Text messages, or SMS marketing, are like the printing press of the modern age. If you use the right text blast service, one single SMS text can reach tens of thousands. But not every SMS blast is built the same. Before you send out a mass text and keep an eye on your open rates, you should consider your market, what you want your text message blast to achieve, and every element of its writing.

When you have customers‘ phone numbers in a contact list, you can use text blast software to put SMS messages into the world, creating a real bottom-line impact for your business. But it‘s not simply a matter of getting the numbers. Creating genuine marketing campaigns out of your SMS text blast strategy means considering your audience, your call to action, and how it fits your overall marketing strategy.

Let‘s dive in.

Before you fill the world with mass text messages and get your audience‘s notifications blinking, let‘s consider one question. What is this marketing tool best for? What specific benefits work to your advantage when sending marketing messages to mobile devices, not just computers? Let‘s consider:

• Reaching a large group of people
There‘s a reason so many emergency alerts go out via text it‘s the best way to get people en masse. So it is when trying to build brand awareness.

• Response rates
People are constantly on their phones, meaning they will be more engaged when you use text message marketing. Reach people where they are on their phones.

• It‘s cost-effective
Sending out a group text can be as simple as using cost-effective text messaging software. All you have to do is build a list.

• People are engaged
If you used an opt-in feature to build your list, that means anyone receiving your mass text messages are people who are going to be at least somewhat receptive to your messaging. That‘s an inherent advantage built into the platform.

Once you‘re convinced that, yes, text blast marketing is a tremendous way to build brand awareness, your next step is to figure out how. Look for a texting service with cost-effective pricing and templates that you can choose to simplify the process of sending out tests and help you reach many people without getting too expensive. Once you do, begin engaging in mobile marketing. Ask people for their phone numbers so they opt into your service your text messages have to be wanted. From there, you can do the following:

• Use a proven marketing template
AIDA, for example attention, interest, desire, action is a great template to grab someone‘s attention while on their mobile phone quickly. Don‘t send out a text blast until you plan how you will get the most out of your messaging system.

• Offer value- Discounts
Free downloads and guides? Before promoting your new products, consider what makes people see a text message and want to take action. They‘re on their cell phone, distracted, and probably not thinking about you. What offers like a limited-time exclusive discount can you create to build urgency with your potential customers?

It doesn‘t matter what industry you‘re in whether you‘re selling real estate or widgets because these principles will generally hold up. You‘ll always want to offer something of value and stick to tried-and-true marketing formulas to establish interest with your audience.

While marketing via SMS campaigns and text messaging is the way to go, you don‘t have to limit your text lists to these uses. You can also apply real, practical solutions for your customers that make your business run more effectively. Let‘s look at some of the most common use cases for text blasting:

• Follow-ups
When you want your customers to have a great experience, you sometimes focus on the quality of your work. And that‘s as it should be. But what if you want to add extra spice to your customer support? Follow-ups after a customer reach out to you can be a fantastic, personalized way to upsell or to make the customer feel valued. It‘s a nice "extra touch" that people without an excellent SMS text messaging service find harder to pull off.

• Appointment reminders
If you have a service-based business, like real estate or cosmetology, you must remind people that they have an appointment. If you don‘t automate this system, you‘ll spend much time and always too much texting people manually. You don‘t want to spend that much of your day doing so. That‘s why you should let a good text message software take over and automatically text people scheduled to appear at your business. It will be like you have all sorts of assistants even though it‘s just you and the software if you want.

• New initiatives
If you get people on your list, there‘s probably a reason they‘re on your list. They don‘t only want discounts (though many might). Sometimes, they want to hear what happens when you come out with new products, offers, or initiatives. And that‘s when you can send your text messaging service into overdrive. Give people a "sneak peek" at something new, and they‘ll be especially glad they opted in to receive texts from you.

A text blast using web based texting doesn‘t have to feel like an invasion. It should feel like a conversation. When you give people what they want and actively work to use text messages engagingly, you‘ll boost your business‘s profile and its connectivity. Don‘t just blast people use these blasts to build a community of customers you can rely on. You‘ll likely find that not only did your potential customers want that, but it‘s the best thing for your business long-term.