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Event text messaging services for entertainment venues

Want to streamline your next event with text messages? Read on to start planning your event’s SMS strategy.

What is Event SMS Marketing?

86% of event marketers believe that technology, including SMS, can have a major positive impact on the success of their events.

Texting can help your event or entertainment venue:

• Message 1-on-1 with event attendees
• Introduce mobile ticketing
• Send post-event follow-ups and review requests
• Send automated event reminders
• Answer ticketing and event questions
• Provide an emergency text hotline

But don’t just take our word for it.

Life is Beautiful, a 3-day music festival hosted in Downtown Las Vegas, switched to a texting solution with SimpleTexting and their message delivery rate increased from 21% to 98%.

Texts now account for around 25% of their ticket sales!

“With the variability and ever-changing landscape of social media, there’s value in reaching our audience where they are most likely to see and read our messages. That’s why we text,” notes Digital Marketing Specialist for the festival Kyle Huender.

So, let’s dive in and see the secret sauce to making your next event the best one yet with SMS.

How to promote your event using SMS marketing

Event text messaging helps keep your events top of mind—and your seats full. Send timely reminders, exclusive offers, and giveaways to boost attendance and keep guests engaged. With the right event text messaging service, you can build excitement before the big day and make sure your audience shows up.

But before you can start texting your patrons, you’ll need their permission. People have to opt in, or subscribe, to your text campaign first.

So, how do you get contacts? Follow these simple steps and you’ll be selling out the show in no time.

1. Draw them in—give your visitors incentives to subscribe.

2. Get the word out—let people know about your text campaign.

Let’s take a closer look.

Step one: draw event attendees in

Some people will be happy to subscribe simply because they appreciate your venue. Your goal, however, should be to collect as many contacts as possible: The more numbers you have, the more effective and profitable your texts become.

The key to getting contacts is offering them attractive incentives.

Here are a couple incentives proven to motivate contacts:

Hold a sweepstakes

One of the most effective uses of an event text messaging service is running a text-to-win sweepstakes. It’s a simple and powerful way to grow your contact list. Just choose an exciting prize—like free event tickets or exclusive backstage access—then have attendees text your keyword to 22454 to enter and subscribe. It’s easy, engaging, and perfect for driving interest before your next big event.

Offer a promotion or discount

Who doesn’t love it? Offer guests an inexpensive-yet-exciting item just for joining your campaign.

Some ideas: a free small soft drink, a commemorative pin, a bite-size candy bar.

Your guests will love receiving discounts by text in the future. They’ll love a discount now even more. Offer 20% off their ticket price for subscribing on the spot.

Use this incentive just before a purchase for maximum effectiveness.

Promote ticket sales

Use event text messaging to let your customers know when tickets to your events are going on sale and if there are any special pre-sale events or discounts. If you have a large contact base, you can segment your audience to better serve their interests.

TODAY’S THE DAY! Tickets for STFest go out at midnight EST. See you there!

Send text event reminders

Use your event text messaging service to ensure a packed audience—virtual or in person—by sending timely reminder texts. Let attendees know when and where your event is happening, and include details on how to RSVP or register if they haven’t yet. It’s a simple way to boost attendance and keep your event top of mind.

Hi [NAME], don’t forget to RSVP at [LINK] for our upcoming [EVENT TYPE]! Let us know if you’re bringing a plus-one, and we can’t wait to see you there.

Send day-of details

With an event text messaging service, you can quickly update attendees on important last-minute changes—whether parking plans shift, your event sells out, or new details emerge. It’s the fastest, most reliable way to keep your audience informed and avoid confusion or day-of disruptions.

PARKING UPDATE: You have a parking space in Zone Orange, please follow the signs on your arrival – our team will be on site to offer any help necessary.

Message your existing contacts

Already have a contact list ready for your event promotions? With our event text messaging service, you can easily import your existing audience and start sending text blasts right away—just make sure you have their consent. It’s a seamless way to boost engagement and attendance.

STILL thinking about last year’s STFest? Us too! The good news is, you can start getting excited for this year’s event already. Tickets go on sale 3/7/22!

Remember the core purpose of your event text messaging service: sending reminders, exclusive offers, and text coupons. These helpful messages are often all the incentive people need to sign up—so be sure to promote them as the valuable, friendly services they are.

Let’s move on to promoting your incentives.

Step two: get the word out about your text marketing program

Even the best incentives won’t work if your audience doesn’t know about them. With an event text messaging service, it’s key to promote your text-enabled number everywhere—just like the Franchise Brokers Association (FBA) does for its annual conference, sharing it in pre-event emails, on breakout session slides, and more.

Even if you upload a list of attendees into your event texting platform, Brianna recommends promoting your number at the event itself. This is so that attendees can get your messages if they signed up with a different number than the one they have access to at the event.

Read the other event text messaging strategies Brianna used at the FBA’s 400+ attendee conference.

Here are some more ways to spread the word:

Word of mouth: While the crowd waits for the show to start, announce your promotion over the PA system.

Displays: With such simple instructions (“Text CINESTAR to 22454”), it’s easy to place prominent displays anywhere and everywhere.

• Got a line? Put in on a sign! A flashy sign gives people standing in line something to see and do.
• Chances are you already advertise upcoming events somewhere. Place your text promotions here to let people know they can receive regular updates about events.
• Put a clear and concise notice on the tickets themselves. Guests often keep them as memorabilia.

Follow these simple steps and start texting your way to a full house!

Try Event SMS Marketing for Free

Send your first message in minutes when you sign up for SimpleTexting’s 14-day trial (no credit card required).

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How to use event text messaging for events and entertainment venues

Your business most likely focuses on the following things each day: securing bookings, communicating with vendors, managing crowds, and marketing. We’d wager that finding more efficient ways to juggle these tasks is a priority.

That’s where an event text messaging service comes in—providing both internal and external communication that integrates seamlessly with your existing tools. No steep learning curve, no extra hardware—just a simple, effective way to streamline communication for your event.

But that’s one of the great benefits of texting. Not only does everyone know how to do it, it doesn’t require any additional downloads or extra steps. To text, all you need is a cell phone. And let’s face it, who doesn’t have one of those?

How to use an event text messaging service during your event

Texting is for more than just sharing messages. To give you an idea, here are some ways you can potentially use text messaging with your event space.

Run a giveaway

This is another good time for a fun giveaway. Offer a chance to win some exclusive merchandise, tickets to a future event, or even a gift card. Like your pre-event sweepstakes, all your attendees have to do is text a keyword to your number or shortcode and they’ll be automatically entered to win. 

Send a poll

Polls can be a fun way to boost engagement during your event or gather real-time feedback from attendees. With an event text messaging service like Text to Vote Surveys, you can let guests share their opinions instantly and see results in real time. It’s a seamless way to enhance interaction and keep your audience involved.

Sample text messages for events and entertainment venues

Still need some inspiration as you get started? Take these templates to use when promoting and running your next event.

Event reminders
Keep your audience updated with weekly or monthly texts about your upcoming events.

Bloomenthal VIP members: Snag your tickets before they sell out! Hamilton is coming back October-Nov. Lottery opens 8am on Sept.1 https://txt.st/HSNRAS

Exclusive offers
Reward returning showgoers with exclusive text coupons and special discounts.

Exclusive Gray Theater offer: BOGO large popcorn with 2 or more Avengers Endgame tickets!

Exciting ticket giveaways
Hold a text messaging sweepstakes for free tickets to build a buzz about your business.

BackstreetsBack

Thank you for entering the Grand Rapids raffle for the sold out Backstreet Boys concert. Winner will be notified 4/1.

Emergency alert notification
Share urgent weather or safety alerts instantly with your entire crowd.

Attention Whitewater Center season members: the center will be closed temporarily due to tornado warnings. Stay tuned for updates.

Post-event surveys
By sending out post-event satisfaction surveys with trackable links you can collect valuable customer data.

Hey Ali! Thanks for attending the Chris Rock show last night. Would you mind filling out a quick survey about your experience?

Virtual customer service
In order to ensure a smooth event have customers text you with any needs typically managed by a waiter, usher, or manager and respond instantly no matter where your guest is seated.

Hello, I need wheelchair assistance at door 2

Right away, Ron will be over in one moment.

Send reminders or schedules
For multi-day events or conferences, stay connected with attendees through custom keywords.

#SmallBizConference attendees: The networking lunch begins in 1 hour in the Roosevelt room!

Connect with staff during events
Improve teamwork and ensure everything is running smoothly by sending updates in real time to staff members.

Filmore team- please make sure you’re in opening stations. Doors open in 2 minutes!

Get your entertainment venue started with texting for free

If you’re ready to give text marketing a try, we encourage you to sign up for a free trial account with us.

And yes, it’s really free. No credit card, no contract, just free.

When you’re ready to upgrade to a paid account, just change your billing plan from the dashboard. Simple!

The post Event text messaging services for entertainment venues appeared first on SMS Marketing & Text Marketing Services – Try It For Free.

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The ultimate guide to successful salon text message marketing

Read this guide to find out why spa and salon SMS marketing is the best way to reach clients.

Staying in touch with a growing number of customers can be tricky, but it’s important if you want to retain your customer base and create a great experience for your existing clients. 

Text message marketing is not only a great way to stay on top of appointment reminders and nurture customer conversations, but it can also help you promote new services and attract new clients. 

We’ve seen salons generate incredible results with SMS, such as reducing missed appointments, keeping seasonal visits high, and growing bookings. 

This guide shows you how they’ve been able to do that with sample use cases and step-by-step walkthroughs. 

How salons can use text messages to connect with and convert customers

Text messages are a great way to connect directly with your customers because your messages land in their inboxes alongside family and friends. You can cut through the noise and foster loyal relationships with these popular use cases. 

1. Deals and flash sales

Promote upcoming deals and sales with customers via a mass text message. Let them know they can book a bargain to generate an influx of bookings. 

2. Promote your events

Hosting an in-house event? Let customers know with a text message invite. Send a bulk message to a segment of your customer base or everyone on your list to boost attendee numbers. 

3. Send appointment prompts

Invite existing customers back with a friendly appointment prompt. Something like “It’s been a while, is it time for a haircut/massage?” will jog a customer’s memory and encourage them to book back in with you. 

4. Share appointment confirmations

Give customers peace of mind by sending an appointment confirmation as soon as they book with you. You can provide additional information here, including your address, directions, and arrival details. 

5. Send appointment reminders

Remind customers about their upcoming appointment with a friendly message. This reduces no-shows and builds relationships with customers. Set up automated reminders in the SimpleTexting app to ensure your customers never miss an appointment.

6. Collect reviews

Feedback is a crucial part of any business operation – find out what your customers do and don’t like about your spa or salon by sending a review request.

7. Send a thank you message

Either thank customers for coming to their appointment or thank them for sharing a review. You can level up your thank you messages by offering a discount they can use during their next visit. 

8. Communicate with employees

Life happens, people fall ill and when they do, you need a quick way to reach other staff. With a 98% open rate, text messaging is the best way to ensure your messages reach your employees.

9. Provide beauty tips 

Text message marketing doesn’t need to be all business. Give something back by sharing your favorite beauty tips and opinions on newly released products.

10. Share exclusive discounts and coupons

Incentivize your clients to keep receiving text messages by sending out discounts and coupons. Offers and sales are a great way to show appreciation to those loyal to you.

11. Create a rewards program 

Rewards programs are a great way to retain clients. Share salon or spa updates, send out unique discount codes and give members VIP treatment with exclusive treatment upgrades. 

12. Ask for referrals

Drum up extra business by asking customers to recommend you to a friend or to refer someone for their first appointment

Get inspired by these salon text message marketing examples 

Looking for some inspiration to fuel your salon text message marketing campaigns? Here are some ideas to get those creative juices flowing. 

The appointment reminder

This message reminds the customer about an upcoming appointment and provides a link if they need to reschedule. 

You can take this message one step further and link to the directions on your website or link to an FAQ page if it’s a customer’s first appointment with you. 

The “we miss you” message

This message reminds an existing customer that they haven’t booked an appointment in a while with the added incentive of a discount. 

The sign-up discount

This message welcomes a new customer who has signed up to receive text messages from the salon and offers an incentive if they make a purchase. 

The social proof message

This message shares a whole host of customer reviews with potential customers to provide social proof and give on-the-fence consumers a nudge in the right direction. 

Salon text message marketing services

It’s time-consuming to send individual messages to all your customers. Instead, use a text message marketing service to automate messages, send bulk texts, and store all your customer conversations in one place. 

1. SimpleTexting

SimpleTexting’s dashboard is intuitive and easy to use, with features that are perfect for salons. Send mass texts to different customer segments or connect one-on-one with customers via two-way messaging. 

You can quickly set up a new business number (or connect your account to an existing number) and get texting ASAP. 

2. ClickSend

Like SimpleTexting, ClickSend lets you set up and send automated text messages to customers to remind them about appointments, schedule bookings, and share discounts and incentives. 

3. TextMagic

TextMagic’s marketing software lets you set up notifications, send appointment reminders, and create bulk message campaigns from one central dashboard. 

How to start text marketing for your salon 

1. Choose your salon text message marketing service

Start by finding the right salon text message marketing service for you. Choose one that has the features you need, including the ability to send bulk messages to different audience segments and one-to-one messaging. 

2. Set up your text-enabled phone number

Your clients are probably already familiar with your phone number. With SimpleTexting, you can text-enable your existing 10-digit landline. You’ll still receive calls as usual but can send and receive messages from your SimpleTexting dashboard or our mobile app.

We can also set you up with a text-enabled, registered local number or help you pick and verify a toll-free number. This article covers how to pick the right number for your SMS marketing efforts. 

Your number needs to be registered with The Campaign Registry (TCR). To do this, you can fill out a 10DLC registration where you’ll supply:

• What you’ll be using the number for
• Two sample text messages you plan to send
• The opt-in method you’ll use to sign people up
• Your business contact information
• Your business’s name, industry, and EIN

Once you’ve submitted your 10DLC, SimpleTexting will send your application to TCR where it’ll be reviewed and verified. 

3. Collect customer phone numbers

The most important step in designing your text marketing strategy is gathering contacts. 

Do you already have a list of phone numbers from people who have given your salon permission to text them? If so, you can upload it directly into your SimpleTexting dashboard. 

Alternatively, you can: 

• Use SMS keywords, where customers text a word to your number to confirm their subscription
• Use a mobile sign-up widget, where customers can enter their phone numbers to receive messages
• Use a click-to-text button, where customers simply click to receive your messages. 

Be aware that the methods you use will need to be compliant with privacy regulations. 

4. Write a text message campaign

Get started with your first text message campaign. You might start with a welcome message, a discount, or a sale to deepen the connection with customers and reward them for signing up to receive your texts. 

If you don’t know where to start, you can use the help of AI to spark inspiration or get some words down on a page (just click the “Generate message” button). 

You can always tweak the copy in your campaigns later down the line. The most important thing is that you get started. 

5. Schedule a text blast

Once you’re comfortable setting up a campaign, you can start scheduling text blasts to go out to your entire customer base or segments. 

This might include discounts for your most loyal customers, an invite to an upcoming event, or a reminder for customers to book an appointment if they haven’t done so in a while. 

6. Reply to individuals who respond

There’s a good chance customers will respond to your text messages, especially if they know you and are a regular. 

This is a great opportunity to engage with them further and open up conversations with your best (and new!) customers. Take the time to check your dashboard inbox to read replies and respond to them — this is where you’ll drum up business. 

Read more: Find out how Gabriel Ortiz, Founder of Primero Negocios, uses SimpleTexting to help his client base of small business owners connect and engage with their customers.

Why text marketing for salons and spas works

• Texts are engaging. Clients don’t just open texts, they engage with them. The average click-through rate on text messages is 36% and the conversion rate of SMS hovers around 45%.  
• Quick open times. 30% of consumers check their incoming text notifications in under 60 seconds of receiving them. 
• Get in front of customers. We’re not saying you shouldn’t send emails. But, if you’re not sending text messages, chances are your customers are missing your messages. 
• Separate personal and professional life. It can get confusing using your personal phone for business texts. Having a separate phone number or text messaging service for your business will keep your personal and professional life separate. 

Take the next step with salon SMS marketing

If you’re ready to give text marketing a try, we encourage you to sign up for a free 14-day trial account. 

You’ll get 50 messages, plus you can create a keyword. And yes, it’s free—no credit card, no contract. (We’re confident you’ll love your texting experience.)

When you’re ready to upgrade to a paid account, simply change your billing plan from the dashboard.

Still have questions? Start a chat with our customer service team or check out a demo of the platform here. You’ll get a sneak peek into your new favorite tool.

The post Get creative with SMS marketing for spas & salons appeared first on SMS Marketing & Text Marketing Services – Try It For Free.

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The ultimate text recruiting guide

For recruiters who want candidates to quickly see, click, and reply to their messages, texting is an obvious choice. Here’s everything you need to know about text recruiting.

Whether recruiting via SMS or traditional channels, strong communicators have a competitive edge.

We’re not the only ones who think so: Between 2015 and 2019, the number of recruiting professionals who listed communication as an expertise on their LinkedIn profile rose 202%. Also, in LinkedIn’s 2023 Future of Recruiting report, 78% of experts say communication is the number one vital skill for recruiters over the next five years.

The challenge for modern recruiters is how to reach candidates so they can put their communication skills to work. That’s where text recruiting comes into play.

In this guide, you will learn:

• What text message recruiting is
• Why text message recruiting is effective
• Recruiting text message examples
• Recruiting text message best practices
• How SMS and text message recruitment work
• How to choose the best text message recruitment tool

What is text message recruiting?

Text recruiting is the use of text or SMS messages to advertise job positions, communicate with applicants, and maintain contact throughout the hiring process.

We see recruiters use SMS to:

• Send job alerts
• Schedule interviews
• Send interview reminders
• Check-in after an interview
• Answer candidates’ questions
• Collect candidate information
• Provide updates on application statuses
• Notify candidates of new opportunities
• Advertise new roles with text-to-apply
• And more!

Recruiters can use text messages throughout the entire recruitment process, from initial contact all the way to extending a job offer.

Why is text message recruiting effective?

SMS recruiting offers several benefits that can significantly enhance your recruitment efforts. Here are the four reasons you should use text messages for recruiting candidates:

1. Text message recruiting offers fast and high response rates.
2. You can reach applicants who aren’t at their computers.
3. Younger job applicants rely on texting.
4. Text messaging can simplify your hiring process.

1. Text message recruiting offers fast and high response rates

According to RevCycle Intelligence, potential employees respond to texts in under 60 seconds. This makes it one of the quickest ways to engage with candidates. 

Also, a Gartner research revealed text messages have remarkable open and response rates, often reaching as high as 98% open rate and 45% response rate. These rates are significantly higher than email, which has a 20% open rate and a meager 6% response rate — that’s over ​​7.5x the response rate of text messages.

2. Reach candidates and applicants who aren’t at their computers

Not every job is computer-based. In fact, many jobs you need to fill quickly — like in construction and hospitality — are the ones you struggle to contact via email for most of the day.

If you reach those candidates via text, you can fill job spots quickly and ensure nobody misses out because they’re at work. All your candidate needs to do is fire a quick response to let you know they’re interested or available.

It’s not just manual laborers, either. With many employees ditching their 9-5 for remote jobs, plenty of employees and candidates work on their own schedule. While these potential hires may miss their emails, text messages have direct access to them no matter the time of day or where they are.

3. Younger job applicants rely on texting

As more and more Gen-Z enter the workforce, and millennials continue to move up their career paths, our reliance on technology is changing.

That remote-work shift we just mentioned? It’s the younger generations who are advocating for it the most. If you’re looking to target those in their 20s and 30s, you need to reach out in the most contactable way, and for the vast majority, that is through text message.

75% of millennials hate talking on the phone, so text messaging is a less-intrusive but more effective way of reaching those who will screen their calls before picking up (and let’s face it, that’s most of us).

4. Text messaging simplifies your hiring process

Text message recruiting lets you integrate your recruitment software and applicant tracking systems (ATS). With that, you can track candidate interactions and streamline your administrative tasks efficiently. 

Text messages can also structure your hiring process, since you can schedule automated text messages, send reminders, updates, or follow-ups. This reduces your manual workload and ensures candidates get consistent communication throughout the hiring process.

14 hiring and recruiting text message samples and examples

Below are 14 hiring and recruiting text message samples and examples. They work for a range of scenarios, from welcoming candidates to scheduling interviews. Use these as templates to inspire your own text messages.

14 hiring and recruiting text message examples:

1. Welcoming and thanking candidates
2. Pre-screening candidates
3. Confirming candidates’ application
4. Reject candidate lightly
5. Scheduling an interview
6. Confirming an interview
7. Reminding candidates of an upcoming interview
8. Rescheduling an interview
9. Following up after an interview
10. Asking for a phone call for a job offer
11. Inform candidates of offers made to competitors
12. Sharing onboarding information (what to expect)
13. Re-engaging your talent pool with a now-hiring text
14. Empowering employees to refer new candidates

1. Welcoming and thanking candidates

This recruitment text message helps you begin your candidate-recruiter relationship on the right foot with a warm SMS message. Thank them for their interest and participation in the hiring process.

2. Pre-screening candidates

Pre-screening candidates will let you streamline your recruitment process. To do this, send your candidates a pre-screening text via a text-to-apply software where they text a keyword to a phone number. After texting, they’ll receive an automatic response with a direct link to a page where they can provide the information you need.

3. Confirming candidates’ application

Simple actions can make a great first impression of your company. One of such is making candidates aware you’ve received their application. Here is an example of a confirmation text message: 

4. Reject candidate lightly

Handling rejection with tact is crucial for maintaining a positive candidate experience. Here is a polite rejection message sample you can use:

5. Scheduling an interview

You can also efficiently schedule job interviews with candidates by sending text messages. Here are some interview scheduling SMS samples.

6. Confirming an interview

After scheduling an interview, you have to send a confirmation message to ensure both parties are on the same page regarding the date, time, and location. Here is an example:

7. Reminding candidates of an upcoming interview

You should send a friendly reminder to ensure candidates don’t miss their scheduled interview. This is a great way to eliminate no-shows.

8. Rescheduling an interview

Unforeseen circumstances may require you to reschedule a pre-set interview. If this happens, send a professional message to reschedule the interview. Here’s an example: 

9. Following up after an interview

It’s a great idea to maintain candidate engagement by sending a follow-up message after an interview. This can include the next steps or project-related information. Here are some examples: 

10. Asking for a phone call for a job offer

When extending a job offer, it can sometimes be best to do so verbally to be more persuasive. Here is an SMS message you can use to request a phone call for a formal job offer discussion.

11. Inform candidates of offers made to competitors

You can’t hire everyone. Informing those in your talent pool that you made an offer to another candidate shows professionalism and respect for their time and interest. Here is an SMS example for this: 

12. Sharing onboarding information (what to expect)

Clear communication about the onboarding process is important to offer new hires a great experience at your company. Here is a message to share what they can expect during their onboarding:

13. Re-engaging your talent pool with a now-hiring text

Reconnecting with candidates in your talent pool when new opportunities arise is a great way to find candidates who already like your company. But you’ll need a message to reignite their interest in your organization. Here is an example: 

14. Empowering employees to refer new candidates

Incentivising your employees to become brand ambassadors will encourage them to refer potential candidates. Here is an SMS message you can use to kickstart your employee referral program.

8 recruiting text message best practices

Adopting text messaging into your recruitment strategy is the first step. However, we also suggest following the tips below to maximize the effectiveness of your text recruiting.

8 best practices for effective recruiting:

1. Reach out to candidates on social media
2. Get candidates’ permission to text
3. Keep messages short and professional
4. Introduce your business and yourself
5. Include the 5 Ws in your recruiting text messages
6. Encourage replies
7. Stick to normal business hours
8. Schedule interview reminders

1. Reach out to candidates on social media

Use social media platforms like LinkedIn to find the right candidates for your role. Once you’ve contacted them through that platform, you can ask if texting will be easier. They must give you permission to text them; you cannot use available phone numbers to text potential candidates at random.

2. Get candidates’ permission to text

It’s a legal obligation to have contacts opt-in to receive your text messages. Use a web form or the text-to-apply method to make this consent as easy as possible.

3. Keep messages short and professional

Although you’re texting, this is professional communication. Don’t use slang and ensure messages are straight to the point, so the candidate doesn’t feel they’re wasting their time.

4. Introduce your business and yourself

Begin texts with your business name (e.g. “Brand: Thank you for applying.”). This helps candidates know immediately the organization that’s texting them, which is especially helpful if they’re chatting with multiple prospective employers.

In your first personalized message, introduce yourself as a recruiter, too. This can help your candidate build a real relationship with a human being at your company.

5. Include the 5 Ws in your hiring text messages

Who, what, where, when, why — these are important information to include in your recruiting texts, especially for interviews.

6. Encourage replies

Texting is a two-way street. Encourage candidates to reply to your texts and to send you questions they may have, even if they seem out of the blue.

7. Stick to normal business hours

The key to business texting is to ensure it remains separate from your personal life. Even if you’re using a personal phone with the SimpleTexting app on it, you should not be messaging people outside of appropriate business hours. Do this for yourself and the candidate.

8. Schedule interview reminders

Once an interview has been scheduled, you can set an automated reminder to go out to your candidate. Simply schedule a text message to go out before the interview as a reminder.

How do SMS and text message recruitment work?

In LinkedIn’s 2023 Future of Recruiting report, 64% of leaders predict the next five years of recruiting will favor candidates and employees more, not employers. 

What does this mean? In-demand candidates will get hired fast. Companies with a slow recruitment process will inevitably compromise on the quality of hires.

The fact that 90% of texts are opened within three minutes means you can contact shortlisted candidates faster, and therefore screen, interview, and fast-track the hiring decision.

Here are different ways you can use texting to improve speed to hire:

1. Text from your business phone number
2. Collect phone numbers on applications
3. Set up a text-to-join keyword to increase general job applicants
4. Set up text-to-apply for position-specific recruiting text messages
5. Add click-to-text to turn website visitors into applicants
6. Send applicants updates
7. Answer candidates’ questions

You can also check out our free SMS marketing template generator for more ideas.

1. Text from a business phone number

While you might think it’s convenient to text from your personal cell phone, it leads to a host of problems. Here are some:

• Strangers have your contact information. No one wants to wake up at 1 a.m. to a text from an upset candidate. 
• It slows down the hiring process. There’s no way to automate texts like interview reminders.
• No transparency. Using your personal cell prevents other hiring managers and interviewers from picking up where you left off when communicating with a candidate.

When your text recruiting happens from a dedicated text messaging service, you can set up automation, keep your personal contact details private, and encourage collaboration.

2. Collect phone numbers on applications

Chances are you’re already collecting phone numbers of job candidates through online job applications.

To text these people, add an unchecked box that a website visitor must check to provide express written consent that they want to sign up for your job notifications.

Here’s an example of this in action.

Then when you have a new role, you can send out a text blast to your database.

Here’s a recruitment message example advertising a new role.

3. Set up a text-to-join keyword to increase general job applicants

No matter which plan you choose, all of our SimpleTexting plans come with unlimited text-to-join keywords. Keywords are a word or short phrase that, when sent to your allocated phone number, will trigger marketing text messages.

You can use one keyword for general updates, or you can use several keywords aimed at each job sector.

For example, if you want to attract hospitality workers, you could use and advertise “TEAM” like Casey’s convenience stores. Anyone who texts this to your number will then be signed up for hospitality job openings and alerts.

4. Set up text-to-apply for position-specific recruiting text messages

Text-to-apply is one of the most popular text recruiting methods out there. It’s so popular we’ve written a whole guide about text-to-apply that’s full of information on it. However, here’s the gist.

Text-to apply and text-to-hire software use text-to-join SMS keywords for specific job openings.

A company will use a keyword dedicated to one job, which, when texted to the allocated number, directs the sender to a job link.

Here’s an example of text-to-apply in action.

5. Add click-to-text to turn website visitors into applicants

A great way to speed up communication is by adding a click-to-text button to your website. Over 54% of web traffic is through cell phones, and click-to-text works in tandem with a phone’s native messaging app.

When the customer selects the button, their native messaging app will pop open and your business texting number will be autofilled in the “to” box.

This is a fast and effective way for those looking at job listings to have their questions answered. It also allows you to find out more information about applicants prior to them applying for jobs.

6. Send applicants updates

You can share updates about a candidate’s status, changes to the process, and deadlines for projects or references.

7. Answer candidates’ questions

Encourage applicants to ask questions they might have. It gives the applicant a feeling of relief knowing the company is not “out of reach.”

Here’s how to use our SMS inbox to message 1-on-1 with applicants.

How to choose the best recruitment text message service

At this point, we should state the obvious: SimpleTexting is text message recruiting software. We’ve worked with thousands of recruiters to help them text their candidates and advertise open positions, but we will not do any hard selling here.

We encourage you to do your research, read plenty of reviews on third-party sites, check out case studies, and sign up for a free trial.

If you’re only starting to send recruitment SMS, here are some boxes you’ll want to tick when choosing a service:

• Most text messaging platforms allow you to either text 1-on-1 with applicants or send bulk SMS. You want a platform like SimpleTexting that will enable you to do both.
• Do you need to integrate with other platforms like your applicant tracking system (ATS) or send automated text messages? If so, you’ll want a service that offers multiple SMS integrations.
• If you plan on using a text message recruiting software for two-way messaging with applicants, you want an SMS inbox with the functionality to manage multiple conversations.
• If you want to send weekly reminders to teams or staffing agencies to request timesheets, you'll want to ensure recurring campaigns are available.

The final consideration is the cost of the text recruiting tool. The per-message price is an enormous factor. It’s also worth understanding if credits rollover from one month to the next.

More resources on text message recruiting

• How to use mass texting for recruiting
• Text messaging for human resources ultimate guide
• Text messaging service for human resources

Recruiting text message FAQs

This guide was originally published December 20, 2018. It was significantly updated October 5 and 12, 2023. Dani Henion and Nathan Ellering contributed to this piece.

The post The ultimate text recruiting guide appeared first on SMS Marketing & Text Marketing Services – Try It For Free.

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Group texting for religious organizations

Learn how to connect your congregation and keep new members coming back with SMS.

Texting and church — not exactly a match made in heaven, right? Phones are distracting. People forget to silence their ringtone, and everyone from kids to adults eventually gets caught fiddling with their phones instead of paying attention to the message.

But it’s important to realize that text messaging can actually help churches overcome common problems. Ministries and religious organizations of all kinds face the same basic challenges:

• Keeping your congregation engaged in a world of digital distractions and information overload
• Connecting with the youth, teens, and young adults of your community
• Making your message meaningful the whole week long — not just the Sabbath

With church texting services and group texting powered by SimpleTexting, your religious organization will be able to address each of these issues with ease.

Why use texting for your church?

The church isn’t a building. It’s the people — the community that comes together to celebrate.

Religious organizations use texting for many purposes. At SimpleTexting, churches use our text messaging software to:

• Establish a simple church communication system that sends bulk messages to congregation members and empowers individuals to respond only to you (not like an annoying group text where everyone in the list gets alerted).
• Bring people into church and increase church attendance by reminding worshippers of your events, masses, ceremonies, and celebrations.
• Modernize church connection cards and follow up on card prayer requests and involvement interests.
• Start prayer chains for those who need or request spiritual support.
• Make church announcements like post-mass follow-ups, giving requests, and volunteer needs.
• Share lines of worship or daily devotionals.
• Engage youth ministry groups with event reminders, volunteer opportunities, and more.
• Fundraise for your church by communicating apparel for sale, requesting donations for yard or rummage sales, and promoting silent auctions.
• Follow up with church members who missed celebrations to encourage them to come next time, make sure they’re OK, and let them know you care.

Those are just a few ways we’ve seen our customers use texting for their churches.

How texting works for places of worship

With text messaging (or SMS, for Short Message Service), it’s easy to contact your members instantly.

But before you can start texting, you need cellphone numbers and permission from your members. Sound complicated? It’s simple!

All you need is a text-to-join keyword and a business texting number, which can be your church’s local landline number. Once you’ve created a text-to-join keyword on SimpleTexting.com (for example, “1STCHURCH” or “BETHSHALOM”), just ask your congregation to text it to your text number.

For example, you could create a poster to hang on the doors or entryway of your church like this:

To be compliant with texting rules and laws, it’s also important to include a disclaimer wherever you promote your text-to-join keyword, as you can see in the example above. Here is that text so you can copy/paste and modify for your purposes:

By texting to this number, you agree to receive promotional messages sent via an autodialer, and this agreement isn’t a condition of any purchase. Message and data rates may apply. To unsubscribe, text STOP to 206-761-7316.

Your keyword confirmation, which can be an SMS (simple text message) or MMS message (text message with an image or other rich media), also gives you a great opportunity to welcome new contacts right off the bat!

In the example above, SimpleTexting will automatically send a compliance message free of charge so you can focus on the big picture.

That’s all it takes to gather their number and consent. They’ll automatically be subscribed to your text messages — it’s really that simple!

You can also manually import your contacts if you have them stored in a spreadsheet.

How your church can use text messages

Wondering what a church could possibly use text messages for? Below we’ve shared several ideas to help you get started.

1. Send daily Bible verses straight to your members’ mobile phones

Text quotes from Scripture that are relevant to that week’s sermon and keep congregants inspired all week long.

2. Alert members instantly about schedule changes

Sending timely texts about schedule changes means no one will be left in the dark. Need to cancel Sunday school due to dangerous weather? Text alerts let you reach the multitude in minutes.

3. Notify parishioners of upcoming events

Want to ensure your social events are well-attended? Remind members with automatic texts.

1STCHURCH: Bonfire tonight @6pm! Hot dogs and s’mores galore — don’t forget to bring your friends and family!

4. Reach your youth by speaking their language

Did you know that for ages 15-24, text messaging is by far the most frequently used channel for personal written communication?

5. Get feedback and suggestions from your community

Looking for a suggestion? Have an idea and need the feedback of your entire congregation? Send a text, ask for input, and reap the responses.

6. Ask for volunteers to help out at events

Getting volunteers on board is a lot easier with SMS — just send a quick text message.

7. Share prayer requests with the whole community

If you need to let everyone know about an important prayer request, that’s easy, too.

… and the list just goes on and on:

• Hold a Bible trivia contest
• Send out a teaser for an upcoming sermon
• Share a link to notes for the weekly Bible study
• Communicate with fellow pastors and church leaders
• Provide updates on missions trips
• Let people know where their donations are going
• Wish members a happy birthday

As you can probably tell by now, there’s really no limit to how your church can use text messaging!

How to let your congregation know about your texting list

We’ve seen what you can do with church texting, but how do you tell your members about it? Surprise, this is actually pretty simple, too! Here are a few ideas on how to get the word out.

Announce it from the pulpit

You’re already making other announcements from the pulpit—so why not add “new text messaging service” to that list? Just let your congregation know at the beginning or end of a sermon that they can opt in to receive daily Bible quotes, prayer requests, sermon notes, or whatever it is you’ve decided to use SMS for.

Include signs and notices in your place of worship

Bulletin boards, brochures, newsletters, donation boxes, sermon notes—all of these and more make great places to inform people about your texting service. All you need is something simple, like “Text 1STCHURCH to 206-761-7316 for weekly event reminders.”

Feature it online

Don’t forget to announce your texting service to the internet. This means updating your website, social media accounts, emails, and wherever else you have an online presence.

Follow these simple steps and you’ll be texting in no time!

Try group texting for your religious organization today

If you’re ready to give text marketing for churches a try, we encourage you to sign up for a 14-day free trial account with us.

Then, when you’re ready to upgrade to a paid account and get full access to our features, just change your billing plan from the dashboard. Simple!

This piece was originally published June 15, 2016. It was most recently updated July 27, 2023. Nathan Ellering contributed to this piece.

The post Group texting for religious organizations appeared first on SMS Marketing & Text Marketing Services – Try It For Free.

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SMS Marketing for Health and Fitness Businesses

Here’s the last guide you’ll need to get SMS marketing all set up for your fitness business. Continue to read on this page or view as a pdf.

View as a PDF

As a health and fitness professional, your relationship with your clients runs deeper than a simple business transaction. You’re helping people better themselves and live healthier lives, and they want to hear what you have to say. 

But you and your clients lead busy lives, and there’s no shortage of competition in the health and fitness industry. Meanwhile, the average email open rate is only 35% in the health and wellness industry, and organic social media reach is declining. 

How can you make sure your clients see your advice, announcements, and offers?

With 98% average open rates, text messages can help you cut through the noise.

We’re not telling you to abandon your email marketing or to never post on social media. We are telling you that if you want to create a more personal relationship with your clients and actually have them see your messages, SMS needs to be part of your marketing strategy.

In this guide, we’ll show you step-by-step how to get (and keep) more clients this year with SMS marketing.

Warm Up Choose the Right SMS Marketing Service

To organize and automate your SMS marketing, you’re going to need a dedicated text messaging platform.

Even if you already use SMS marketing, make sure your platform has the right features at the right price point so it’s not holding you back.

7 Traits the Best Health & Fitness SMS Platforms Have in Common:

• They’re affordable for small- and medium-sized brands. Look for an app that offers competitive pricing, and compare how many credits you get in each pricing tier.
• They’re easy to use. Test the app with a free trial to make sure it’s user-friendly and easy to navigate.
• They have built-in SMS automation. Look for features such as autoresponders and scheduled messages to save time and respond to your contacts faster.
• They let you personalize texts at scale. You won’t always have time to send personal messages to each client, but you still want them to feel seen. Look for features that allow for personalization, such as custom fields and the ability to segment contacts.
• They’re secure. Ensure that the app is secure and encrypted to protect your clients and your brand.
• Their support team is responsive. Search the platform’s ratings on third-party sites for “support” and “service” to see what customers have to say about the app’s customer service.
• They give you data on your texts’ performance. Check if the app provides detailed analytics so you can see whether your mass text campaigns are getting people to take action (like clicking on links to your site).

Start by Collecting Phone Numbers

Your SMS marketing program is a waste if you don’t have anyone to send messages to. You can send messages to anyone who gives you permission to text them. 

→ If your goal is to expand your client base in 2023, advertise your texting program to people who fit your target market. Offer a discount or special offer in exchange for joining to encourage sign-ups.

→  If you want to retain more existing customers, invite them to join your texting program using your existing customer communication channels (like email).

Choose an Opt-in Method

The way someone joins your list and gives you permission to send them promotional texts is called the opt-in method. Some of the most popular opt-in methods include:

• Sending a keyword to your number (A keyword is a word or phrase people text to your number to quickly join your list. For example: “Text SPRINGWORKOUTS to 555-555-5555!”)
• Entering a phone number into an online web form
• Checking a box on a paper contact information form

If you create a keyword, you can advertise it by adding an announcement or callout to your:

• Site’s homepage
• Social media bios and posts
• Email signature
• Business card
• Invoices
• Paid social ads
• Promotional flyers

→ Check out our Opt-in Methods Guide to learn more about these three opt-in methods and how to set them up.

Comply with SMS Guidelines and Regulations

To legally text your customers, you need to have their explicit permission (known as express consent) to send them messages. 

Even if a customer has given you their phone number before, you must get written consent from them before sending them commercial messages with an SMS platform. This is required by the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).

Your advertisement or announcement must clearly disclose that:

• The messages you send will be marketing-oriented/promotional in nature.
• The messages will be sent via an autodialer (the TCPA legalese for SMS platforms).
• Their agreement to receive the autodialed promotional text messages isn’t a condition of any purchase.

To comply with guidelines set by the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association — an industry advocacy group that supports wireless carriers and governing bodies — your ads must also include:

• Your campaign purpose
• Message frequency
• Information about message and data rates

Now, Split Your Contacts Into Groups

You’ve provided your audience with a way to join your list, and the contacts have started rolling in. 

You can now start sending text messages to all of them (see Step 3 of this guide to learn how), but we recommend grouping your contacts by interests and behaviors. This is known as segmentation.

The Benefits of Contact Segments

Grouping contacts by interests, behavior, and demographics allows you to send more personalized messages instead of one-size-fits-all campaigns.

Personalized messages can help increase your text message campaigns’ engagement. For example, we found that one customer’s average click-through rate (CTR) for messages including the first name custom field was 71%. Non customized messages had an average CTR of 55%.

Need ideas for grouping contacts? Try segmenting people by:

• Which classes or programs they’ve joined
• What their goals are (strength training, losing weight, etc.)
• Whether they’re an existing client or a prospect
• Their city or neighborhood
• Their birthday month
• Where they opted in to your texting list (like your social media, email, or website)
• Whether they clicked on a link in your text messages

→ Watch this video to learn how to segment your contacts in SimpleTexting.

You are Ready to Write and Schedule Your Texts

Time to plan some text messages that’ll inspire and engage your contacts.

You can always send one-off text message campaigns to your contacts, but we recommend planning out your texts ahead of time (at the start of each month, for example) so you can be strategic about the types of messages you’re sending and when.

Write Your Text Messages

You know your brand’s tone of voice and your clients’ interests better than anyone, but we can give you a few pointers on what works best for our health and fitness customers’ SMS campaigns.

1. Focus on bringing value to the table. Contacts have given you access to the most direct and personal way to reach them — their phone numbers. Offer them value in return with exclusive promotions, event invitations, workout and nutrition plans, and more.
2. Get your timing right. Brilliantly written texts are no match for waking someone up at four in the morning.
3. Avoid irregular campaigns. You don’t want to annoy your contacts, but you don’t want them to forget you exist, either. Try to maintain a reasonably regular campaign schedule.
4. Mix in user generated content (UGC). Ask current and past clients if you can share photos, testimonials, and results from working with you to inspire others.
5. Personalize your messages. Let your clients know they’re valued, even when you’re sending texts to many contacts at once, with personalization. You can collect important information from your contacts like their names, email addresses, or location with our Data Collection tool. Then, include custom field tags in your message to automatically populate the information into your text campaigns.

Automate Your SMS Campaigns

Did you know that you can schedule text message campaigns in advance and create automated workflows? It’s true, and it’ll save you loads of time.

Let’s look at three ways you can put your SMS marketing on autopilot.

Schedule Texts in Advance

Schedule texts for the time and date your contacts will best respond to. Keep time zones and lifestyles in mind so you don’t unintentionally wake someone up at 3:00 a.m. or interrupt their dinner. 

Set Up Autoresponders

Create autoresponders for welcome messages, onboarding sequences, review requests, reminders for upcoming events, birthday texts, and more.

Build a Drip Campaign

Set up drip campaigns – a series of automated texts — to nurture prospects, re-engage inactive clients, and reward existing clients.

Time to Connect with Contacts One-on-one

Your work in health and fitness is personal. You’re helping people make lifestyle changes that can improve and prolong their lives. 

Your encouraging and educational messages can easily get lost in full email inboxes and crowded social media direct messages. On the flip side, sending a text almost guarantees they’ll see — and often respond to — your messages. 

Inbox Management Best Practices

To make texting part of your overall plan to attract and retain customers in 2023, start by getting familiar with your inbox. 

Not all SMS inboxes are created equally, but we’ll show you what to look out for when selecting a text messaging service provider.

Filter Your Messages

Inbox filters help you triage incoming messages. Oftentimes, you can filter texts by whether they are open, snoozed, closed, or unread.

Within each filter, you can then organize your messages by newest or longest wait.

Your inbox filtering options may differ depending on which SMS platform you choose, but you should become familiar with them to make incoming messages less overwhelming.

Create Templates to Save Time

Templates allow you to create everything from a standard text message signature to canned responses to your most frequently asked questions. Their superpower is saving you from having to type up the same message again and again.

Leave Internal Notes About Clients

Think of this as a sticky note for your text conversations. They can remind you of relevant information, like clients’ goals, what days you meet with them, and which services they’ve signed up for. This will save you from having to dig through client management tools or paper notes when responding to a text.

Enable Push Notifications on Desktop and Mobile

To be more accessible to your clients, turn on push notifications for your SMS platform in your browser so you’ll see messages as they roll in. 

If you haven’t already, download the platform’s mobile app as well so you can get notifications on the go.

Add Team Members

If you’re running the show by yourself, this tip may not apply to you. But if you have a business partner, an assistant, or anyone else who can interact with clients on your behalf, add them as a team member in your SMS platform. 

This will help take the pressure off and allow you to focus more time on clients who need your undivided attention. It’s also a lifesaver when you need someone to keep up with messages and campaigns while you’re on vacation or traveling for business.

Finally, Integrate with Tools You Already Use

We’re down to the final step! This one is all about personalizing your clients’ experience and saving time on switching between platforms.

Whenever possible, integrate your SMS marketing platform with business tools you already use. These may include customer management software, appointment booking tools, email service providers, or anything else you rely on to keep your health and fitness business running smoothly.

Here are some integration ideas to get you started:

1. Trainerize

Send a text message with a special offer to clients who have canceled their subscription.

2. TeamUp

When a client registers for a new class, trigger an automated text that welcomes them and gives tips for getting the most out of their workout.

3. Exercise.com

Trigger a text message when a client starts the checkout process but doesn’t complete their purchase.

4. Instagram

Send a text notification to your contacts when you create a new Instagram post to increase engagement. 

5. Google Calendar

Automatically send a text message reminder to clients before their upcoming consultation or training session.

→ Want to try it for yourself? You can integrate any tool that has an API or Zapier connection with SimpleTexting.

Cool Down: Take the Next Step

If you follow the steps in this playbook, you’ll be on your way to a successful SMS marketing strategy that’ll put you ahead of your competition. 

Better yet, you’ll know how to automate parts of your strategy so you can focus more time on helping your clients achieve their health and fitness goals.

Like any effective workout program, SMS marketing takes commitment and consistency, but the results are worth the effort. 

Get Your Business Started with Text Marketing

Ready to give text message marketing a try? Sign up for a free trial account today to see SimpleTexting in action.

Best of all — it’s free for 14 days. No credit card, no contract. Just free. And you get 500 free credits as a fitness professional who downloaded this guide. Offer expires 15 days from the day you downloaded this guide. Don’t miss out!

If you have any questions about how to market your business with texting, our SMS experts are here seven days a week to help. Reach out to us at support@simpletexting.net, or call/text us at (888) 663-6856.

You can also try out our free SMS template generator for more inspiration!

The post SMS Marketing for Health and Fitness Businesses appeared first on SMS Marketing & Text Marketing Services – Try It For Free.

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The Guide to Mass Text Messaging for Schools

Everything you need to know about school SMS software and how to start texting parents, teachers, and students.

Good communication between your school and its community is more necessary than ever. With texting, you can take advantage of 98% open rates. Here’s the ultimate guide on how to use school SMS software.

What is Text Messaging for Schools?

Schools have a range of communication challenges –– from engaging with students and their families to getting emergency alerts out in a timely manner.
On top of this, students, parents, and staff are all busy and can easily miss a phone call. So it can be difficult to get important information in front of them.
That’s where school SMS messages come into play. Schools ranging from Pre-K to colleges are using SimpleTexting to reach their audience and:

• Set up an emergency text alert system 
• Remind students or parents about closures, early dismissals, and other last-minute events
• Set up a hotline where students or parents can ask questions
• Offer students and parents helpful resources
• Send information about college admissions and financial aid programs
• Send alerts for absenteeism and report card availability
• Schedule parent-teacher conferences and other meetings
• Send fee reminder sms to parents

• And more!

We’ll cover these use cases in more detail, along with a guide on how text messaging for schools works. Let’s get started.

Why Is Text Messaging for School So Effective?

Text messaging for schools allows educational institutions to instantly share important messages with students, teachers, parents and faculty, whether it’s an emergency, school alerts, or general information. 

These days, mass text messaging is the quickest, most reliable way for schools to send crucial updates.

Examples of How Educators Use School SMS Software

• Alpha School Keeps Parents Informed Through Texts
• South Arkansas Community College Uses SMS To Connect With Students
• 8 College SMS Strategies You Can Steal

The Benefits of a School Text System

There’s never been more ways to communicate. You can call, send letters and emails, and post on social media. 

The problem with all of these channels is that they can be disjointed and unreliable.

This means you can’t reach the people you need to reach, when you need to reach them. And your parents and students can’t get the information they need when they need it.

Everyone Checks Their Phones

One of the reasons that SMS for schools is so effective is that students, parents, and teachers are never far from their cell phones.

Americans check their phone on average once every 12 minutes — burying their heads in their phones 80 times a day.

It explains the 98% open rate of texts and the fact that 90% are read within three minutes. It’s why so many schools use a text message service to contact parents and students when there’s an emergency.

No Extra Apps Needed

A lot of school messaging services require people to download an app. That’s often something people do begrudgingly.

Google even found that “download our app” on a website caused 69% of people to immediately leave. On the other hand, everyone has access to a mobile phone and knows how to use text messaging. Implementing an SMS text system is an easy way to open up communication and avoid the barriers of third-party apps.

It’s the Channel Your Students Prefer

It’s also helpful that it’s a channel people prefer. That’s especially true for 44% of Gen Z, who look at notifications within one minute of receiving a text — 27% faster than the national average.

There’s no other channel that can guarantee the same level of engagement, making it invaluable for your school’s communication strategy.

See how NC State easily answered 6,672 student questions over text during first-year orientation here.

Key Terms for Education SMS Services

There are a few terms you’ll need to know as you get started with texting. Here’s a quick summary:

• SMS – Stands for Short Message Service. SMS is used to send and receive text messages over cell networks. Limited to 160 characters.
• MMS – Short for Multimedia Messaging Service. MMS messaging allows you to add media like images, video, and audio to your texts. Comes with a character limit of 1600.
• Keywords – A short word, phrase, or other combination of letters and numbers that lets people sign up to receive text messages.
• Campaigns – A campaign is simply a text sent to your contacts (usually a lot of them at once). You can use campaigns to send announcements, promotions, events, etc.
• Contacts – These are people who have consented to receive your texts. 
• Segments – This is a SimpleTexting feature you can use to group contacts by common attributes (like interests or locations) for more targeted messaging.
• Templates – Pre-created messages for texts you send often, like a standard reply or answer to a common question. You can also create your own templates in SimpleTexting.
• Autoresponders – A series of texts that sends automatically after a set period of time or when a contact takes a certain action. This automation is easy to set up in the SMS platform.

How Text Messaging for Schools Works

There are two ways schools use texting:

1. To send one way updates, alerts, or information 
2. To engage in two-way communication with their community, most commonly through a text hotline

We’ll outline how both work and provide links to other useful resources where you can learn more about them.

How Mass Text Messaging for Schools Works

If you want to start sending your community texts, you’ll need a list of phone numbers. There are many ways that you can build your SMS audience. (You can also upload an existing list by following these steps.)

Arguably the quickest way to do it is by advertising an SMS keyword everywhere you can. A keyword is a word or phrase students, parents, or staff can text to your number to sign up for messages.

Let’s say you want parents to receive a reminder about upcoming parent-teacher meetings and other events. Your keyword to opt-in could be “PARENT.” When a parent texts it to your phone number, they’ll receive an automatic response thanking them for subscribing. Here’s an example.

Schools typically advertise these keywords on their website, on social media pages, and even on posters at the school.

A lot of schools also collect phone numbers through paper forms. Your paper form should have a checkbox that people need to tick off to sign up for messages.

It’s important to never send a message to someone who hasn’t checked the box, and to store your completed forms in a safe place for reference. You’ll also need to include a text-stop option for anyone who wishes to opt out. (You can learn more about SMS compliance here.)

Once you’ve built a list of contacts, you can now send them:

• Emergency notifications
• Important reminders
• Class cancellations
• School events

Here’s how easy we make it to send messages like this.

We’ve also seen schools send information about sporting events, communicate with their staff, and more.

Have Two-Way Conversations With Students and Parents

Another way to use texting is to allow people to text your number with questions.

For example, prospective students often have tons of questions for admissions teams. What SAT score do they likely need? Is there a marketing major? With a college SMS service, your admissions team can answer these questions quickly.

You can use our SMS to host networking events, answer parents’ questions, and even set up an SMS bully hotline.

The simplest way to set this up is to advertise your text-enabled phone number where you typically field questions. From there, you can organize and respond to these incoming messages. Here’s how two-way texting works. 

School SMS Examples

Once you’ve chosen a school SMS service, you might suddenly face writer’s block. So, to preempt that, here are nine examples to help you get started.

In general, we recommend the following when texting:

• Keep it short: Keeping a message as brief as possible allows the recipient to scan it and know exactly what you’re referring to or what action you want them to take.
• Aim for clarity: While text messages should be short, they shouldn’t be cryptic. Ensure that the text will make sense to the recipient.
• Make it personal: Use the recipient’s name, location, or other information such as their child’s grade to know that the message is for them.

How to Choose the Best School Text Service

At this point, we should state the obvious: we’re a school SMS service. We’ve worked with thousands of schools to help them text with their students, parents, and staff, but we’re not going to do any hard selling here.

We encourage you to do your research, read plenty of reviews on third-party sites, and sign up for a free trial.

If you’re only starting to research school text messaging services, here are some of the boxes you’ll want to tick when choosing one:

• A lot of text messaging platforms allow you to either text 1-on-1 with customers or send bulk texts. You want a platform like SimpleTexting that will enable you to do both. It gives you the flexibility to do everything from sending emergency notifications to setting up an SMS hotline.
• Do you need to integrate with other platforms or send automated text messages? If so, you’ll want a service that offers multiple SMS integrations.
• School administrators need to be careful of services that limit the number of keywords and contacts they can have. (We don’t.)
• Schools need a text messaging service that has a mobile app so that you don’t need to be in front of a computer to manage texts.

The final consideration is the cost of a school texting service. The per-message price is a huge factor. It’s also worth understanding if credits roll over from one month to the next.

The First Step to Setting Up Your School Text System

That’s it — everything you need to know about school texting in one straightforward guide. The next step is to sign up for a 14-day free trial and try it for yourself. 

Learn more about school SMS messages:

• Higher Education Mass Texting
• What to Look for in a School Messaging System App
• Higher Education Mass Texting: Use Cases, Examples, and More

If you have more questions, you can also request a demo. Alternatively, you can text or call us at (866) 450-4185 or use the chat at the bottom of your screen.

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Text Messaging For Plumbers

Learn how your plumbing business can benefit from texting, as well as the steps you’ll need to take to get started

Whether it’s reaching out to existing customers or prospective ones, a plumber’s communication strategy revolves around managing appointments. With SMS, you can get in touch with all your clients quickly, efficiently, and effectively. Here’s the full guide to how it works. 

How Plumbers Use Text Marketing

As a plumber, your day could start installing pipe assemblies in a dishwasher on one side of town and end 28 miles away installing a water heater. And of course, any regularly scheduled day could get turned on its head in the instance of an emergency.

You need a speedy way to stay in contact with your clients to ensure everything gets done in a professional, timely manner. 

But thanks to the rise of robocalls, more than 77% of people avoid answering phone calls. And on average, emails sit in an inbox for 90 minutes before getting read! 

That’s where texting comes into play. Commercial and residential plumbers alike are using SimpleTexting to reach their audience to:

• Communicate appointment delays 
• Send appointment reminders 
• Provide service quotes
• Communicate with vendors for parts
• Answer customer questions
• And more!

We’ll cover these use cases in more detail below. But first, here’s why texting is so effective.

How Texting Benefits Plumbers

The problem with traditional communication methods is that they lack the speed and responsiveness that a plumber out in the field needs. 

From a burst pipe taking priority over a regularly scheduled service to a traffic jam delaying your arrival to a job. The bottom line is, you need a way to get information communicated quickly.

With 90% of text messages being read within three minutes of receipt, there’s no faster way to reach your customers. 

In addition to speed, there’s a few other aspects of texting that give it an edge. 

Texts are Customer Preferred

In a national survey on consumer preferences, 55% of people prefer SMS for appointment reminders vs. 35% of consumers who prefer email for those notifications. In addition to preference, text messages are highly effective at cutting down on missed appointments, which can cost you thousands of dollars each year. 

When an MGMA survey asked what would have prevented folks from missing appointments, 38.1% said a reminder via text message would have helped. That’s 14.3% more than those who said phone calls would have helped and 19.1% more than those who said email reminders.

SMS Can Integrate With Scheduling Tools

If you’re using a scheduling and dispatching tool like Jobber, ServiceTitan, or Workiz, you can integrate it with our texting platform in seconds. Automatically send a text message when a new quote is issued, an appointment is set, an invoice is delivered, and so much more. 

Not only does this save you time, but automating your administrative tasks can keep you organized and free from human error!

No Extra Apps are Necessary

Many messaging services require people to download an app to communicate, which your coworkers and clients aren’t always willing or able to do. 

Google even found that “download our app” on a website caused 69% of people to leave immediately. On the other hand, everyone has access to a mobile phone and knows how to text. All they have to do is give you their permission to send them a message, and you’re set!

There’s no other channel like texting that can guarantee the same engagement level, making it invaluable for your business’s communication strategy.

Examples of How Plumbers Use SMS Software

• How to Send Text Reminders to Customers
• How To Reach Customers With Texts
• Benefits of Texting

How Text Messaging for Plumbers Works

Although you do have the ability to send out mass text blasts to all your customers or staff, you’ll most likely be using SMS more for one-on-one conversations. 

So, there are a few elements to our platform that you’ll want to get familiar with. 

Click-to-Text Buttons

It’s easy to add a click-to-text button to your website. When a user taps on the button, the SMS app on their cellphone will automatically launch with a pre-written message. You can customize the text on the button to say anything: “I’d like to schedule an appointment,” “I’m interested in pricing,” etc. 

Business Texting Inbox

It’s easy to manage all of your client conversations with our business texting inbox. But the best part is that all incoming SMS messages are always free!

• Leave notes: These notes can be visible to you and your team. Discuss customer questions behind the scenes and make sure your team members are in the loop.
• Schedule messages: Schedule a particular date and time for your message to send. For example, service follow-ups, appointment reminders, and review requests. 
• Send files: Upload photos, PDFs, or other media and send them as links to individual contacts.
• Prioritize conversations: Choose the order in which incoming messages appear to you. Filter them by time received or time waiting. Now you can stay on top of your Inbox and make sure no leads get left behind.
• Mark conversations as resolved: When you’re done with a conversation, mark it as resolved to hide it from your Inbox. If a customer replies, it will be marked as open again.
• Snooze conversations: Hide conversations for a set period. When the snooze period ends (or if someone replies), it will appear at the top of your Inbox.

Next Steps

Getting started with texting is simple with our help. In addition to offering a two-week free trial, we’ll also set you up with:

• A complimentary toll-free number to begin texting your customers with.
• Access to our full library of resources and tutorials.
• Support from our team seven days a week.

If you have any questions about moving forward, you can also request a demo. Alternatively, you can text or call us at (866) 450-4185 or use the chat at the bottom of your screen!

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Text Messaging For Dentists

Learn how to increase your appointment show rate and keep patients informed with texting.

The top challenges facing dental practices—patient accumulation and attrition—aren’t going away anytime soon.

There’s been a 22% increase in the number of dentists since 2011, while the United States’ population growth rate is in a decades-long decline. 

That’s why more than 25% of practices think competition will hurt their businesses.

We know what you’re thinking. You clicked into this article expecting to read a comprehensive guide to text messaging for dentists.

The point we’re making is that in today’s modern dental era, you need to differentiate yourself from your competition. Nothing makes you stand out more than good—no, actually, knock-your-socks-off—customer service.

Text messaging can improve your customer experience and engage patients. Here’s how to get started. 

• Why Text Messaging Engages Patients
• How Dental Offices Use Text Messaging
• Text Messaging For Dentists Is Affordable and Easy to Implement
• How to Start Sending Dental Text Messages

Why Text Messaging Engages Patients

You’re skeptical when a company with texting in its name tells you that their product will solve all your problems. We get it.

But there are a ton of independent studies that show how highly customers rate the ability to text with businesses.

• In one survey, 47% of people stated they would react negatively if a company did not offer SMS as a communications channel
• 9 out of 10 consumers rate receiving text messages from businesses as important

Let’s face it: patients don’t refer your practice to their friends because your teeth cleanings are so wonderfully thorough. 

Personalized service and attention, plus reducing hassles around patient interaction, builds a loyal dental patient base. 

That’s why communicating with your patients the way they want to be communicated with is crucial.

How Dental Offices Use Text Messaging

There are a ton of different ways that dental practices use SMS. Here are four of the most popular use cases.

Sending Appointment Reminders

On average, about 10% of dental appointments are no-shows. Smart dental practices send appointment confirmation texts and text message appointment reminders to reduce no-shows. You can even schedule recurring campaigns to deliver automated reminders on a monthly, weekly, or yearly basis!

55% of patients prefer text messages to remind them of an appointment versus email, which was chosen by only 35%. Phone calls are even lower.

Sending Special Offers and Deals

Well-planned and well-timed special and promotional offers can work wonders for increasing your dental practice’s patient base. For example, for a back-to-school campaign, you could offer a special on braces.

Review Requests

Online reviews for dentists have become word of mouth in the twenty-first century. Research suggests that 80% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations and that positive reviews make more than 70% of consumers trust a local business more.

The good news is that the vast majority of people will leave a review if you ask them. Asking for reviews via SMS is a guaranteed way to grow your online reputation.

Make It Easy to Ask Quick Questions

A lot of dentists use texting as a way to respond to an emergency or a postoperative complication. Outside of business hours, you can keep an eye on incoming texts using the SimpleTexting mobile app. It’s a great way to foster trust and build lasting relationships.

One of the best examples of this tip came to us from Lighthouse Dental, a practice that encourages patients to text in questions and concerns.

Create a Contactless Check-In Experience

As a result of COVID-19, the last thing you want is a group of customers waiting in a room. Texting can help you maintain social distancing with an easy-to-manage waitlist.

Text Messaging For Dentists Is Affordable and Easy to Implement

There’s a misconception that it’s difficult to set up a text messaging service.

If you read through our 192 reviews on G2 Crowd, you’ll notice a trend. Many reviews from dentists like this one call out how easy it is to set up and use.

And this.

When it comes to the cost, you only pay for the texts you send, and our plans start as low as $29.

How to Start Sending Dental Text Messages

Firstly, we encourage you to do your research before deciding on a platform. 

You’ll want to read reviews on third-party sites and double-check that they offer all the features you need, have a responsive support team, and an extensive library of resources.

After you make your choice, you’ll need to follow a few steps to get started. Each platform works a little differently, but here’s how SimpleTexting works.

1. Choose a Phone Number and Add Team Members

After upgrading your SimpleTexting account to a paid plan, the first step is to decide what number you want to use. You can choose to register a new text-enabled local number, verify a toll-free number, or provision a dedicated short code.

You can also choose to text-enable an existing toll-free or local number. You still receive calls as you usually would, and texts are routed to the SimpleTexting platform.

One of the benefits of this option is that your customers are likely already familiar with this number. You can read up on number types here.

The next step is to invite your team to the SimpleTexting platform so that you can share the workload.

2. Promote Your New Number

If you want existing or potential patients to text you, you’ll need to promote your phone number and let them know you can receive texts. Here are some of the ways we see dental practices promote their text-enabled number.

• You could add text messaging to your Google Business Listing
• Other practices add a click-to-text button to their website
• You can update your existing contact form or section to include the option to schedule an appointment via text message.

3. Set Up SMS Reminders (Optional)

This step is optional. Only follow it if you want to send SMS reminders. 

Firstly, it’s worth checking if your practice management software integrates with Zapier. If it does, chances are you can automate the process by connecting it with SimpleTexting.

If you’re not familiar with Zapier and how it works, then check out this article.

Otherwise, you can create an easily editable template within SimpleTexting and then set aside twenty minutes to schedule reminders for the coming day. (We recommend sending them about 24 hours before the appointment.)

You can learn how easy it is to create a template here. 

4. Make the Most of Our Powerful SMS Inbox

Our powerful SMS chat inbox allows you to assign conversations to colleagues, keep your inbox organized, and ensure nothing falls through the cracks. 

You can also create an away message that sends 24/7 or just outside of your clinic’s hours. Use it to let patients know when they can expect to hear back from you, or give them another means to get in touch with you. Learn more about setting up an away message here.

Are You Ready to Get Started?

If you’re ready to give text marketing a try, we encourage you to sign up for a free 14-day trial account. You can send your first messages, import contacts, and explore the platform before upgrading. And yes, it’s free. No credit card, no contract, just free.

When you’re ready to upgrade to a paid account, just change your billing plan from the dashboard. Simple!

The post Text Messaging For Dentists appeared first on SMS Marketing & Text Marketing Services – Try It For Free.

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SMS Marketing for News and Media Outlets

Learn how to share news and stories in real time and keep your audience engaged with SMS marketing.

From international outlets to local news stations, millions of people tune in daily to watch the news. They also read the paper, scroll through Twitter for live reports, and browse online article archives.

Thanks to the internet, news spreads faster than ever—and it takes on many different forms.

Within the digital space specifically, mobile news consumption is on the rise. The portion of Americans who get news on a mobile device has gone up from 54% in 2013 to 72% today.

If the digital news trends of the last decade have shown journalists anything, it’s to follow the fastest, most accessible outlets and share your news there in real-time.

With industry leaders like NBC, CNN, and Fox News utilizing text message news alerts, it’s no surprise this is where the future of journalism lives.

How Can Journalists Use SMS Marketing Software?

Texting gives reporters the chance to share breaking news fast. This ensures your story secures the most views as well as boosts your reputation as a fast and reliable outlet.

Some of the most popular journalistic uses of SMS include:

Share “Smart” Article Links

In each text message, you can include a shortened URL to a news story. From there, you can segment your recipients based on click behavior. This would allow you to share a link to a follow-up story to anyone who clicked on the original message!

Sort Readers By Topics of Interest

You can create different keywords for each news beat. Keywords are just short words or phrases that, when texted in to a phone number, subscribe someone to a distribution list. By segmenting your text blasts by category, you can be sure you’re only texting out stories that a person has an interest in. This increases the odds of them clicking, reading, and sharing your content.

Add Value to Advertisers
Your text message contact list can be monetized by sponsors as well! Your growing SMS reach is another branding asset you can proposition as a tool for bringing in more revenue.

Poll Readers For Data

As a reporter, you may be interested in informally collecting some information from your audience on different topics. When you text out quick polls, you can gather data for your work as well as open the door to two-way communication with leads who may have an interesting story you’d like to hear more about. For example, if you were writing a story on the need for more public parking in your town, you could send out a poll like this one:

SimpleTexting Tip: You can also use things like your message click-through rate to help assess your readers interest on certain topics!

Sample News And Media Text Messages

While each reporter, segment, or column can have their own dedicated space, here are some general ideas for texts that popular news outlets send.

Breaking News/First Read Texts

As a story develops, you may want to let your viewers know you’re on the scoop. When you offer breaking news texts you invite viewers into the action with you, which encourages them to stay with your network as they follow a story.

Traffic Texts

Help your readers stay organized and plan their days travel when you send regular traffic updates around busy travel times. From rush hour delays to traffic jams on major highways.

Traffic Alert : An accident Northbound on the Mass Pike will cause major delays. Expect stoppage until at least 7 p.m.

Weather Alerts/School Closings

Similar to the idea of traffic alerts, weather can be just as disruptive to people’s days. Help prevent accidents by sharing the most up to date weather information on demand. During severe weather periods, you can also text out links to update parents and students on school closings.

Heavy snowfall is expected to start at 10 p.m. this evening . See which schools have already closed/set delays for tomorrow https://txt.tl/mJPLPM

Business/Financial News Alerts

Of all of the different news categories, finance is one that can change minute by minute. Due to the nature of industry regulators like the stock market, providing time-sensitive financial news reports would be of great interest to professionals and regular viewers alike.

Sports Texts

A break from the more serious alerts, avid sports fans would be thrilled to receive occasional updates on their favorite teams. From score updates during a big game to breaking team news!

Breaking : Tom Brady has announced he has left the New England Patriots and is now a free agent.

Entertainment/Celebrity News

Similar to sports fans, there’s a reason why gossip magazines fly off the shelves at grocery stores. Give people their daily glimpse into the lives of the other half and you’ll be rewarded with a very loyal readership!

After years of waiting, Rhianna has silently dropped her new album, R2d2 on Spotify, iTunes, and Tidal.

How to Get Your News Station Started With Text Messaging

It’s easy to get up and running with text marketing. Especially for a journalist or media organization that has an active reader/viewership.

1. Select a Number

Does your station have a number that your audience is already familiar with? The good news is, you don’t have to change it! One of our onboarding team can work with you to text-enable your existing voice number. You also have the option to register a new 10-digit local number, choose and verify a toll-free number unique to your station, or select a 6-digit short code.

2. Reserve Keywords

Keywords are an essential way for people to subscribe to your messages. It’s also a great tool to keep listeners organized based on their interests. Every SimpleTexting plan comes with unlimited keywords. That means you can create one for every facet of news you cover or for any given reporter.

3. Add Sign-Up Forms to Your Website

Another simple way to get more readers signed up for your text messages is by adding a form to your website. This is the space where most people visit to find out information, so create a pop-up for each viewer to share their mobile number in order to receive exclusive updates and information. If your web developers are busy there’s no need to worry. We already made the code for you, all you need to do is copy and paste it onto your website for an instant sign-up form!

4. Advertise Your New Texting Abilities

The most important part of your text marketing program is the process of informing your viewers and readers that you have one! Make sure your journalists are regularly sharing your numbers and keywords while they’re reporting.

Be sure to update all your signage, web material, and advertisements with text-related calls to action. Anywhere you can make your number and keywords visible, do so! Soon enough you’ll watch your contact list (and ratings) begin to rise.

FAQs About News And Media Text Messaging

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Text messaging guide for first-party debt collectors

SMS allows for fast, direct contact with your clients that ultimately gets you paid faster. Learn more about using text messaging for first-party debt collection in this guide.

Ensuring customers pay on time is easier said than done. Late payments currently cost small businesses more than $3 trillion per year. Beyond the staggering cost, no one likes the process of chasing debts––not your customers, and certainly not you. 

Can we let you in on a little secret? Debt collection doesn’t have to be this hard. 

SMS allows for fast, direct contact with your clients that ultimately gets you paid faster. Your phone call goes straight to voicemail, your automated email ends up in a junk folder, but 43% of consumers check their text messages over 10 times each day. 

You might be thinking, what about the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act? Or won’t text messages annoy people?  These are valid questions, and we are here to answer them with the complete guide to using text messaging for first-party debt collection.

Will your texts annoy people?

Debt collection is not just about dollars and cents. It’s about people. So, you don’t want to annoy anyone as you pursue payment. We get it.

The bottom line is that––like any channel––if you do text messaging wrong, you’ll annoy your customers and damage your brand. But do it right, and you’ll find much higher engagement rates and happy clients. (After all, you’re communicating with them on their preferred channel.)  

Texting isn’t something to fear in 2020. Contrary to what you might think, consumers are vocal about the fact that they want you to text them.

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The key ways you can use SMS to collect debts

We’ve established the fact that your clients want you to text them. Now let’s look at the different kinds of text messages that you can send.

The outstanding payment reminder SMS

You know what they say, the best offense is a good defense. You can help your clients never miss a payment by sending them automated text reminders before their bill is due. These payment reminders are cost-effective and quick to send.

The missed payment reminder

Sometimes your customers miss a payment. Maybe the credit card on their account was lost or stolen, or they simply forgot. Whatever the reason, you can send them a gentle reminder that there is an outstanding amount they owe.

The payment confirmation SMS

If you appreciate good manners like us, you’ll know the importance of a well-timed thank you. You can also send payment confirmation text messages to your customers to improve your relationship and boost loyalty.

Send useful information related to outstanding debts

You can use text messages to convey information beyond the outstanding amount like payment plans, details of applicable late payment charges, and interest rates. This transparency and knowledge can make it easier to collect a payment, creating a win-win situation for you and your customers.

Encourage two-way communication

We recently wrote about using texting to help you exceed customer service expectations. Encouraging this two-way communication could allow your customers to get in touch about questions and provide another avenue to resolve outstanding disputes.

Hey, I’ve had a couple of unexpected expenses, and I’m going to struggle to make my payment

Hi Steve, no need to worry! We have lots of different options. Is there a good time to call to discuss them?

In an hour?

Chat then!

The benefits of using texts for debt collection

• Save time when you send SMS. How long does it take you to make 20 phone calls? Now think about how many texts you can send in the same amount of time.
• You know that your message is received. Emails get lost in crowded inboxes, and phone calls go straight to VM, but 95% of texts are read within 3 minutes of being sent.
• Sending texts is less stressful. Text messages provide a less invasive means of communication than phone calls–meaning you won’t endanger relationships or cause undue stress.
• Text messages are cost-effective. Our plans start as low as $29 for 500 text messages–that’s a lot cheaper than traditional debt collection methods.
• Text messages create a sense of urgency. Creating urgency helps get you paid faster. After 6 months, a debt is only 50% recoverable. After 12 months, this drops to 10%.

SMS and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act

The FDCPA was passed in 1977 and provides rules around what third-party debt collectors can and cannot do when they’re collecting a debt from a consumer.

In 2020, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released some modern updates to the policy in order to better accommodate electronic messaging including SMS.

These new rules now give debt collectors explicit permission to use SMS—a contemporary update that outlines with greater clarity the general rules that dictate what kind of text messages you can send and when.

However, there are a couple of essential no-nos when sending debt collection texts.

• You can only text your clients between 8 am and 9 pm in their local time. (With SimpleTexting, you can schedule SMS to arrive at the right time and avoid imposing on people’s privacy.)
• You can’t harass someone with repeated text messages. The exact number of text messages varies, so it’s critical you consult your local laws.
• You have to identify yourself as a debt collector and ensure you don’t reveal the client’s debts to a third party.
• You can’t threaten clients.
• Debt collectors who use electronic messaging need to provide a simple method for consumers to opt out. (With SimpleTexting, we provide a built-in compliance message instructing subscribers to reply with STOP to opt out).

While we cannot offer legal advice (nor should our resources be interpreted as or substituted for legal counsel), it’s important to remember that the above restrictions apply to all your communication channels. So, complying with them should not be particularly challenging.

Get paid faster with our powerful SMS messaging features

Here is a selection of some of our most useful features for collecting payments. You can see all of our features here.

How do you start sending text messages to collect debts?

The odds are that sending even payment reminders by texts will free up hours for you that were otherwise consumed by phone calls, late payment notices, and legal disputes.

So, what does it take to get going? We’re pleased to tell you that getting started with SMS only takes a few steps:

1. Create a SimpleTexting account

Start your 14-day free trial and send your first texts, import contacts, and explore the platform. If you like what you see, upgrade to a paid plan to get full access to our features.

2. Choose a number to text-enable

When it comes to text enabling your business, you have options. First, you can choose to text-enable your current number.

This makes sense if you want to use a number that customers already know. In this case, calls go through as usual, and text messages go straight to the SimpleTexting platform.

You can also opt to get set up with a new registered local 10-digit number, standard toll-free number (don’t forget to have your toll-free number verified to avoid traffic disruptions), or toll-free vanity number. Vanity toll-free numbers are custom numbers that spell out a phrase, for example, 1-800-MY-LOANS. With 800.com’s online shopping cart, it takes just minutes. Plus, as soon as you purchase your number, we can help you text-enable it.

3. Upload existing contacts

If you already have phone numbers for some of your customers in an existing database, you can upload them directly into SimpleTexting.

While you don’t technically need consent to email or text a consumer transactional messages––think payment confirmations, payment reminders, and missed payment notifications––we still strongly recommend that you obtain express written consent from your clients. Texting any numbers that you have not collected organically is illegal and strictly against SimpleTexting’s anti-spam policy.

There are many ways you can obtain express written consent:

• Place a sign-up form on your website to let customers know about your text marketing program
• You can ask your customers to text in a keyword to join your text notification program. A keyword is a short, memorable word or phrase unique to your company. For example, your customers could text “UPDATES” to your toll-free number. Your SimpleTexting account comes with the ability to create unlimited keywords.
• When a new client provides their cellphone number, add a consent box for them to check to receive texts.

4. Integrate with existing tools

We allow you to connect SimpleTexting to 1,000+ apps instantly. You can automate your collections process, waving goodbye to repetitive workflows and increasing your productivity.

To achieve this, you can use our API or Zapier integration to connect with an existing accounting system or your CRM. With automated payment collection, you’ll wonder how you ever survived without SMS.

Try it for free

Still not convinced that using SMS for debt collection is right for you? To help make the decision easier, we offer a free trial for businesses to experience our services in real-time. No payment information is required, and switching your account from free to paid is easy.

We’re here to help you get started!

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