What Does “Bulk” Mean in Texting? The Complete Guide to Bulk SMS With SmsLocal

what does bulk mean in text

Introduction

As a business owner or marketing professional, you understand the power of communication. Reaching your target audience quickly and effectively is key to success. Bulk SMS messaging allows you to send a high volume of SMS messages to a large list of recipients simultaneously. Bulk SMS, also known as bulk texting, gives you an affordable and direct line of communication with your customers or clients.

With bulk SMS, you can send product updates, event invitations, promotions, and more to an entire contact list with the click of a button. Whether you have 100 or 100,000 contacts, bulk SMS solutions like SmsLocal make it easy and affordable to connect with everyone at once. In today’s fast-paced world, bulk SMS is a must-have tool to cut through the noise and ensure your important messages are received and read.

This introduction highlights the key benefits and purposes of bulk SMS for businesses and marketers. The content introduces the topic, specifies the target audience, and aims to draw the reader in with an engaging and compelling writing style as requested. Please let me know if you would like me to modify or expand on this draft further. I am happy to refine and improve the introduction.

What Is Bulk Messaging? Defining Bulk Text and Mass Texting

Bulk messaging, also known as mass texting, refers to sending a large number of SMS messages simultaneously to a group of recipients. Rather than sending messages individually, bulk messaging allows you to compose a single message and distribute it to many contacts at once.

For businesses, bulk SMS provides an efficient way to connect with customers and clients. You can send promotions, alerts, reminders or updates to your entire contact list with just a few clicks. Bulk messaging is also useful for schools, community organizations, and emergency responders needing to distribute information rapidly.

To send bulk SMS messages, you will need to use a mass texting service. These services handle the technical components required for high-volume SMS delivery, including:

• SMS gateway: The gateway transmits your messages to recipients. It ensures fast, reliable delivery even for large message volumes.
• Opt-in lists: Most mass texting services maintain strict anti-spam policies and will only send to contacts who have opted-in to receive messages. They handle obtaining and documenting consent from your recipients.
• APIs and web interfaces: Mass texting services provide easy ways for you to upload contact lists, create and schedule messages, and monitor delivery reports.
• Compliance: Reputable mass texting services stay up-to-date with the latest regulations like TCPA to ensure your messaging campaigns remain compliant.

By using a dedicated mass texting service for your bulk SMS needs, you can focus on crafting your message content while relying on the service to handle the logistics of high-volume delivery. With the ability to reach thousands of customers instantly, bulk SMS is a powerful communications tool for any business.

The Benefits of Using a Bulk SMS Service for Your Business

Using a bulk SMS service for your business has many benefits. As an entrepreneur or marketer, leveraging this technology can help you achieve key objectives and gain a competitive advantage.

Reach Your Target Audience

Bulk SMS allows you to send messages to a large number of recipients at once. You can reach your entire customer base, target specific segments, or send to opted-in lists. Promoting your business, products, services and events has never been more direct or effective.

Cost Savings

Bulk SMS services provide significant cost savings compared to traditional marketing methods. You pay per message instead of per recipient. Rates are very affordable, often less than $0.10 per message. Compare that to direct mail which can cost between $0.30 to $2 per piece. Using SMS, you get higher open and response rates at a fraction of the cost.

Higher Engagement

People read over 90% of the SMS messages they receive within the first 3 minutes. SMS has an open rate of over 95% compared to about 20–30% for email. It’s easy for recipients to act quickly in response to your message by calling, visiting your website or making a purchase. SMS messages get noticed and drive action.

Easy to Use

Reputable bulk SMS services are intuitive and easy to use. You can send one-off alerts and notifications or set up SMS marketing campaigns. Either way, the simple web-based platforms make it easy to customize your messages, schedule delivery times, and track the results of your SMS efforts.

In summary, bulk SMS should be an integral part of your business communications and marketing strategy. The benefits of reach, cost savings, higher engagement and ease of use can help boost your sales, increase brand awareness and strengthen customer loyalty.

How to Send Bulk SMS Messages With SMSLocal

SMSLocal allows you to send bulk SMS messages to multiple recipients at once. Bulk SMS refers to sending a high volume of SMS messages for marketing, alerts or notifications. With SMSLocal, you can send bulk SMS to contacts, customers or subscribers to spread a message quickly and efficiently.

How to Compose and Send Bulk SMS

To get started with bulk SMS, first select “Get Started” from the Right menu in your SMSLocal account. You will then see options to:

1. Upload a contact list. You can upload a .csv file with mobile numbers and names. SMSLocal will parse your list and allow you to send an SMS to everyone on the list.
2. Create a contact group. If you have recurring contacts you message, add them to a contact group. You can then quickly select that group when sending a bulk SMS.
3. Compose your SMS message. Type your message, review character count and personalize if needed. You can include merge fields to personalize bulk messages for each recipient.
4. Select recipients. Choose “All Contacts” to send to your entire contact list, or select specific contact groups or individual contacts.
5. Schedule your SMS (optional). You can schedule your bulk SMS to send immediately or at a later date and time. Scheduling is useful for notifications or campaigns.
6. Review and send. Review the details of your bulk SMS including recipients, message, character count and cost. Then click “Send SMS” to dispatch your message.

SMSLocal makes sending bulk SMS messages simple and efficient. You have full control over recipients, messages, and scheduling. Bulk SMS is a powerful way to connect with many people at once for marketing, alerts or notifications. Please contact SMSLocal support if you have any other questions about sending bulk SMS messages.

Bulk SMS Pricing: How Much Does Mass Texting Cost?

Bulk SMS refers to sending a large number of SMS messages automatically to a list of contacts. For many businesses, bulk SMS messaging is an efficient way to reach a large number of customers quickly. When you send messages in bulk, the overall cost per message is lower than sending individual messages.

Pricing Plans for Bulk SMS

Most bulk SMS providers offer tiered pricing plans based on the number of messages you need to send. The more messages you purchase, the lower your per-message rate. Common pricing tiers include:

• Entry-level: For small businesses sending 5,000 messages or less per month. Rates are around $0.05 to $0.10 per message.
• Mid-level: For medium-sized businesses sending 5,000 to 50,000 messages per month. Rates from $0.03 to $0.07 per message.
• High-volume: For large enterprises sending over 50,000 messages per month. Rates as low as $0.01 to $0.05 per message.
• Custom: For very high-volume senders or those with specific requirements. Custom pricing is negotiated based on your unique needs. Rates vary but can be well below $0.01 per message.
• Add-on services: Some providers offer additional services like message scheduling, sender ID customization, and two-way messaging for an extra fee. Rates vary depending on the services.

The exact pricing will depend on the SMS provider you choose. Many reputable providers like SMSLocal offer competitive rates for all volume levels. When comparing providers, consider not only the per-message rates but also contract terms, reliability, and additional features. For high-volume senders, even small rate differences can add up to big savings.

With bulk SMS, the more you send the more you save. But no matter your volume, bulk SMS is an affordable way for businesses of all sizes to reach thousands of people instantly. Carefully choosing an SMS provider and plan that suits your particular needs is key to maximizing the value.

Bulk Texting FAQs: Answering Common Questions About Bulk Messaging

Bulk texting refers to sending a large volume of SMS messages to a group of recipients simultaneously. As an SMS marketing strategy, bulk messaging allows businesses to reach many customers at once with promotions, announcements, or other updates.

What is the difference between bulk SMS and regular SMS?

Regular SMS messaging allows you to send individual text messages one at a time to a single recipient. Bulk SMS enables you to dispatch a large amount of messages to multiple recipients at the same time. Bulk SMS uses a SMS gateway to send high volumes of texts, while regular SMS is sent directly through your mobile carrier.

How does bulk SMS work?

Bulk SMS messaging works by using a SMS gateway service that allows you to upload contact lists with mobile numbers and send a single SMS message that is delivered to all recipients. The gateway service automatically splits your list into the necessary segments to deliver your message within the limits of your carrier and ensures fast, reliable delivery.

What are the benefits of bulk SMS?

Some of the main benefits of bulk SMS include:

• Reach a large audience quickly. You can contact thousands of customers instantly with a marketing message or important update.
• Cost-effective. Bulk SMS is very affordable and cost-efficient compared to other marketing channels. You only pay for the messages you send.
• High open rates. SMS messages have open rates of 98% within the first 3 minutes. This means your message is very likely to be seen and read by recipients.
• Increase customer engagement. Bulk SMS is a great way to engage your customers by sending promotions, coupons, and event invitations. This can boost brand loyalty and sales.
• Flexible and targeted. You can easily segment your contact lists to target customers based on location, interests, purchase history, and more. This allows for highly customized messaging.
• Easy to set up. Most bulk SMS services are simple to get started with, often only requiring you to sign up, upload your contact list, write your message, and send. This makes it ideal for small businesses with limited technical resources.

In summary, bulk SMS messaging is an efficient and cost-effective way for businesses to connect with their customers. When used responsibly, it can be a powerful tool for increasing brand awareness, driving sales, improving customer service, and building loyalty.

Conclusion

As you’ve learned, bulk SMS messaging allows you to send high volumes of SMS text messages to your contacts instantly and affordably. By using a reputable SMS gateway provider like SMSLocal, you’ll have access to fast delivery, detailed reporting, and competitive pricing. Whether you need to send appointment reminders, marketing campaigns, alerts or notifications, SMSLocal has an SMS API or web app solution to fit your needs. By leveraging the power of bulk SMS, you’ll be able to reach more people, strengthen customer engagement, and improve your business outcomes. The possibilities for connecting with your audience are endless. Why not give SMSLocal a try today?