Text message marketing, or SMS marketing, is one of the most effective marketing strategies for long-term business success.
Research has shown that open rates for text messages are estimated to be as high as 98%, while open email rates sit at 20%. Makes sense. As you probably know firsthand, emails are inundated with spam.
If you’re struggling to determine which tool is best for your business, we have you covered.
Let’s get started.
Here are the best text message marketing tools for small businesses:
1. Neo
Who’s it for?
Neo is an automated text messaging service for businesses of all sizes. It offers a personalized bot for developing leads and can be programmed with customizable scripts.
Why’s it awesome?
Neo allows businesses to take advantage of customers’ preferences for texting over phone calls or direct mail. Businesses can use automated texting to send out exclusive deals and promote short-term sales or events.
Neo allows clients to sort contacts into groups for more customized offers. A shared inbox allows everyone on the assigned team real-time access. It also integrates with online stores like Shopify to develop leads.
How much does it cost?
Pricing is a pay-as-you-go option from $39 to $119 per month.
2. TextMarks
Who’s it for?
TextMark automates texting for businesses of any size, including brick-and-mortar and online services. A database of customers can be segmented by demographics or by new versus repeat customers, and there’s a lead tracking tool.
Why’s it awesome?
TextMark allows businesses to send out text messages to customers in mass, scheduled ahead of time to post automatically. These messages can contain links for a coupon or direct customers to a particular web page.
The great thing is that TextMark manages the process for its clients. That includes ensuring that clients are compliant with SMS marketing, allowing customers to easily opt in and opt out, and providing a unique code for each client.
How much does it cost?
Contact TextMark for pricing.
3. Trumpia
Who’s it for?
Trumpia is texting software for businesses and other industries, such as education and health care. It allows clients to communicate immediately via text to subscribers or send a series of scheduled texts.
Why’s it awesome?
Trumpia can be used by clients of any size, from a single online business owner to companies with multiple locations and a diverse client base. Its scalable plans allow clients to grow as their needs change.
Trumpia allows clients to communicate with customers, staff, and members through text messaging, giving them updates about weather-related changes, such as business closings or school cancellations.
How much does it cost?
Plans start at either $36 or $159 per month.
4. Avochato
Who’s it for?
Avochato is a two-way communications platform for businesses, integrating SMS texting, voicemail, and live chat on the client website. The service is available for small and large businesses, both online and in-person.
Why’s it awesome?
Avochato allows agents to move customers through multiple platforms, from text to phone, and transfer seamlessly, with a module that saves chats for other team members to access. Hold times and customer wait times are reduced.
Subscribers can set up scheduled marketing texts or have a team communicate directly with clients. Services can be simple marketing direct messages or texting conversations for technical and customer support.
How much does it cost?
Custom plans are available for larger businesses. Base plans start at $23 and $42 per month
5. Heymarket
Who’s it for?
Heymarket is a texting platform for businesses to use for marketing or support. It also allows employers to communicate with their team in real-time, either through two-way communication or scheduled text reminders.
Why’s it awesome?
Heymarket integrates with over 1,000 other business applications and has a shared inbox for all team members to access, allowing smoother customer support in the context of prior conversations.
Heymarket can be used collaboratively with an entire customer support or marketing team or a single business owner, with a mobile app for on-the-go connectivity.
How much does it cost?
Pricing ranges from $23 to $71 per month.
6. Message Media
Who’s it for?
Message Media offers direct marketing SMS services for businesses of all types and sizes. It automatically sends scheduled texts and has a two-way communication feature.
Why’s it awesome?
Message Media allows businesses to set up templates for promotional messages, reminders to pick up a prescription, or reminders about an upcoming appointment or event. Texts can also be sent to a group in real time for immediate communication.
Message Media is designed for emergency use by governments and school districts and can be integrated with What’s App for one-on-one communications between customer care specialists and customers.
How much does it cost?
Pricing ranges from $59 to $959 per month.
7. SMSBump
Who’s it for?
SMSBump is a unique, enterprise-grade SMS platform specifically designed for eCommerce businesses. It is designed to be operated on the go and is scalable, allowing smaller businesses to grow.
Why’s it awesome?
SMSBump increases customer engagement rates and conversions with text messages targeted to specified groups. It also has a tracking tool and ROI analysis of different text campaigns to allow businesses to make smart decisions.
Dropshipping companies can use SMSBump to improve customer communication. It’s also helped small businesses launch more successfully by giving them a communication tool to compete with bigger shops.
How much does it cost?
Subscriptions run from $79 to $699 per month.
8. Privy
Who’s it for?
Privy is a pop-up, text, and email communications platform for businesses. It can be used for eCommerce small businesses or larger corporations, including governments.
Why’s it awesome?
Privy integrates with Shopify stores, allowing small businesses to compete more effectively with larger companies by expanding their ability to reach customers and develop leads. It also allows two-way communication and automated text and email blasts.
Privy offers a wide selection of templates, making it user-friendly. It also has cart abandonment reminders for text and email, helping businesses complete sales. It also offers SMS and email tracking for customer shipments.
How much does it cost?
Plans run from $30 to $45 per month.
9. Postscript
Who’s it for?
Postscript is an SMS and MMS service for growing Shopify stores and small eCommerce businesses. It’s created to improve small businesses’ ability to communicate with customers immediately and develop leads through text marketing.
Why’s it awesome?
Postscript utilizes TCPA-compliant software, which means you don’t have to worry about email and text message compliance issues when using it. It also offers tutorials for developing engaging texts and emails that invite a response.
Postscript integrates with your website, allowing you to schedule email alerts, chats, and pop-ups to push customers through the sales funnel. You can also manage everything from the Postscript Mobile App.
How much does it cost?
You can start a free trial with Postscript or sign up for one of their monthly plans, which range from $100- $500/mo.
10. Protexting
Who’s it for?
Protexting is for online retailers, including those who use Shopify and Amazon services. Smaller businesses can send reminders and promotional coupons and create customized drip campaigns.
Why’s it awesome?
Protexting provides a comprehensive analysis of different advertising campaigns, allowing businesses to determine each promotion’s success. It also allows customer support via text in real time, customizable features for specific industries, and social media integrations.
How much does it cost?
Pricing ranges from $49 to $499 per month.
11. Call Loop
Who’s it for?
Call Loop is a text messaging and voice call software platform with scheduled communication tools for businesses ranging in size from single-owners to larger companies.
Why’s it awesome?
Call Loop allows businesses to build SMS marketing-compliant lists and segment these according to lead positioning or demographics. It also offers built-in analytics and reporting to allow clients insight into the success of each campaign.
Call Loop integrates with several apps, including Constant Contact, Hubspot, and Leadpage, allowing businesses to coordinate their leads with sales and customer care software.
How much does it cost?
Pricing ranges from $15 to 329 per month.
12. EZ Texting
Who’s it for?
EZ Texting is for many industries, from nonprofits to clubs and restaurants to education and government. It includes both email and text software and offers automation for mass communication.
Why’s it awesome?
EX Texting solutions include sales and marketing solutions, plus lead generation that integrates with the client’s website. It also allows communication back and forth between customer support and a customer care team.
EZ Texting has a user-intuitive set-up and many templates that allow even technology novices to use the software easily. It’s designed to integrate with other sales applications and software platforms.
How much does it cost?
Pricing ranges from $25 to $3,000 per month.
13. SimpleTexting
Who’s it for?
Simple Texting integrates automated SMS marketing campaigns with two-way customer communication, giving businesses of all sizes. It allows users to direct customers to their preferred landing page.
Why’s it awesome?
Business texting from Simple Texting allows two-way customer communication, with logs of all chats. The SMS for enterprise clients allows for scheduled mass communications.
Simple Texting’s customizable approach allows business owners flexibility for their desired services, including SMS alerts and email reminders. It also has analytic trackers for clients to monitor the success of each message.
How much does it cost?
You can start a free demo with Simple Texting or sign up for their monthly plan at $39 per month.
14. SlickText
Who’s it for?
SlickText is created for companies of any size, including single business owners and enterprise corporations. It offers text solutions that are customizable and personalized for each business.
Why’s it awesome?
SlickTExt is an SMS and email marketing platform. It allows communication for customer support and clients to send reminders or SMS promotional blasts.
SlickText provides clients with a unique one-word code, allowing customers to opt-in and reducing the amount of spam contact or bots. It also integrates with different marketing platforms to more easily manage leads.
How much does it cost?
You can start a free trial with SlickText or sign up for one of their monthly plans, which range from $29 to $955.
Editor’s Note: The article is part of the blog series Grow Your Business, brought to you by the marketing team at Unitel Voice, the virtual phone system priced and designed for startups and small business owners.
