Bulk SMS Services: Real-Time Business Marketing Technique

We all love interacting with our family, friends and fellow citizens using messaging services. Ease and simplicity adjoined with effectiveness have made use of Bulk SMS services extremely convenient and amiable for the majority of the sect. Adding further to the factors contributing to such genial use of SMS technology is the availability of affordable mobile phones and ever-enhancing telecommunication networks. 

Analyzing the communication trend of the last two decades, one can easily find evidence for increased communication using SMS services. Needless to say, the prompt trait of this communication technique makes human interaction extremely powerful and simple. Taking courage from the same facts, the business industry has evolved with a new marketing technique commonly known as bulk SMS service or simply bulk messaging. In simple linguistics, bulk SMS is a marketing and communication technique employed by business units to interact with millions of target audiences using the potential of SMS service and the internet. Appending further, this interaction can be completed just within a few seconds with the help of an effective bulk SMS gateway provider. 

Introduction to SMS gateway

An SMS gateway is a channel that enables a computer to send and receive bulk SMS to mobile phones via telecom operators. Observing the principle of bulk messaging, the business units need to send messages to millions of their target audiences. The message recipients are individually subscribed to several telecom operators that link the mobile units to the network of telecommunication. 

Thus, if a communication is to be established between the business units and the end-users, we need to use the network of telecom operators as the connecting link. However, knowing the internal intricacies, it is not feasible for a diverse set of business applications to directly connect with telecommunication operators and exchange bulk messages. Bulk SMS gateway provider to play a significant role in such situations. The gateway connects business applications with the vast network of telecom operators. 

The connecting link: SMS gateway

For understanding purposes, one can consider the SMS gateway as the connecting channel. This channel is responsible for establishing firm communication between business applications and SMSCs (a commonly used abbreviation for short messaging service centers). 

At the business end, the messages are drafted by units in a user-friendly language. This message may contain any information or message that the business wishes to send to its target audience. Aligning with the same, the composed SMS can be a transactional message detailing about user details; or promotional message written with an intent to tell recipients about ongoing offers, discounts, etc; or a message for two-factor authentication (2F authentication). Once the message is drafted and electronically dispatched from the business application, it is then translated into machine language that is compatible with mobile carrier coding standards. This translation of the message allows for easy transmission. Adding further, bulk SMS gateway providers use highly efficient application interfaces or APIs to perform language translation. 

Once the message is been coded into machine compatible language, the SMS gateway takes in command and decodes the addressing information linked to every SMS in the batch. Each message stream assigned a digital tag that holds details such as the sender port, receiver information, and other technical details. With the help of these tags, the gateway routes the corresponding messages towards the nearest SMSC or SMS center associated with the mobile network. From these telecom networks, the SMS is dispatched and finally reaches the recipients. 

A similar process is observed when the target audience wishes to send message responses to the business units. The only difference observer is that now the mobile phone acts as the initiating entity and the business application acts as the recipient. 

Though the entire process of bulk messaging might sound time-consuming, it is worth mentioning that the whole process happens just in a second or two and the messages are sent and received to and from a large number of target audiences simultaneously. A firm connection is established between bulk SMS gateway and SMS centers using advanced internet protocols and services. The usage of a systematic and structured protocol makes bulk SMS services highly effective and real-time business marketing solutions.

Bulk SMS Solutions for Businesses: An Introduction

Bulk SMS is one of the greatest ways of engaging and interacting with prospects and customers. In these modern times, it is found that people tend to be more responsive to the messages they receive on their phones. Thus, it can rightly be said that bulk messaging solutions are one of the greatest ways of getting the message of your business product and service across. Businesses looking to alert their clients regarding system updates or the ones trying to promote their latest services and products should always make it a point to go for bulk SMS services. This is because bulk messaging ensures that your message will reach your client and will not remain unnecessarily and idle in the spam inbox of your target customer.

Bulk SMS: What Is It?

It is not a new concept in any ways. Bulk SMS is the process of sending one business message to a large number of customers on their Smartphones. This is a kind of specialty service provided by a number of companies operating in the market. It is called a specialty service mainly because there are different components that go into the process of sending the same message to a large number of recipients at one go.

Businesses have the option of using software programs, API integration and applications for sending messages in bulk to target audiences. These solutions generally interact with the SMS gateway of a network for ensuring that the intended messages get easily delivered to the Smartphones of the recipients residing in different parts of the world.

Using Bulk SMS for Directing Customers to Your Website

If you want your customers to know more about the products and services that you are offering them make it a point to go for Bulk SMS services. It is also important to understand that since there is a lot of online traffic coming through the use of Smartphones, bulk SMS can effectively be used for driving traffic to one’s ecommerce store or business website. Your website is the place where potential customers will be able to get the details of the products and services that you are offering. Therefore, it would be a good idea for you to drive your customers to your business website by giving those links to your website on the messages delivered to their Smartphones.

How are Businesses Making Use of Bulk SMS?

In these present times, almost all kinds of businesses are using bulk SMS for informing their potential and existing customers about their services and products. Ecommerce sites, banks, tech companies and even traditional retailers are using bulk SMS solutions for updating their customers with the latest information. Mass messaging campaigns can effectively be used for marketing, information and entertainment purposes. There are different types of messages that businesses can deliver to their prospects and clients through mass messaging. These can be offers, sale alerts, discounts, product news, coupon codes, thank you notes, election vote appeals, survey links, service notifications, download links, feedback requests, emergency updates, employee updates and reminders.