The Best Text Message Marketing Services of 2025

Connecting with your target audience in a memorable and engaging way is a challenge all businesses and marketers face. On every marketing channel, there’s so much competition for users’ attention that it can be a challenge to cut through the clutter and deliver your brand message. Text message marketing can be a powerful tool in this regard, offering you a one-to-one connection with your audience with one of the highest open rates of any marketing channel.

The best text message marketing services, like Textedly, include intuitive dashboards that make running and tracking your SMS campaigns a breeze. Source: Textedly

Text message marketing services can have no charge or cost you hundreds or thousands of dollars per month, depending on the vendor and plan. Most text message marketing providers offer tiered packages based on how many messages you plan to send and how many keywords you’ll use. Higher-tier plans typically come with lower per-message rates for additional messages, and most companies will roll over any unused messages to the next month.

These message rates are often referred to as “credits.” SMS texts (standard word-based messages up to 160 characters) typically cost one credit, while MMS texts (messages with images or video and up to 1,600 characters) cost two or three credits. For example, you might purchase a $39 monthly plan that includes 1,000 text credits. However, not all providers follow the same pricing structure. Some companies like TextMagic use a pay-as-you-go model, while others like Textline don’t include messaging costs in their base plans at all. This means you’ll need to factor in separate messaging fees on top of your monthly software subscription.

If you’re planning frequent two-way conversations with customers, you’ll want to ensure incoming messages are free — something most, but not all, providers offer. Some services, like Podium, allow unlimited one-to-one messaging but can be expensive for sending bulk marketing texts. Most providers will set you up with either a 10DLC or toll-free number as part of their standard service. You may be able to text-enable your current landline, though that usually comes with an additional charge. Most vendors offer extra numbers for a small monthly fee, typically between $5 and $25 per month. Businesses with high-volume messaging needs should consider a dedicated short code, which usually costs about $1,000 per month and might be charged separately or included in the plan price.

Other factors that can influence your cost include:

• Feature restrictions: Some providers, like ProTexting, keep base costs low by only including basic features, requiring you to pay extra for advanced tools.
• Team access: Additional team members often come with extra monthly costs.
• Support and setup: While most vendors don’t charge for customer support, some, like Thryv, charge for onboarding, and you might need to pay extra for developer support with APIs.

When estimating your monthly costs, consider your expected message volume, whether you need robust two-way messaging capabilities, what type of phone number works best for your business, which features are essential versus nice-to-have, and how many team members will need access to the platform.

Free Text Message Marketing Tools

For small businesses and startups with limited marketing budgets, several text message marketing providers offer free plans or trials that provide access to basic SMS functionality without upfront costs. The most notable free option is Omnisend, which provides 60 SMS messages at no cost and access to all of its features, such as email marketing, automated workflows and analytics. This free plan makes it an ideal starting point for businesses testing SMS marketing effectiveness. You’ll need to purchase additional message credits when you use up your allotment, but the software will remain free.

However, free text message marketing platforms typically have significant restrictions, including:

• Message limits: Strict caps on how many messages you can send per month
• Contact storage: Limited number of contacts you can store in your database
• Feature limitations: No premium integrations, advanced analytics or automation tools
• Support limitations: No access to phone support

Free options work best as evaluation tools rather than sustainable solutions for most SMS marketing campaigns. Many vendors offer substantial free trials that allow businesses to evaluate their needs and the service before committing to paid plans. Most provide 14-day free trials, with some extending up to 30 days. During these trials, businesses can typically send messages to their own numbers for testing purposes and explore platform features. While free tools can help you get started, most companies will need to invest in paid plans to unlock the full potential of SMS marketing.

Text message marketing services are more than a way to send text messages. They are full-scale marketing solutions that help you engage with your audience, track results and improve your customer service.
When looking for a text message marketing platform, knowing which of the many features you need can be challenging — and even what they all do. Here are the features we think are the most valuable for businesses to look for in a service, in alphabetical order.

AI Assistance

Many text message marketing vendors have begun incorporating AI generation into their software for quick and reliable content generation. AI tools can generate bulk marketing messages in the right tone, and many offer multiple options so you can choose the best one. AI can also be leveraged to respond to incoming customer messages, create personalized recommendations and maintain security. In 2024, a SimpleTexting survey found that “using AI for personalization and automation is the most popular SMS marketing trend.”

Analytics and Reports

Metrics are a vital part of text message marketing. These numbers tell you which campaigns were successful and which ones were not. Analytics can also provide insight into why specific messages performed the way they did. Virtually all leading platforms include built-in reporting features.

Analytics tools, such as those provided by SlickText, can help determine whether your text message marketing efforts are paying off. Source: SlickText

Automation

Automation tools allow you to program messages to send automatically at the same time every day, week or month. You can also create auto-replies for when customers first text or for messages received after hours. Trigger words can be set up to send automatic responses to common questions, such as opening hours or menu options, and can even be used to create automated workflows for certain interactions.

Bulk Messages

Bulk messages, also known as mass texting, are at the heart of text message marketing. You can send promotional messages or announcements to your list of opted-in contacts, but unlike with group texts, recipients won’t see other customer numbers and replies will only go to you. Most solutions let you personalize bulk messages by using custom fields.

Compliance

Text message marketing is subject to serious regulations, but thankfully, the best SMS messaging services make compliance a breeze. Top vendors will register your numbers so you can start sending mass texts without running afoul of the law. They will also provide you with solid opt-in and opt-out tools. Some programs even boast HIPAA compliance, which is crucial if you’re texting sensitive health information.

Contact Management

You can’t have a successful text message marketing campaign without a strong base of subscribers to receive them. Contact management features keep your contacts organized, fresh and easy to access. The best services store past interaction history alongside customer data, so you have all the relevant information on hand when communicating.

A high-quality text messaging platform will have robust address book functionality, such as Textline does, for contact management. Source: Textline

Custom Fields

Most texting solutions capture customer data through custom fields, such as the person’s full name, birthday and ZIP code, which opens up new possibilities for message targeting. By personalizing messages, you can increase engagement. For example, you could text customers deals on their birthday or alert them to sales in their area to show appreciation for their repeat business. Some services allow you to collect unlimited customer data to store any and all information relevant to your business.

Customer Engagement

Beyond getting your message out to a wide audience, text message marketing can be used to boost customer engagement. Some platforms have tools to create text-to-win contests, which not only get customers interested but can also grow your contact list. You can also text coupons and promos to drive sales and build loyalty. Some programs even let you request and respond to online reviews via text.

Drip Campaigns

With drip campaigns, you can send automated messages based on conditions you set using if-then commands. Each step of the customer journey can trigger its own message, such as a greeting upon opt-in, a confirmation for each purchase or a request for feedback after a customer service encounter.

Integrations

Some text messaging solutions integrate with other business platforms, such as email marketing programs, CRM systems and accounting software. These integrations can significantly increase your productivity and capabilities by letting you import and sync data automatically across all your business software.

>> Learn more about email marketing services in our roundup of the best email marketing software and our Constant Contact review.

Keywords

You can build your contact list with keywords, which allow customers to opt into your messages by texting you a single word. The best solutions allow you to choose custom keywords and track their usage. Some services offer unlimited keywords. Others, however, are limited and require you to pay more if you want additional keywords.

Link Shortener

SMS messages typically allow no more than 160 characters. This limit can pose challenges when you need to include links — how can you send a compelling message when half of it is a URL? Some text message marketing platforms have link shorteners that solve this problem, reducing any link to 15 characters at most. Plus, usually you can get detailed analytics, such as click rate, for each link.

Message Templates

If you plan to send the same text message frequently, look for messaging software that lets you create and save templates to send messages faster. You may also prefer a platform that comes with ready-made templates.

Mobile App

The benefit of communicating with customers via text is that response times are much quicker. A fully functional mobile app allows your business to provide timely responses even when employees are out of the office. However, not all vendors offer dedicated apps, and others only include the ability to conduct one-to-one texts, which might be an issue for small business owners who work on the go.

MMS

Most services allow you to send pictures, videos and audio clips to make your messages stand out and be more engaging. Some provide access to GIF libraries or stock images. Sending MMS messages usually uses three message credits, so if you plan on texting a lot of media, look for a high-volume messaging plan.

Omnichannel Messaging

SMS marketing is often successful because people spend a lot of time on their phones. But even though texting is one of the most effective ways to communicate with customers, many people prefer messaging via other platforms, such as WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger. Many text message marketing solutions now include omnichannel messaging, allowing you to reach customers where they prefer to communicate.

QR Codes

Small businesses often print QR codes on flyers and other physical materials to automate the text message subscription process. Customers can scan the QR code to load your business’s phone number and keywords into a message on their phone. Once they press send, they’ll be added to your mailing list. This feature is increasingly common but not yet universal among SMS marketing platforms.

Segmentation

An essential part of any marketing campaign is customer segmentation. Most text message marketing services we reviewed help you segment contacts so you can tailor targeted campaigns to the right audience, whether based on location, engagement history or customer preference. Some platforms only let you segment by keyword, while others enable custom fields or tags to create lists.

Scheduling

Scheduling text messages in advance can increase your productivity because you won’t have to remember to send texts out manually at certain times. The timing of text messages is essential, especially if you have customers in various time zones. You should only text during business hours, so it helps to automate this function.

Surveys

You can gather customer feedback with text message surveys and polls. The best solutions make it easy to collect responses and adjust your campaigns or analytics accordingly. Some offer preset net promoter score and customer satisfaction score surveys, while others allow you to create your own using ratings or open-ended responses.

Text-to-Landline

A text-to-landline feature lets you send and receive text messages through your business’s landline phone number with no changes to your voice phone service. This avoids confusion for customers who already know your number, but only some services will text-enable your landline, so choose wisely if this is important to you.

Two-Way Messaging

Only offering one-way communication is an SMS marketing mistake to avoid, as consumers want to feel valued by your business through ongoing conversation. Most text messaging services let you hold two-way conversations easily, so you can answer questions, provide support and strengthen the customer relationship. The best vendors offer complimentary incoming text messages, allowing customers to reply to your messages without increasing your costs.

Unified Inbox

A key feature of any text message marketing platform is a unified inbox. The best solutions allow you to manage two-way messages and omnichannel communications seamlessly from the same place. Filters let you manage your inbox by number, department or team member, and collaboration tools make it easy for your team to provide prompt, quality service, whether your customers contact you by text, email or social media.

Web Signup Forms

Engaging customers via text can start with getting them to subscribe to your mailing list while they’re connecting with your brand in other ways. Web signup forms are a great example. You can embed them on your website or e-commerce store to generate text message marketing leads from people already interested in your business.

Text message marketing has become particularly powerful for e-commerce businesses, offering companies unique opportunities to drive online sales, reduce cart abandonment and enhance customer relationships throughout the buying journey. Here’s how it works and why it’s so effective for online retailers:

Customer Opt-In and List Building

E-commerce SMS marketing begins with customer consent. Unlike email, SMS requires explicit opt-in, which actually works in businesses’ favor since it creates a highly engaged subscriber base. The most effective opt-in opportunities for online companies occur at key moments:

• At checkout: Customers can subscribe to order updates and promotional messages.
• Post-purchase: New customers are most receptive to SMS subscriptions after completing their first purchase.
• Pop-ups and forms: Website visitors can join SMS lists for exclusive deals or early access.
• Social media campaigns: Contests and giveaways drive SMS sign-ups.

Cart Abandonment Recovery

When customers add items to their online cart but leave your website without purchasing, automated SMS sequences can bring them back. These messages are typically sent within 1-4 hours of abandonment and include:

• Gentle reminders about forgotten items
• Limited-time discount codes
• Product scarcity alerts (“Only 2 left in stock”)
• Easy one-click links back to the cart

Order Management and Notifications

Transactional SMS messages keep customers informed throughout the fulfillment process. E-commerce businesses can send:

• Order confirmations: Immediate purchase verification
• Shipping notifications: Tracking numbers and carrier information
• Delivery alerts: Real-time updates as packages arrive
• Return/exchange assistance: Simplified customer service workflows

Promotional Campaigns

E-commerce businesses can also use SMS for time-sensitive marketing, such as:

• Flash sales: Limited-time offers that create urgency
• New product launches: Exclusive early access for subscribers
• Seasonal promotions: Holiday sales, Black Friday deals
• Personalized recommendations: AI-driven product suggestions based on purchase history

Automated Workflows

Smart automation sequences handle multiple e-commerce scenarios via text:

• Welcome series: New subscribers receive introduction messages and onboarding offers.
• Browse abandonment: Customers who view products but don’t purchase receive follow-up messages.
• Back-in-stock alerts: Automatic notifications send when previously unavailable items return.
• Win-back campaigns: Re-engagement sequences target inactive customers.
• Loyalty programs: Points updates, tier notifications and exclusive member perks keep customers engaged.

Integrated Platforms

SMS marketing tools integrate directly with popular e-commerce platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce and Magento. This integration enables:

• Real-time data sync: Customer information, purchase history and preferences automatically populate in SMS platforms.
• Behavior-triggered campaigns: Messages send based on specific interactions with your online store, like browsing certain products or reaching spending thresholds.
• Segmentation capabilities: Customers are grouped by purchase behavior, location or engagement level.

All businesses should optimize their send times for the best results. For online companies in particular, the ideal time frames are:

• Morning hours (9-11 a.m.): High engagement window for promotional messages
• Early evening (6-8 p.m.): Effective timing for cart abandonment recovery
• Immediate notifications: Transactional messages sent instantly regardless of time

Text message marketing works so well for e-commerce because it meets customers where they are — on their mobile devices — with timely, relevant and actionable information. When implemented thoughtfully with proper consent, personalization and automation, SMS becomes a powerful revenue driver that enhances the entire customer experience from discovery through post-purchase support.

The inboxes offered by services like EZ Texting keep customer communications organized. Source: EZ Texting

You can use text message marketing to benefit your company in many ways. It’s an easy way to communicate directly with your customers, and you learn more about what your audience wants from you based on campaign performance. Here are some of the advantages you can enjoy with text message marketing services:

• Send messages that will be seen: Industry research indicates texts have open rates as high as 98 percent, compared to email’s typical 20 percent open rate. When you send a text, you’re virtually guaranteed that customers will see it. The vast majority of consumers check their text notifications within just five minutes of receiving a message.
• Build loyalty with exclusive deals and discounts: The promise of special deals and discounts is why many people opt to receive text messages from companies. These texts make customers feel appreciated and incentivize repeat purchases. They also give you an easy way to attract new customers.
• Personalize your communications: Most text messaging services help you collect and organize customer data, letting you access basic information like name and location as well as more granular items related to your business. You can easily leverage this information to segment your messaging and send personalized texts.
• Get information out quickly: Unlike other communications channels, you can send bulk texts with lightning speed. Whether you’re running a new promotion or need to make an important announcement, your audience will receive the message on time. It’s also an efficient way to respond to customer questions.
• Spark brand buzz: To drum up excitement for a new product or service, you can text your subscribers sneak peeks or free trials, keeping your business fresh in their minds.
• Target past customers with news updates: If you have customers who haven’t done business with you in a while, texting can be a great way to draw them back in. You can send news about company goings-on or updates on your products and services.
• Reduce no-shows: This service is a no-brainer if reservations or appointments are part of your business. Texting is a faster, easier way to confirm customer appointments than calling or emailing. It’s also easy for customers to reference their reservation information, making them less likely to forget or show up at the wrong time.
• Keep customers informed: When customers order something, you can send notifications or updates by text rather than email to keep them in the loop. These updates also provide buyers a direct line of communication with your business should anything go wrong with their order.

>> Read Next: Reasons to Try Text Message Marketing for Your Small Business

Follow these steps to find the right text message marketing service for your business.

1. Think about what you need.

Do you want to use a text message marketing platform to send customers exclusive offers or will you use it for reminders and fielding inquiries? Do you work in an industry with highly specific text message use cases, such as hospitality or healthcare? How many messages do you expect to send monthly, and will those volumes fluctuate? How many keywords and custom fields do you need to segment contacts effectively? Answer these questions to give yourself the necessary context to determine which text message marketing solutions do and don’t make sense for your business.

Before choosing a text message marketing service, you need to consider which features you want, such as the ability to set up auto-reply messages like ProTexting offers. Source: ProTexting

2. Identify leading brands (especially for your industry, if applicable).

All of our best picks above for text message marketing services and our additional recommendations below are from leading companies — some with solutions tailored to certain sectors. Medallia Concierge is designed for hospitality use, for instance, and Tatango is ideal for nonprofit and political use. Add any reputable brands that specialize in your industry to your list of vendor possibilities.

3. Consider whether a broad or narrow use case matters more to you.

Is usability in a healthcare setting more critical to you than the ability to expand your texting operations as your business grows? Would you rather have a platform with just the basics or one with advanced tools that are more complex to use? The answers to these questions will further help you determine what to prioritize as you weigh your options.

4. Read customer reviews.

Customer reviews, such as the Trustpilot testimonials featured above, can give you some of the truest possible insights into what it’s like to use a particular platform. They’re an especially great way to determine what current and past users think of a vendor’s customer service. They can also help you determine whether a system is typically easy to use or a more complicated proposition.

5. Evaluate pricing.

Some text message marketing services, such as Textedly, offer highly affordable monthly plans. Others, such as Textline and Podium, can be pretty expensive, though their advanced features may justify their prices. Meanwhile, some services, such as TextMagic, let you pay as you go for ultimate cost flexibility. Consider whether flexible pricing or monthly rates are better for your budget and determine the maximum amount you can afford per month. Pay attention to other costs, such as add-on features, extra messages and additional numbers or team members, as these can impact the final price.

6. Sign up for a free trial.

Based on the business needs you identified, the customer reviews you read and the price points you evaluated, narrow down the platforms you’re considering and pick a few to test. Most text message marketing providers offer a free trial, which is the fastest way to determine whether a specific platform is right for your organization. Due to legal regulations, you’ll only be allowed to text yourself, but you can get a feel for the software and start setting up features and uploading contacts. Keep note of when the trial ends and whether you’ll have to start paying the moment it does.

7. Compare your options and sign up for your chosen service.

After your free trials, compare your experiences across each solution you tried. Then, sign up for one that checks the most of your criteria, budget included. You can typically contact customer support via the live chat tool in the platform’s dashboard to start the formal purchase and implementation process.

Our recommended services above aren’t the only worthwhile text message marketing platforms on the market. We also researched and evaluated the vendors listed below, all of which have attractive features and tools.

Twilio

Twilio is designed for developers to build a custom messaging solution that includes everything you need tailored to your business. With extensive APIs, you can use any feature in Twilio’s platform or build it into your own custom app. Plus, unlike other services, there are no flat monthly fees. You only pay for what you use, but that includes all incoming and outgoing messages. We especially love that Twilio provides access to a complete customer communications platform, with tools for flexible analytics, omnichannel communications (including voice, email and social media), and excellent CRM features. In fact, it’s one of our picks for the best contact center services. Get all the details in our full Twilio review.

SimpleTexting

SimpleTexting sets itself apart from its peers by offering a flexible texting solution that can adapt to your messaging needs. With unlimited keywords and custom fields (something not all rivals offer), you can segment customers as you like, and changing the lists that contacts are associated with is easy. Innovative AI text generation lets you create compelling copy that fits your brand with a click. The unified inbox is another standout feature, helping your team manage customer communications better with three seats across all plans. We especially love that you can do everything just as easily from the mobile app as from the web application. See pricing in our comprehensive SimpleTexting review.

Thryv

Thryv’s Business Center lets businesses communicate effectively in the office and on the go, which is why it’s a top choice for service providers. This straightforward yet dynamic platform can automate workflows while driving business growth. An uncomplicated interface puts all your inbound and outbound messages in one place, integrating across services such as Instagram and Facebook. Beyond messaging, you can use the platform to create and send invoices, schedule appointments and manage customer relationships. We were impressed that you can even request payments through Thryv’s bill pay portal and that the platform doubles as an online reputation management service, thanks to automatic review requests and new comment notifications on over 40 listing sites. Find out more in our review of Thryv.

Podium

Podium is a robust omnichannel communication platform for improving customer engagement and driving conversions. It provides excellent tools for text message marketing and staying in contact with your customers via text. AI tools generate responses to customers automatically, reducing wait times, and can be used to request text-based payments. From the inbox, you can text customers links to leave reviews, bolstering your online reputation. We found that Podium is extremely easy to use and learn, so it takes minimal training to get your team up and running. It’s best for small businesses that want straightforward tools for texting. Our review of Podium breaks down the plan options.

TextMarks

TextMarks recently rebranded itself as an SMS solution solely for transit agencies and companies. While the service won’t be the right choice for most businesses, it does offer those in the transportation industry a great way to communicate with riders while keeping costs down. TextMarks employs a single short code but allows you to create unique keywords for your company. When riders send a message with your keyword, they get instant information like schedules and notifications. You can also broadcast alerts, such as schedule changes or service interruptions, to anyone who has opted in via your website or text message.

Tatango

Tatango is one of the best text message marketing services for high-volume messaging, thanks to its impressive performance with mass messages. The vendor offers impactful, real-time text messaging designed to help nonprofits and political campaigns reach their audience and solicit donations. The software’s straightforward interface facilitates two-way messaging, advanced workflows, A/B testing, message analytics and segmentation for effective engagement. Tatango provides a short code and handles your compliance setup, all from a secure platform with a SOC 2 certification. We also appreciate that the program integrates with major political and donation platforms, as well as some of the best CRM software, making it simple to share contacts and communicate across solutions.

Medallia Concierge

Medallia Concierge, formerly known as Zingle, is a stellar text message marketing platform geared toward the hospitality and travel industries. It offers a brand-differentiated messaging portal meant to boost your client satisfaction and online reputation. Powerful AI tools can generate personalized promotions and send automated responses to guest queries. Soliciting feedback is simple, whether over text or other channels. Plus, robust analytics help you leverage customer data to improve segmentation. You can work to retain current customers and reach new audiences in one easy-to-use interface.

Salesmsg

Offering simple and scalable two-way messaging, calling and text marketing for companies across industries, Salesmsg — one of the few texting platforms we’ve reviewed with built-in voice calling — helps you put customers first. The cloud-based platform allows you to manage messages and calls from both a web interface and a mobile app, which is ideal for remote teams on the go. Besides offering essential messaging features like AI assistance and unlimited keywords, Salesmsg is unique in offering both shared and private inboxes and for only charging two credits for MMS messages. Salesmsg is a fantastic pick for businesses looking to text and call from the same number, providing reliable results in real time.

TextMagic

TextMagic is one of the most trusted text message marketing providers on our list. Because this solution offers mass messaging, two-way texting, segmentation and automation, it’s well-suited for businesses of all types that want a simple yet effective communication tool. We love that the recent interface redesign makes using TextMagic easier than ever. With voice calling and the email-to-text feature, the platform lets you handle omnichannel communications. Subaccounts allow entire teams to access and manage messaging and you can reach clients in over 200 countries, making this service ideal for multinational organizations in particular. Like Twilio, TextMagic has a pay-as-you-go structure, making it a budget-friendly service.

Creating an effective text message marketing campaign requires strategic planning, compliance with regulations and careful execution. Here’s a comprehensive step-by-step guide to launching your first SMS campaign:

Step 1: Define Your Campaign Goals and Objectives

Start by identifying what you want to achieve with your text message marketing campaign. Common goals include increasing sales, driving website traffic, promoting new products, reducing cart abandonment and improving customer engagement. Clear objectives will help you measure success and choose the right messaging strategy.

Step 2: Choose Your Text Message Marketing Platform

Select a platform that fits your budget, message volume needs and required features. Consider factors like ease of use, automation capabilities, integration options and compliance tools. Most services have free trials, so test several options before committing.

Step 3: Obtain Proper Consent and Build Your Subscriber List

Compliance is critical in SMS marketing. You must obtain explicit written consent before sending marketing messages. Use opt-in methods like website signup forms, QR codes, keyword campaigns or in-store promotions. The SimpleTexting survey mentioned earlier found that 79 percent of consumers “opted in to receive texts from businesses in 2024,” showing growing acceptance of SMS marketing.

Step 4: Set Up Your Phone Number and Register Your Business

Most text message marketing vendors provide 10DLC (10-digit long code) numbers or toll-free numbers for business messaging. You’ll need to register your company and use case with The Campaign Registry to ensure message deliverability and compliance with carrier requirements. The best providers will assist with this.

Step 5: Segment Your Audience

Once people have opted in to receive text messages from your business, divide your subscriber list into targeted groups based on demographics, purchase history, engagement levels or preferences. Segmentation allows you to send more relevant messages and typically results in higher engagement rates.

Step 6: Create Your Message Content

Write clear, concise messages that provide value to recipients. Include a compelling call to action and keep messages under 160 characters when possible. Many top platforms now offer AI tools to help generate effective copy. Personalize messages using subscriber data like names or locations.

Step 7: Schedule and Send Your Campaign

Time your messages appropriately, avoiding early morning or late night hours. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) prohibits messaging consumers before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. in the recipient’s time zone. Consider your audience’s preferences and optimal engagement times for your industry.

Step 8: Monitor Performance and Optimize

After sending your campaign, track key metrics like delivery rates, open rates, click-through rates and conversions. Most platforms provide detailed analytics. Use this data to refine future campaigns, adjust messaging frequency and improve targeting.

Step 9: Maintain Compliance and List Hygiene

As you embark on more campaigns, regularly clean your subscriber list, honor opt-out requests immediately and maintain proper consent records. Ensure all messages clearly identify your business and include easy unsubscribe instructions.

Step 10: Scale and Automate

After determining what messaging works best for your business, implement automation workflows for welcome series, abandoned cart recovery or post-purchase follow-ups. Automation can significantly improve efficiency in the long term while maintaining personalization.

Text message marketing stands out from other digital marketing channels due to its exceptional performance metrics and unique characteristics. Understanding how SMS compares to email, social media and other communications channels helps businesses make informed decisions about their marketing mix.

Email Marketing

Email marketing remains the backbone of digital marketing for many businesses, offering sophisticated design capabilities and unlimited content length. Email excels at delivering detailed newsletters, product catalogs and complex promotional campaigns with rich visuals and extensive copy.

However, email faces significant deliverability challenges. Messages often land in spam folders, promotional tabs or simply get buried under the hundreds of emails consumers receive daily. Email works best for nurturing leads over time, sharing detailed information and maintaining regular communication with engaged subscribers who actively check their inboxes.

SMS vs. Email: Text messages complement email marketing by providing immediate, high-priority communication. While email is great for detailed content and visual storytelling, SMS delivers urgent alerts, time-sensitive offers and critical updates. From a cost perspective, SMS typically has higher per-message costs than email, but the superior engagement rates often result in better return on investment. The most successful businesses use both channels strategically — email for comprehensive communication and text messaging for immediate action.

Social Media Marketing

Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and X (formerly Twitter) excel at brand building, community engagement and content discovery. These channels offer rich media capabilities, viral potential and sophisticated targeting options based on user interests and behaviors.

The challenge with social media lies in algorithm dependency and declining organic reach. Your content competes with countless other posts for attention, and platform algorithm changes can dramatically impact visibility. Social media also requires continuous content creation and community management.

SMS vs. Social Media: While social media builds brand awareness and community, SMS drives direct action. Social sites work well for discovering new customers and showcasing products, while text messaging converts interested prospects and retains existing customers. Smart marketers use social media to attract followers who then opt into SMS lists for exclusive deals and immediate updates.

Push Notifications

Push notifications allow businesses with mobile apps to provide real-time alerts to customers. They offer rich media capabilities, precise timing control and the ability to drive users directly to specific app screens or features. Push notifications work exceptionally well for app-based businesses like gaming, fitness or subscription services.

The limitation is audience reach — push notifications only work for consumers who have downloaded your app and enabled notifications. This restricts your potential audience, and this marketing strategy requires significant investment in app development and user acquisition.

SMS vs. Push Notifications: SMS can reach any mobile phone user, while push notifications target app users specifically. Push notifications may be more relevant if your business model centers around a mobile app experience. For broader businesses serving customers across multiple touchpoints, text messaging provides wider reach and doesn’t depend on app installation rates or notification settings.

Paid Advertising

Pay-per-click advertising on Google, Facebook, Instagram and other platforms delivers immediate visibility and precise targeting. Paid ads can reach massive audiences quickly and offer detailed analytics for optimization. They work well for product launches, seasonal promotions and scaling successful campaigns.

However, paid advertising requires continuous budget allocation and faces increasing costs as competition intensifies. Ad fatigue, banner blindness and ad blockers also limit effectiveness. Plus, paid advertising stops delivering results the moment you stop paying.

SMS vs. Paid Advertising: SMS marketing builds owned media assets — your subscriber list — rather than renting attention from ad platforms. While paid ads acquire new customers, text messaging nurtures existing relationships and drives repeat purchases. The best strategy often combines paid advertising for customer acquisition with SMS for retention and lifecycle marketing.

Content Marketing

Content marketing through blogs, videos, podcasts and SEO builds long-term organic visibility and establishes business authority. This approach creates valuable resources that attract customers over time without ongoing ad spend. However, content marketing requires a significant time investment and often takes months to show results. It works best for businesses with complex products, longer sales cycles or educational content needs.

SMS vs. Content Marketing: Content marketing attracts customers through valuable information, while SMS converts and retains them through direct communication. Successful businesses use content marketing to build awareness and authority, then capture leads for text-messaging follow-up with immediate offers and updates.

Voice Marketing

Phone calls and voicemail marketing allow for personal, detailed conversations and enable businesses to handle complex customer service issues effectively. Voice communication builds trust and enables nuanced discussions that text cannot match. However, consumer behavior has shifted dramatically away from voice communication in recent years. Many people screen calls from unknown numbers, rarely listen to voicemails and prefer asynchronous communication that fits their schedule.

SMS vs. Voice Marketing: SMS respects modern communication preferences while maintaining a personal connection. Text messages provide documentation, allow convenient response timing and integrate naturally into customers’ daily communication habits. Voice calls work best for high-value, complex interactions, while SMS is great for routine updates and promotional communication.

Integrated Multi-Channel Approach

The most effective marketing strategies combine multiple channels rather than relying on any single approach or viewing them as competing efforts. Text messaging works exceptionally well as part of an integrated marketing stack because it provides the immediate, direct connection that other channels often lack.

Consider SMS your high-priority communication channel for time-sensitive messages, urgent updates and converting warm leads into sales. Use other channels to build awareness, provide detailed information and maintain ongoing relationships, then leverage text message marketing to drive immediate action when it matters most. According to SimpleTexting’s research, 91 percent of business owners and marketing professionals “say they see higher conversion rates with integrated marketing campaigns that include SMS.” The key is understanding each channel’s strengths and using them strategically.

At Business News Daily, our team of small business marketing experts has been researching and testing text message marketing services for years, comparing some of the leading solutions across more than 25 key metrics. We considered 24 text message marketing solutions to start and closely reviewed and tested 18 of them before selecting our seven best picks above.

To narrow down our initial list, we looked for texting solutions that could serve a variety of use cases and industries. We favored vendors that go to great lengths to help businesses comply with text message marketing laws and those with platforms that harness the power of artificial intelligence to improve outcomes. We also scoured user reviews to see how real customer testimonials compared to our experiences when trying the services ourselves.

Below are the factors we examined when deciding our top recommendations. Each is weighted according to how much the criteria typically influences business owners’ buying decisions.

Pricing (30%): To determine which vendor provides the most value per dollar, we analyzed not just the base costs of each software used in each text message marketing service but also the number of pricing plans available, the number of text messages included, the number of agents and keywords allowed, and whether there were high fees for additional phone numbers and shortcodes or services like onboarding and API access.

Features (25%): We evaluated and tested each system’s message composers, automated workflows, bulk messaging, customer segmentation and inbox tools. We also looked at the integrations available for connecting each program to other popular business software, such as email marketing services.

Usability (25%): We paid close attention to the ease with which each service could be set up, how intuitive we found the platform’s navigation and use of key features, and the training and informational resources available to new users. We also investigated whether the system could be customized and had a fully functional mobile app.

Customer Support (20%): We examined the different ways businesses could contact the vendor’s customer service team if in need of help. We also reviewed customer feedback to assess how well each company’s customer support representatives meet the needs of existing users.

In addition to evaluating each text message marketing service based on these criteria, we also determined the best use-case scenarios for each. No two businesses are exactly alike, so we put ourselves in the shoes of different types of small business owners to identify the best text message marketing solutions for a variety of needs.

To learn more about how we review and test sales technology products and services for small businesses, read about our editorial process.

As text message marketing continues to grow in 2025, it’s more important than ever for businesses to take advantage of this effective form of marketing and how it’s evolving as technology advances.

With artificial intelligence increasingly in the spotlight, we expect many businesses to add AI-driven automation and personalization tools into their marketing plans this year. We suggest companies leverage AI for text message marketing by using the automation features many vendors, like EZ Texting, now provide. These tools can make messaging tasks more efficient by generating text or automatically cleaning subscriber lists. We also expect to see AI used to conduct interactive messaging, in which an AI chatbot responds to customer text messages in real time.

Since consumers today are also using non-SMS platforms to message from their phones, such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Instagram, we expect to see more text message marketing providers expand their service to include alternative messaging channels. While some providers, such as Textedly, already include additional types of messaging, we expect multichannel communications tools to become the norm. From a unified inbox, businesses will be able to message customers in the places they are most likely to engage.

To streamline operations further, we also predict an increase in interoperability. We expect more vendors to invest in native integrations that seamlessly connect business software. That way, companies can sync their related services, such as connecting their text message marketing platforms, email marketing software and POS systems. This connectivity will give business owners and marketing leaders greater insights into company performance and fuel strategic decisions regarding modern digital marketing.