Text message marketing for small businesses

Large and small businesses choose SimpleTexting for text message marketing

Starbucks is using SimpleTexting for Text Marketing Services

Cisco is using SimpleTexting for Text Marketing Services

LEGOLAND is using SimpleTexting for Text Marketing Services

Century 21 is using SimpleTexting for Text Marketing Services

Samsung is using SimpleTexting for Text Marketing Services

Stanford University is using SimpleTexting for Text Marketing Services

Chick-fil-A is using SimpleTexting for Text Marketing Services

Marriott is using SimpleTexting for Text Marketing Services

Kaplan is using SimpleTexting for Text Marketing Services

How can a text messaging service help your small business grow?

Text message marketing makes businesses 5.89 times more likely to report digital marketing success. We think this is the case because it gives you all the tools you need to build and grow your small business, increase revenue, and exceed expectations.

Reach your customers faster

SMS is a fast, direct way to reach customers where they’ll see it. Nearly half of all consumers (45%) check texts 10+ times a day, making them hard to miss.

Empower your sales team

Set up your sales team with exclusive text-based promotions and 1:1 conversations. Build customer loyalty close more deals, and grow lasting relationships.

Improve customer satisfaction

With faster response times, customers feel valued and attended to promptly. Two-way SMS lets the 71% of customers who want to be able to text a business back reply to you.

Send targeted promotions

Promote sales, drive sign-ups, and collect feedback with SMS. Target each segment to boost engagement and conversions.

Save time with SMS marketing automation

Automate SMS with drip campaigns tailored to each segment. Send timely messages based on behavior, interests, or needs.

Recruit stronger candidates

Promote job openings quickly with direct, targeted texts. Reach a broader, more diverse pool of candidates instantly.

“The learning curve is really low. I’ve looked at quite a few texting platforms so far, and SimpleTexting is my favorite.”

Valerie Blomberg

Account Manager at Russell Marketing

How should a small business use text message marketing?

SMS marketing lets small businesses like yours raise awareness about their products and services at a manageable scale. Here are some ways your small business can use text marketing:

A woman in a boutique shop smiles next to a mannequin

Share promotions

Small businesses can benefit significantly from incorporating text message marketing into their promotional strategies. Whether it’s a flash sale, limited-time discount, or last-minute deal, text message marketing allows you to reach customers promptly.

The independent retailer Broken Spoke grew its customer base by sharing these kinds of announcements right in its customers’ text notifications.

“As a family-run business, things are unpredictable. If all of a sudden there’s a sick kid and I can’t open up the store, I can post a sign on the door. But now I can also send a text. With that, we can encourage them to shop online that day, even throw out a sale as a bonus!”

Whitney Mayhew

Owner, Broken Spoke Boutique

Send alerts about time-sensitive information

Running a small business requires flexibility. Some situations demand fast communication with your customers, like order status updates or a sudden change in hours.

Considering that 82% of consumers check their notifications in five minutes or less when they get a text, customers are sure to receive the updates well ahead of time.

“SimpleTexting is easy to use, easy to track results, and sends out alerts when we need them most to our clients.”

Alexandra S.

Outreach & Marketing Coordinator, via G2

Request customer reviews

Nine out of ten consumers consider reviews in their online purchase decisions, making them a must-have traffic driver for small businesses.

Encourage your customers to leave a review by automatically following up with them through triggers and automated text marketing.

“We have been struggling to improve our Google Business reviews and texting was the answer. We receive the most Google reviews the day we send out texts. We’ve already increased our score by .4 stars in just a month.”

Joe R.

Marketing Coordinator, via G2

Build trusting relationships with your customers

Text message marketing is opt-in, meaning that your contacts want to see your messages. Embrace that by building customer trust through post-purchase follow-ups and regular announcements. Sending a thank-you message, for instance, not only expresses gratitude but also reassures customers that their transaction is valued.

“When a potential client contacts us, we use SimpleTexting to send them an automatic SMS to let them know that we received their inquiry. It’s an additional touchpoint. So, if an email gets lost on either end, we do have SMS for communication and follow-up.”

Rachael G.

Small Business Owner, via G2

“This platform will work no matter what stage you are. It’s been awesome to see the analytics that SimpleTexting offers to give you an idea of which campaigns are more successful than others and to see how you can nurture your audience in a different way.”

Jackelyn Dacanay

Marketing Director

10 examples of text marketing from small businesses

You can find all sorts of examples of text marketing out there. Here are some of our favorites from small businesses that use SimpleTexting.

Notify customers about online events

Dad Bod Health uses SMS to notify customers of upcoming training sessions on Facebook Live.

small business text message invite to an online training

Manage orders remotely

When the COVID-19 pandemic changed how we do business, Yesterday’s Books began managing book orders over text.

text message from a small business about a book order

Answer your customers’ questions

Customers of Jurassic Quest can ask questions about the business’s fleet of animatronic dinosaurs using SMS.

text message conversation between customer and business owner, where customer asks how big a T Rex was

Offer a quote

Shower Door Experts accepts quotes for shower doors through text messages.

text message conversation where small business owner gives customer a quote

Coordinate with your team

The Metals Fabrication team texts employees with info about scheduling, meetings, and employee events to keep everyone on the same page.

small business text message about appointment date

Turn texting into a service offering

One service that Natural Born Organizers offer is a subscription to an SMS list that sends out a simple cleaning challenge every day.

small business text message about organizing service

Drive traffic with urgent offers

The Barn Bowl & Bistro sends text-exclusive offers to encourage customers to come in for bowling and dining.

small business text message with limited time offer on prime ribs and bowling

Use keywords for lead generation

Real estate agent Josh Barker counts on a system where potential buyers can text house-specific keywords to learn more about a property.

real estate text message example where prospective buyer texts in a keyword and real estate agent sends more information about the property

Boost your personal brand with an SMS list

Lindsey Eryn, an independent creator, built a personal brand through a SimpleTexting list that sends out mini pep talks to subscribers.

small business owner sending pep talk to clients via text message

Show off your products through MMS texts

Fans of Blu Moon get visual product announcements thanks to SimpleTexting’s MMS support.

small business text campaign with image of new product

SimpleTexting’s SMS marketing service features for small businesses

We built SimpleTexting to help businesses like yours save time and grow at a scalable price. So, our small business texting service has features like these to achieve those goals:

Text-enable your existing number

Establish a more professional business presence by making your existing voice phone number text-enabled. SimpleTexting are your customers are trying to text your number already. SimpleTexting lets you add texting to a landline number or any number that doesn’t have mass texting.

Build a contact list quickly and easily

Free up your schedule and encourage more people to join your list with easy contact management. Add numbers to your SimpleTexting list through a textable keyword, your established contact list, or a form on your website.

Save time with templates

Your big competitors don’t type out every text they send, and you don’t have to, either. Create a bank of automatic replies, answers to frequently asked questions, and templates for regular texts using SimpleTexting’s templates and duplicates.

Scale your pricing with your business

It can be tricky to tell how much you want to invest in text message marketing when you start out. SimpleTexting takes off the pressure with pricing based on the number of texts you need to send per month.

Stay out of spam with built-in compliance features

We save you time on following texting regulations by building the process into our app. SimpleTexting automatically sends compliance messages like directions for unsubscribing for free.

Text from your phone, tablet, or computer

SimpleTexting can come with you, whether you’re in the office, off-site, or catching up on texts after hours. Download our iOS or Android app to text from your phone or tablet.

“We see an increase in foot traffic because of the text promotions we send.”

Jordan Glenn

Owner of Harmony Tea Bar

How does SimpleTexting compare to other SMS apps for small businesses?

We know you’re researching multiple services because it’s the smart thing to do for your business. So, what makes SimpleTexting stand out from the other SMS apps you might be exploring? We tested the top text messaging services for small businesses and SimpleTexting is the winner for:

Flexible pricing

All of our plans have rollover credits, unlimited keywords, self-service billing, and three user seats. Don’t sweat the small stuff: just pick a plan with enough credits you need every month.

Ease of use

SimpleTexting has a comprehensive and easy-to-navigate SMS marketing experience. We built everything with small businesses in mind so you get the same texting power as large competitors.

Use with your favorite app

We have a ton of integrations that allow you to connect with popular apps you already use for marketing, like Mailchimp and HubSpot. You can also connect to an automation app like Zapier or Integrately to make your own workflows.

How to start text message marketing for your small business (step-by-step)

1. Sign up for SimpleTexting

Register for SimpleTexting with an email and password, or connect an existing service. We don’t ask for your credit card information for the free trial.

During sign-up, we will ask for your current business number to verify your identity.

sign up page for SimleTexting's SMS platform for small business

2. Choose your number

When you sign up with SimpleTexting, you have the choice: Register a new local number, verify a new toll-free number, provision a dedicated short code, or text-enable your current number.

If you’re not picky, we’ll assign you a number automatically. Learn more about the different number types available.

During the free trial, you’ll use a local number we’ll generate for you. Once you upgrade, you can choose the type of number you want by going to Settings in the left-hand menu and choosing Numbers.

choose your texting number in simpletexting's SMS marketing platform

3. Import contacts

If you have an existing list of contacts, now’s the time to add them.

Click Contacts in the left-hand menu, then choose the Add contacts button to enter contacts manually. Select the arrow on the right of the Add contacts button to add contacts from an existing app through an integration.

Click the + New list button to create an additional list of contacts. Lists let you segment contacts into different groups with unique goals.

Note: You can’t send messages to any contacts besides your own number during the free trial, but you can add them for use when you upgrade to a paid plan.

button to import contacts in SimpleTexting's SMS platform for small businesses

4. Create a sign-up keyword for your list

Go to the Keywords option in the left-hand menu to create a keyword — a word that people can text to your number.

A good idea for a first keyword is one that customers can use to sign up for your list. Set it up in our Keywords menu and share your number and keyword through:

Email
Social media
Physical marketing materials like product inserts
Your website

creating a keyword for a small business in SimpleTexting's SMS marketing service

5. Invite site visitors to sign up

We also have tools to enable your customers to sign up for your list on your website. Select Apps in the left-hand menu and choose one of these two options:

Web Sign-Up Images: Create an image sharing your sign-up keyword and number that you can add to your website or anywhere online where you can upload pictures.
Web Sign-Up Forms: Build a form for customers to fill out to join your texting list. We’ll generate a code to paste into your website.

web sign up forms and web sign up images apps in SimpleTexting

6. Set up your first SMS campaign

With your contacts all set up, you’re ready to send your first message. Go to Campaigns in the left-hand menu and click the New button.

Here, you’ll name your campaign, enter the content of your message, and choose what list you want to send the message to. You can then decide if you want to send the message immediately, schedule it for the future, or send it on a recurring basis.

setting up your first SMS campaign in SimpleTexting

SMS for small business success stories

Explore SimpleTexting's case studies to learn how small businesses around the country use our SMS service to drive sales and connect with their audience.

E-Commerce

How Toroe Eyewear Generated an Extra $7K in 30 Days with Our Mobile Sign-Up Widget

Using SimpleTexting’s Mobile Sign-Up Widget to advertise a 10% discount, Toroe Eyewear generated an extra $7,028 in store revenue in a month. That’s a 156x return on its text marketing channel.

Read their success story

E-Commerce

Whisker Seeker Tackle Sees a 25% Conversion Rate From Its MegaDeals Text Promotions

Whisker Seeker Tackle spotted a glaring gap in the market and turned it into a thriving e-commerce and wholesale business. Learn how entrepreneur Matt Davis leverages SMS text marketing services to drive sales.

Read their success story

E-Commerce

Aubrey’s Bead Closet Uses SMS to Drive a 400% Increase in Mobile Web Traffic

Aubrey’s Bead Closet has a loyal fanbase known as the “ABC family”. Learn more about how this e-commerce store uses SMS to communicate with its fans, launch new products, and drive mobile purchases.

Read their success story

How to use SimpleTexting to boost customer engagement through SMS

Research shows text marketing for small businesses outperforms other channels, including email marketing. That’s why we built our platform to be both scalable and easy-to-use.

Mass texting

Mass texting helps drive business when you need it the most by engaging customers with promotions and alerts. Keep your contacts happy with exclusive deals and see offer redemption rates dramatically increase!

Send a text to large groups of customers with one click
Include photos, links, videos, etc. even when texting in bulk
Segment your audience and send mass texts to different groups for added personalization

Text-to-join keywords

Make it easy for customers to subscribe as you work to grow your list and reach a larger audience.

Create a short, easy-to-remember keyword customers can text to your number
Capture more numbers with a customizable widget on your website
Place a web sign-up form on your highly trafficked pages

Two-way texting

Your Inbox is a space where you can chat freely with customers and hold real-time conversations.

Use our Click-to-Text button generator to instantly launch your customer’s messaging app
Cut down on response time with templates aka canned replies
Manage conversations with features like snooze, notes, and sort

Text marketing works for almost every industry

Fitness Centers & Gyms

E-commerce

Restaurants

Recruiting & Staffing

Nonprofits

Text Messaging Services for Schools & Education

Schools & Universities

Real Estate

Religious Organizations

Insurance Agents Guide

Marketing for Spas & Beauty Salons with SMS or Text Messaging

Spas & Salons

Retail

Human Resources

Dispatch & Logistics

Text Message Appointment Reminders for Doctors, Medical Offices and Dental Practices

Medical & Dental Offices

Entertainment Venues

Car Dealerships

Debt Collection

Veterinary Practices

Hotel & Hospitality

Dentists

Media Outlets

Radio Stations

Grocery Stores & Retailers

Property Managers

Golf Courses & Country Clubs

Food Trucks

Laundromats & Dry Cleaners

Coaches & Sports Teams

Banking, Finance, & Accounting

Plumbers

Political Campaigns

SMS Marketing Best Practices

Frequently asked questions about small business text message marketing

What is SMS in SMS marketing for small business?

SMS stands for short message service – in other words, a text message under 160 characters. But SMS marketing is generally interchangeable with text message marketing, which can involve SMS or MMS (multimedia messaging service), text messages with longer character limits and the ability to support media like images.

What are the benefits of text marketing for small businesses?

Text messages typically have high open rates so marketing messages are more likely to be seen by your target audience. They’re also delivered instantly, making them excellent for time-sensitive promotions or if you need a quick response. Text messages allow for direct communication with your audience, creating a more engaging and personal experience. Additionally, many text marketing platforms provide analytics tools to measure your campaigns’ success.

What are the best practices for text marketing?

There are many ways to get started with text messaging for small businesses but the most important thing remains getting appropriate consent before sending text messages. This is a legal requirement and allows you to further provide value to your audience. Remember that timing also matters just like segmenting your audience, being concise, and providing opt-out options for when people want to take a break or stop receiving your messaging

Is SMS marketing worth it?

SMS marketing is absolutely worthwhile! If you’ve got a target audience that prefers receiving information through text messages, SMS marketing lets you get your brand and messaging in front of your target market. It helps you build a personalized experience for your customers and prospects while also making sure you’re paving the way toward building a real community around your brand.

Get started with small business text message marketing

Start a free trial of our text message marketing service for small businesses and experience the benefits of using SMS to bring in new customers.

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