Are you looking to launch an SMS marketing campaign but don’t know which professional service to use? Commercial SMS is a particularly effective tool, but to harness its full power, it’s essential to choose a reliable sending service provider. Here are the major criteria to select the best platform.
Essential Points for Making the Right SMS Service Provider Choice
Data Confidentiality
Make sure you choose a serious and reliable provider that complies with the Law for Confidence in the Digital Economy (LCEN) and the rules of the CNIL (France). This means that the provider must ensure the confidentiality of the collected information in its general terms and conditions and directly on its website. If not, move on, as this criterion is imperative.
Automatic Integration of the “STOP SMS”
As we have seen in a previous article, recipients must be able to easily and at any time object to receiving advertising SMS, hence the famous STOP SMS. This is a matter of consumer respect as well as legality, since integrating this mention in your messages is mandatory. Therefore, choose a provider that allows the insertion of this mention.
Scheduling of Sendings
Like many other marketing operations, sending SMS campaigns is often planned in advance and is rarely done instantly. For optimal organization, choose a platform that allows you to select the time and date of the launch. You can then create your campaign at your leisure and schedule it whenever you want. Sendings will then automatically start without you having to worry about them.
Message Delivery Guarantee
Many providers offer SMS campaign sending without guaranteeing message delivery, particularly low-cost SMS or roaming platforms. To maximize the effectiveness of your sendings, favor companies that provide a guarantee of message delivery to the targeted recipients.
Personalization Options
For your SMS campaign to work optimally, it’s important to be able to customize both the sender’s name and the content of the messages. This will allow recipients to immediately identify you and have a positive impression when receiving a message specifically tailored for them rather than a mass message. Therefore, it is essential that the platform you choose offers these personalization features.
Rich SMS Option
Rich SMS (or “Enhanced SMS“) optimizes the effectiveness of a message by inserting a hyperlink in its content that redirects the user to a landing page on your site (photo, video, form, etc.). This is an excellent way to convert prospects and retain customers. Finding a provider that offers this option is a bonus to consider for enriching your campaigns.
Performance Tracking
To know if your SMS campaign was successful, it is strongly recommended to choose a provider that allows tracking and analysis of your sendings (reading rate, click-through rate if a link is included, etc.).
24/7 Access
Opt for a sending provider that allows you to access your campaigns and contact lists at any time and from anywhere. For this, choose platforms that operate in SaaS mode (Software as a Service).
Affordable Cost
Although the cost of SMS campaigns remains reasonable when compared to, for example, email sending, we still recommend examining the rates offered by different platforms to ensure a good ROI. The goal is not to choose the cheapest one, but rather the one that best balances quality, reliability, features, and pricing. Also, make sure there are no hidden fees.
In conclusion, the platform’s user-friendliness and ease of use are also important factors to consider when choosing the right SMS service provider for your business.
