SMS (short message service), also known as text messaging, is a means for sending brief texts of up to a specific character count to mobile devices, like cell phones or smartphones. Today, text messaging is a popular service for businesses that want to send bulk messages to reach leads and customers and market their products or services. One can find multiple developers offering messaging software for businesses of all sizes to begin bulk texting.

Types
Here are three common SMS types that a business usually chooses:

1-way SMS: Here, the text message only moves in one direction, i.e., from the business to the client. The receiver cannot respond to these messages. The type system is usually preferred to deliver information like purchase receipts, booking confirmations, and other communication that does not require a response from the end user. This type of messaging could also help companies and governments send out crucial alerts, including those associated with security and weather.

2-way SMS: With 2-way SMS, the receiver can usually respond to the automated message from the business. For example, a business might send a text message with questions and ask the receiver to reply with the appropriate number or with a “yes” or “no” to the text. Doing so could help one book appointments, select a suitable phone plan, or even set language preferences. One should note that these responses are pre-set.

Conversational SMS: This type of SMS allows clients to respond to a business text message directly but beyond pre-set responses. So, it encourages a conversation between the customers and the service associate. A conversational SMS is a great way to resolve complex client queries, especially if they do not have access to any other mode of communication.

Benefits for businesses
Whether someone runs a small, medium, or large business, there are multiple benefits to selecting text messaging services for marketing or other purposes:

Facilitates decision-making: SMS marketing requires customers to opt for messages about deals and promotions before receiving them. Here, the target audience is usually highly interested in or loyal to the brand. This way, the advantage for small businesses is that they could save time and money by avoiding consumers who are uninterested in receiving promotional messages.

Improves engagement: Consumers are used to their email inboxes filled with spam and unwanted advertising. On the contrary, most text messages are read almost immediately. So, the text service could help marketing campaigns get a wider reach than more modern methods.

Quick delivery: As text messages are generally one to two sentences long, they can be delivered immediately, even if there is a link attached to them. Further, experts suggest that the receiver is more likely to read the entire message because it is so short. Text messages are also likely to go through faster than other modern means that rely on the internet.

Affordable option: While the prices for text messaging services may vary based on the provider and features one opts for, the service is significantly affordable compared to other marketing media. So, text marketing is suitable for small business owners to send messages for a couple of cents each. Further, businesses that select bulk packages could send hundreds or thousands of messages each month for a reasonable flat rate.