How we use SMS
How we use SMS
A wholesale SMS solution for all your business texting needs - marketing campaigns, two-way SMS chats, campaigns, reminders and notifications
Promptchat supports Twilio and SMSchat.org as SMS gateways.
When you use Twilio as your SMS provider you will have to purchase a sending phone number and SMS credits for use with your Promptchat account. (Promptchat does not generate an income on this, you use your own Twilio account token).
If you are just starting out and won't be sending more than 5-6,000 text messages per month you can use your own phone's SIM card as the SMS Gateway via the SMSchat Android App. Note: There is no support or iPhones so you will have to have an Android phone to install and run the mobile app.
See https://smschat.org for a free trial - after the free trial you can purchase a plan at $5 per month in order to continue to use the unlimited app.
Mass texting and automated SMS campaigns
Keep thousands of customers informed with just a few clicks.
You can send business-critical text messages to just a few people or thousands of contacts simultaneously with the mass texting feature.
Import contacts from a .csv file
Merge existing variables from .csv
Add tag(s) at the time of the contacts import
Schedule the SMS broadcast for a specific date/time
Create drip marketing SMS campaigns for automated engagement
Popular use cases of business text messaging
Offer real-time support via SMS
Offer your business SMS number to customers (in your emails, on your website, in your online and offline advertisements) and your operators can use the Chatboard for two way live SMSchat conversations with customers to quickly resolve issues.
Collect feedback with SMS surveys
Get valuable customer feedback by sending SMS surveys after purchases and events gaining valuable feedback from your customers.
Share exclusive promotions and discounts
By creating and sending custom links, coupons, or discount codes via SMS you can surprise your customers and build lasting relationships. As 90%+ customers read their SMS they will happily redeem their exclusive offers and your sales are likely to soar.
Send product launch announcements
Stir up excitement for your new product or service by sending advance notifications to your subscribers through SMS campaigns. This sneak peek allows them to be among the first to discover and buy your latest offering.
Send reminders for upcoming appointments
Minimize missed appointments and accommodate last-minute availabilities.
Effortlessly schedule regular service appointments
Notify customers about their upcoming service appointments, be it for car servicing, home cleaning, or repair tasks.
Inform customers of parcel delivery notifications
Enhance transparency and anticipation by updating recipients with the exact status of their deliveries. This can be done by sharing real-time tracking links, estimated times of arrival, potential delays, and the courier’s name.
Boost instant awareness through emergency notifications
Promptly alert colleagues about the need to evacuate due to a threat such as a fire or other emergency. Supply a concise list of crucial safety procedures and evacuation paths to ensure a well-coordinated and effective response.
Promote upcoming events & send invitations
Boost your event anticipation by sending personalized invitations for events, seminars, or workshops, and enable attendees to confirm their presence directly through text. Incorporating a personal touch can heighten engagement and increase event participation.
Notify attendees of last-minute changes
Keep attendees updated about any sudden changes to the location, schedule, or guest speakers, ensuring everyone is well-informed. By providing real-time updates, you can enhance the attendee experience and minimize potential confusion.
Who & Why would prefer SMS based communication as opposed to Email/Phone
Drip marketing campaigns via SMS texting
What is SMS drip marketing?
Text based drip marketing is sending a limited number of SMS messages to your target audience automatically, on a set timing, based on actions they take or changes in their status.
Businesses use SMS drip marketing to keep in touch with an audience via text —in a personalized way — following preset time intervals or status change triggers.
As in Email marketing, the content of messages are:
Prewritten
Sent on a preset time schedule (once a week, month, 6 months etc...
Triggered by a customer action such as renewing a subscription or any other automation
You write the messages once (160 characters limit in SMS) and then automate the personalizing and sending. You can use variables such us the customers' @first_name and segment the list via tag(s).
You can also set which days of a week messages should or should not be sent and same for the time of the day. Let's say you want your messages to be sent only on Weekdays from 8am to 6pm skipping the weekends and nights.
Once campaigns are set up, your drip marketing campaigns happen automatically.
How is Drip marketing via SMS useful
Drip marketing can enhance your sales by transforming visitors into customers, promoting repeat purchases, and reactivating an inactive audience.
You can automatically remind your audience of what you can do for them and foster a relationship to prove that you’re an excellent resource for their requirements.
After all... your customers have to remember you 🙌
Drip campaigns are also successful because they’re targeted. They’re based on a specific action and can be personalized.
Effectively it is the cheapest marketing tactic to build customer relationships and increase engagement over time. These campaigns are highly targeted, allowing you to choose which customers or leads get which types of SMS.
How does it work and how to acquire subscribers to your SMS based drip campaigns?
If you have a contact database with your existing customers' mobile numbers you can import this into Promptchat via a .csv file. You will import the name as a variable too not just the phone number allowing you to call the recipient by his/her/their first name.
Should you not yet have an existing contact list with phone numbers (Note: you need advance authorization from recipients to send them marketing messages) you will have to start promoting your SMS number (This is the mobile number you will be sending text messages from) asking recipients to opt in - just as you would do with Emails. Publish it on your website, in your Email signature, Online and offline adverts.
Effective way to acquire opt ins will be for example offering;
Discount coupon(s)
Early bird access to a new product or service
Happy hour, Buy one get one free promotions
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Mark Smith
Kornel Kathi
Founder and General Manager of Promptchat
