-way messaging, so you can have a conversation with your customers. This isn't a list of marketing SMS apps that can send 100,000 text messages with the click of a button. These are all apps for small businesses that want a way to directly communicate with their customers. This means proper 2-way communication—just like when you're texting a friend—was essential for inclusion. You can nevertheless automate responses, collect survey information, and schedule texts with many of them.

• Able to integrate with other apps and services, so yous can automate things like reservation reminders. Integrations with other apps and services were a must. This means that, in addition to texting your customers directly, y'all can also (for case) have your online ordering service automatically ostend when an lodge is placed or ready for drove, and follow upwardly with a customer satisfaction survey.

• Affordable with depression-volume requirements, and then small businesses can go started. When it comes to sending SMS messages to your customers, pricing matters. I required all the SMS services on this listing to be affordable for pocket-sized businesses. This meant no high monthly pricing or large book requirements. Instead, all the services are either pay-equally-y'all-go or have low-book, low-fee monthly plans.

• Able to scale as needed. Existence locked into a program that'southward too small for your vacation marketing push isn't proficient either. All these services too had to permit you to scale up your SMS campaigns without charging ridiculous fees or forcing y'all to jump upwardly to a much more than expensive tier.

I checked out every SMS bulletin app I could find, testing all the ones that appeared to run into these criteria. I signed up for whatever gratis trial was bachelor and got straight into texting. As mentioned higher up, I was peculiarly concerned about the experience of directly communicating with customers, so I paid a lot of attention to how easy it was to do. I also tested receiving texts—which involved a lot of me pretending to have conversations with myself—and explored whatever automation and integration features.

At present, onto the apps.

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All-time SMS app for getting started quickly

TextMagic

Within moments of signing up for TextMagic, I'd already sent my kickoff SMS. Sure, information technology was just a exam message to my own cell telephone as office of testing every function, merely the process was super easy. The setup wizard and intuitive interface meant all I had to do was enter the telephone number, type my message, and click Send. And bam!, my phone beeped and distracted me from writing this.

Just just considering TextMagic makes sending elementary messages easy, doesn't mean it's non functional or powerful. You tin send messages from TextMagic's number so replies get to the API, web app, or your email; or from your own mobile number so replies go directly to your telephone. Yous tin build contact lists by importing an Excel spreadsheet or CSV file, manually entering them in the Contacts tab of the app, saving the number of anyone who texts you, or using a click-to-text form on your website.

In the Scheduled tab, you can schedule messages, for example, to transport out a Friday Specials text every calendar week. You lot can also fix templates in the Templates tab to make it faster to transport recurring messages—like appointment confirmations—and automate responses to customer texts. And of course, yous can chop-chop and hands transport customers a text from the web or the iOS and Android apps.

Really, Text Magic hits that sugariness spot of existence both a joy to use and powerful enough for almost anything a pocket-sized business needs. And even better, it's entirely pay-as-you-go, so you're not locked into any kind of ongoing contract. You prepay for credit and then just send texts—which starting time at $0.04—equally much or as picayune as you need.

You can likewise connect Text Magic to thousands of organizational tools, scheduling calendars, and other apps through Zapier, and then you can do things similar follow up on Typeform feedback surveys or automatically post text letters to Slack.

TextMagic price: Pay as you go starts at $0.04/text sent; dedicated virtual numbers from $iv.00/month.

Best SMS app for easy-to-run marketing campaigns

SimpleTexting

SimpleTexting is the best option if yous're looking to run marketing campaigns apace. Like TextMagic, the user interface is intuitive, with everything accessible from the main screen—I didn't fifty-fifty need to view any tutorials to grasp how things worked.

While yous can contact customers straight, SimpleTexting is more than focused on easy-to-run marketing campaigns, where yous text the aforementioned message to anybody on a listing. Become to the Campaigns tab, click New, give it a name, and you're ready to beginning marketing to your customers.

To become new prospects on your list, fix a keyword in the Keywords tab. For case, potential customers tin can text SAUSAGE to 555888 and get put on your Sausage and Hot Dog Deals list. As soon as they bring together, an autoresponder can immediately text them with a discount lawmaking and inquire them if they desire more information. If they do, it can respond with another text. With SimpleTexting's congenital-in apps available in the Apps tab, you can besides deport more technical marketing efforts like running surveys, polls, and sweepstakes.

Of form, for whatever marketing effort, you need analytics. SimpleTexting'south Analytics tab offers detailed breakdowns of how your campaigns are going with information similar the number of new subscribers, what keyword they're using to join, how many autoresponders have triggered, how many people have unsubscribed, and what responses you've been sent.

SimpleTexting also integrates with Zapier, then you lot can do things similar automatically add people to your Sausage and Hot Dog Deals list from Facebook lead ads or Google Forms.

SimpleTexting cost: From $29/calendar month for 500 credits (enough for 500 short texts). Additional credits toll $0.055 on the entry plan; at that place are college volume plans if y'all demand to send more texts.

Best SMS app for outgoing text messages

Sakari

If you mostly plan to transport outgoing text messages to your customers, like booking confirmations, delivery notifications, and other similar texts, Sakari is one of the best options—and could save you some money.

Like all the apps on this list, Sakari is a fully-featured SMS messaging app with a great web app. When you lot log in, you're able to send a message straight abroad, either to an individual customer or a grouping. From the left sidebar, you can run across your Conversations with customers, create marketing campaigns in the Campaign tab, integrate things with apps like Zapier in the Integrations tab, and by and large do everything you lot'd want with an SMS messaging app.

What sets Sakari autonomously is the pricing. It starts at $16/calendar month for 500 SMS messages sent or received. That's $4 cheaper than with TextMagic (which would be $twenty to send 500 letters), but with it, inbound messages are complimentary. Additional messages start at $0.032 compared to TextMagic'southward $0.04, and the differences are more extreme with greater volume.

Say you run a commitment takeaway service and send 6,000 texts per month but only receive 250 replies from customers. With Sakari, you lot could hop on the $170/month Squad program, which includes 625 SMS letters, whereas with TextMagic, you'd have to pay $240—$0.04 for every text you transport, and cypher for every one you receive.

This is especially handy if you want to use Sakari and Zapier to integrate with other apps for approachable messages, and then yous can do things like automatically bulletin contacts yous add to a Google Sheet or instantly text new Google Ads leads.

Sakari price: From $sixteen/month for the Starter plan with 500 messages sent or received, including ane free number. Boosted SMS messages from $0.032.

Best SMS app for pocket-size, local businesses

Salesmsg

Salesmsg is a slap-up selection for U.S.- or Canada-based small businesses—unfortunately, it's not available internationally beyond that.

Salesmsg has the most basic web app of any of the services on this list. There are only four tabs on the sidebar: Conversations, Contacts, Broadcasts, and Triggers. If you want more than power from Salesmsg, you'll demand to integrate information technology with other apps.

As presently as you sign upwardly, you're prompted to create a local number. This is the number that all your texts volition appear to come up from, and y'all can assign a carve up number for each team member. If you lot desire, you can too enable call forwarding, so if a client calls your text number, they'll become forwarded to your personal or business concern phone, or but answer calls using the web app. (Testing this was kind of light-headed as the calls were beingness routed through VoIP servers all over the world for my vocalization to travel six inches.)

Out of the box, Salesmsg has i-click integration with Outlook and Google Calendar to handle appointments. When a customer makes an appointment by text, just click Book Appointment to add it to your calendar of choice. For more than powerful customer direction, it integrates with CRM platforms like HubSpot, Pipedrive, and Zoho, and so you can utilise your CRM of choice and have Salesmsg automatically handle the text messaging.

You can too use Salesmsg'south triggers to create a webhook that you can use to send specific kinds of messages like appointment reminders. Or you can apply Zapier to connect Salesmsg to any service you want, so you lot can practice things like notifying customers almost Calendly invites or logging all the messages you get in a Google Canvas.

Salesmsg price: From $25/month for 500 text letters and a single phone number. Boosted letters are $0.04; additional numbers are $10/month. If yous need a higher volume setup, they offer custom solutions.

Best SMS app for non-technical people who want some guidance

EZ Texting

EZ Texting doesn't do much that the other apps don't: you tin can text your customers equally a group or i-on-ane from the Inbox; you lot can prepare diverse kinds of marketing campaigns from the Campaigns tab; y'all can configure a signup keyword in the Keywords & Numbers tab; and you can view reports in the Reporting tab. What makes it stand out, though, is that at every step, EZ Texting makes it very articulate what to practice. And if you get stuck, there's the Getting Started Kit and informative help docs to sort you out.

As soon equally yous sign upwardly, yous're asked whether y'all want to use EZ Texting to "Delight Customers," "Market & Engage," or "Simplify Operations," so it can walk you through the right features. Once you've called your adventure, you lot're strongly encouraged and actively guided through sending a test text to yourself. And then, once you lot're in the app, every time you go to a new tab or feature, there are clear instructions on how to use it and, in the example of things like templates, working examples. If you haven't grown upwardly with computers or just aren't really comfortable with new apps, it's difficult to crush this level of instruction. And, equally the signup emails will keep reminding yous, you lot can always schedule a phone call with one of their team members if y'all need more help.

EZ Texting doesn't oversimplify a circuitous product—information technology just makes it very accessible. It's as powerful as any others on this list. You can fifty-fifty use EZ Texting'south Zapier integrations to do things like remind people via text about Google Calendar events or create contacts from Eventbrite attendees.

EZ Texting toll: From $24/calendar month for 200 text messages, one textable number, and i signup keyword

Best SMS app for customization

Twilio

You might be here because you're looking for a Twilio alternative, but hear me out. Twilio, unlike the other SMS software on this listing, is a blank canvas. It offers a range of APIs, and then companies can build SMS messaging, phone number redirection, and dozens of similar features into their own apps and services to do whatever they want. Uber, Airbnb, and Netflix are just a few of the companies that apply it backside the scenes.

And while Twilio is mostly aimed at developers, you don't actually need to be one to use it—there are enough no-code features that most people with some general technical noesis can get by. Instead of edifice your own apps, for instance, you tin use services similar Zapier, HubSpot, and Zoho CRM to connect to Twilio's API direct, without the need for you to practise much, if any, coding. You generally just take to find out which bits you demand to copy-and-paste to where.

For example, by connecting your Twilio business relationship to your Zapier account, y'all'll be able to send and receive text messages using your electronic mail business relationship or collect texts in Slack or a Google Sheets spreadsheet.

And, if yous do want to build your own app or something like it, Twilio also offers a few no-code ways to do information technology. Studio is a elevate-and-drop app architect for creating things like SMS surveys and autoresponders. Y'all start with a trigger, like an incoming bulletin or a agenda effect. Yous tin and then create reply criteria based on what's happened. It's all very intuitive, and the built-in tutorials comprehend simple projects like SMS autoresponders and surveys. Similarly, project templates make it possible for anyone to become started, even if yous've never congenital an app earlier.

In that location'due south besides the CodeExchange. It'south a library of lawmaking samples for basic features like sending text motorcar-replies, sending SMS receipts for Stripe payments, and even edifice a video chat app, that you can quickly add together to your Twilio account and so tweak to meet your needs, again, without requiring that much coding knowledge. You'll need to be able to follow along with the different steps to piece of work out where to change things, but y'all don't have to do any of the hard work of writing the lawmaking. As features get, it'south a little across well-nigh minor businesses' needs—but if you actually want to cutting costs or gyre your own app-like setup, it makes it possible.

When y'all sign up for Twilio, you're asked whether or not you're a developer. Whichever option you lot choose, the interface is customized to your needs. If y'all're not a developer, y'all go links to all the information you need to connect Twilio to 3rd-political party apps or apply Studio then you lot can quickly get started.

For most use cases, Twilio should work out cheaper than the other SMS marketing services if you're prepared to practice the work to get it upwards and running. You can also simply apply information technology as the text service for your other apps by connecting it to Zapier.

Twilio price: Since Twilio is more of a platform than an app, its pricing is a little unlike from the others on this list. Text messages start at $0.0075/message sent and received—although there'south an additional $0.005/bulletin carrier fee on messages you send. Dedicated phone numbers outset at $one/month.

This article was originally published in June 2019.

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Source: https://zapier.com/blog/best-sms-app/

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