Top Email and Text Marketing Platform for 2024? 14+ Platforms

Capturing your audience’s attention is a high-stakes game.

And email marketing is a powerhouse player. Many business owners and marketers across the world can attest to how effective email can be in engaging your customers—and bringing in revenue for your business.

But SMS has its role to play too, so it’s something you don’t want to neglect.

So how can these dual players team up together to bring in big wins for your business?

What email and text marketing platform should you use, and how can you coordinate these efforts for optimal use?

Here we’ll go over how you can use these channels together and some top platforms you can consider.

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How to Coordinate Email and Text Marketing Platforms Together

So you’ve got email.

Annnnd you’ve got SMS.

They’re similar, yes. But also very different.

So how do you harmonize these two voices together into a beautiful duet?

1. Recognize the Distinctiveness of the Channels

First, you’ve gotta keep in mind the distinctiveness of both of these channels…

Email:

• Time-tested—email marketing has been in prominent use for decades now and still shows no signs of going away anytime soon
• Flexible formatting—email has a ton of flexibility in terms of how you can format your messages (font type and size, indentation, margins, etc.)
• Potential for visuals—with email, you can add in all kinds of visual elements to your messages; this not only refers to images but different font colors, background colors, borders for text boxes, and shadows for various formatting elements within the email
• Cheap!—although the word “cheap” is something of a bad word, that’s exactly what email marketing is when it comes down to it (compared to other forms of marketing at least)
• Trackable—email marketing is one of the easiest forms of marketing to track because within an email service provider (ESP) you can see open rates, click rates, unsubscribe rates, and conversion rates all at a glance (although some of these metrics are becoming less and less reliable)

SMS:

• Penetrating—people don’t have as much fatigue in regards to receiving SMS as they do other forms of marketing (such as emails), so you’re more likely to penetrate into a sphere in which they’ll actually see your message
• Personable—since SMS is delivered into the space in which people communicate with their loved ones each and every day, it’s inherently a more personable way to reach them
• Ubiquitous—while it’s true that almost everyone has an email address, how often do they really check their email? Almost everyone has access to text messaging and actually checks their text messages daily (if not more frequently)
• Interactive—although emails and other forms of marketing can be interactive, SMS particularly invites interaction from recipients because it’s so easy for them to just quickly type in a response back and hit send
• Simplicity—SMS is a simple medium without a lot of flexibility, but this can be a strength as it makes the experience less complicated for both you and your audience

Understanding these distinctive qualities of both email and SMS lays the groundwork for how you can coordinate efforts involving these mediums together.

2. Focus on Email First

In general, email should be your backbone because it’s so cheap (and because it’s fairly easy to collect people’s email addresses).

Email can form the skeleton of your outreach and SMS can help add some flesh to the bones.

So map out your email plan for your marketing campaigns, keeping in mind how SMS can augment and optimize those campaigns for the better.

This is not to say that every marketing campaign should involve email, but by and large you’ll de facto find that you use email a lot more than SMS.

Some questions to ask would be…

• What email correspondence will be actually helpful to guide my audience toward the desired action? (In other words, don’t email just for the sake of emailing—have a legitimate goal.)
• What offers will be most effective via email?
• What emails would be useful (not intrusive) to my audience?

3. Evaluate Where SMS Would Be a Good Fit

SMS is an excellent marketing channel. But, generally speaking, in order for it to be used most effectively it must be used sparingly.

If people receive a text message every day, they will quickly grow irritated and start tuning the SMS out (or unsubscribe).

We would broadly recommend that you send about 2–4 SMS per month.

Therefore, since you can’t send as many SMS as you can emails, you have to intentionally evaluate where and how SMS would be a good fit in your broad email marketing strategy.

Some points to consider would be…

• Perhaps one or more of your offers would be more effective if sent via SMS
• Perhaps your message could be sent via SMS and email simultaneously
• Perhaps SMS can (or should) be used to point people to a more elaborate email that you’ve sent

4. Integrate Email and SMS Together

Once you’ve planned out the strategy behind using email and text marketing together, you then need a way to implement this strategy.

There are a few different ways you can do this…

Option 1: Check for Native Support in Your ESP

You can check if your email service provider also offers SMS services.

If this is the case, you can try the in-house SMS option and see if it works well for you and your use case.

Note that when ESPs claim to support SMS services, they often aren’t truly in-house but are powered by an external SMS provider. This isn’t necessarily bad in and of itself but it may not necessarily be as smooth of an experience as you’d expect.

(There are some ESPs that natively support SMS—see the list later on in this article. But typically the types of services that support both favor one or the other and thus the experience with the less-favored one is less than perfect.)

Option 2: Find an SMS Platform with a Direct Integration

A second option is to find an SMS platform that directly integrates with your email service provider.

A direct integration between an SMS platform and email service provider sometimes simply means that you’re able to sync up the contacts between the services. So in this case, you’ll still need to manage your SMS and email campaigns separately in different platforms. But it does save you the hassle of having to manually transfer over contacts yourself.

Option 3: Use Integration Software

Yet another way to implement texting and email together is to use integration software—and if you’ve been in the business world for very long, you probably already know that Zapier is the premier integration service.

Integration software such as Zapier are able to connect hundreds (or even thousands) of different kinds of software together, including SMS platforms to email platforms.

The best part is that no coding’s required, so you’re able to connect your ESP to your SMS marketing platform without needing dev resources.

Option 4: Integrate Programmatically

The best way to integrate email and SMS together is to do it programmatically using whatever developer resources you have on hand.

SMS platforms and email service providers usually offer an API that allows you to build the integrations you’re looking for.

For example, Customer.io (an ESP) allows you to pull in a “webhook” from an external API. So you can use an SMS API such as the one offered by Mobile Text Alerts to set up a text message within a workflow in the Customer.io dashboard.

Here’s what it looks like:

This is typically the best option because it allows you to set up the integrations the way that you want them, in order to accomplish whatever purpose you’re trying to accomplish.

Having established some groundwork for how to coordinate email and text marketing, let’s go over some of the top email and text marketing platforms that will allow you to implement these efforts together.

7 Top Text Marketing Platforms to Coordinate with Email

Here are some of the top SMS marketing platforms you can choose from…

1. Mobile Text Alerts

Our platform Mobile Text Alerts (MTA) is an out-of-the-box SMS platform and API that allows you to send individual and mass text messages to whatever audience you’re trying to reach.

Now, MTA does have an in-house emailing option. It’s not meant to be a robust ESP option but is a perk that allows you to duplicate your SMS to people’s inboxes—so while this doesn’t allow you to plan a full-fledged email marketing campaign alongside your SMS campaign, it’s at least something.

Furthermore, as mentioned previously, you can use integration software such as Zapier to connect MTA to your ESP. (You can actually do this directly within your online MTA dashboard, so you don’t even need to go to Zapier’s site, although you do need a Zapier account in order to do this.) So that means you can integrate with email even if you don’t have developers on your team.

The most flexible way to coordinate your text marketing with email via MTA is via the SMS API. Your developers can view the API documentation for instructions on how to send messages and manage contacts, which opens up a lot of possibilities for how you can use email and SMS together.

One distinctive feature of Mobile Text Alerts’ API is the ability to send out mass iMessages for your business.

We use Customer.io (CIO) and we use CIO’s “webhooks” option to connect to MTA’s message sending option. Then we’re able to organize and coordinate our SMS and email campaigns all in the same place.

2. Twilio

Messaging API service Twilio differs from Mobile Text Alerts in a few ways, one of which being that it is an API-only service with no out-of-the-box option available.

As a leading messaging API service, with Twilio you can program your SMS efforts and customize them accordingly.

Twilio also offers additional services beyond SMS, such as voice calls. Although it does not offer an email service, as with Mobile Text Alerts you can use the API to coordinate and integrate with your ESP. Or you can use integration software (Zapier).

Twilio is a highly regarded SMS service, although in the past couple of years the reviews seem to have waned a bit (although are still broadly positive).

3. SlickText

SlickText represents an out-of-the-box SMS service that also offers an API. They tend to have solid reviews and have been around for over 10 years.

SlickText is one of the more prominent names in SMS marketing and has a good reputation. Their API isn’t heavily promoted on their site but they do have one available which generally seems to have good reviews as well.

Through the API, you can coordinate with your email marketing efforts. SlickText does have direct integrations with a few different email providers, but this functionality may be limited and not allow for a robust coordination of email and text marketing efforts. And, as with many different types of software, SlickText is supported by Zapier.

4. SimpleTexting

SimpleTexting is one more SMS service that also offers an SMS API—although their API does not appear to be a feature they emphasize.

SimpleTexting is a brand geared toward small businesses and has excellent reviews.

Like the other solutions mentioned, SimpleTexting does support an SMS API that you can use to integrate with your ESP. SimpleTexting also has a Mailchimp integration that allows you to sync up your contacts. And, of course, you can integrate your ESP with SimpleTexting via Zapier.

5. Textedly

Textedly is a lesser known but still prominent name in the SMS marketing industry.

While Textedly has a solid online presence and customers broadly seem to have a good experience, they don’t have an advertised SMS API available for custom dev integration to your ESP. However, they are supported on Zapier.

6. EZ Texting

EZ Texting is yet another out-of-the-box SMS marketing platform, including an SMS API offering.

EZ Texting has overall happy customers and is one of the older companies in the SMS platform market, having been founded 30 years ago in 2004.

As mentioned, EZ Texting does provide an SMS API that you can use to set up integrations with your email workflow. They have a direct integration allowing you to sync contacts with Mailchimp and Constant Contact (but not allowing you to do much beyond that). EZ Texting is also supported on Zapier.

7. Trumpia

Lastly, Trumpia is an out-of-the-box SMS marketing platform that prominently advertises its API services as well.

Having almost been around as long as EZ Texting (since 2006), Trumpia has experience in the SMS world and has generally positive reviews.

Their API is advertised as low cost and high throughput and would allow you to integrate SMS marketing with your email provider. Although it doesn’t have any direct integrations with ESPs, it is supported on Zapier.

7 Top Email Marketing Platforms to Coordinate with SMS

Here are some of the top email marketing platforms to choose from that will allow you to integrate your email and SMS marketing efforts…

1. Mailchimp

Mailchimp is one of the most widely used email marketing platforms. It’s widely regarded as a leader in the email marketing industry, likely due to user-friendliness—although it does have its detractors.

(Strangely, there has been an influx of negative reviews recently.)

As far as compatibility with SMS, Mailchimp actually has its own SMS service option as an add-on. And if you prefer to go with a service that offers SMS particularly as your main SMS provider, you can use Mailchimp’s API or Zapier to coordinate your SMS and email efforts.

2. Customer.io

Though much lesser known than Mailchimp, Customer.io is a solid email marketing option with good reviews.

It has a native SMS integration, but it requires using the SMS service Twilio in order to integrate directly.

If you don’t want to use Twilio, you can still integrate with SMS using API or Zapier. (Their “Campaigns” feature in particular makes it pretty smooth to integrate your SMS via API.)

3. Hubspot Marketing Hub

Hubspot is one of the biggest names in marketing, so it makes sense that they have their own platform that allows you to send emails: Hubspot Marketing Hub.

Now, the “Hub” actually is a robust marketing platform that pulls together several areas of marketing and sales, so it may be more than what you’re needing.

But it’s got overall good reviews and good brand recognition to help give you more confidence that you’ll get a quality product.

Like Mailchimp, this platform actually does have an SMS option you can add on. Otherwise you can use the Hubspot API or Zapier to integrate with your SMS.

4. ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign is another popular email marketing service provider with broadly positive reviews.

It’s been around for over 20 years, so it has some experience under its belt and aims to be user-friendly (and AI-powered). It also offers other services, such as a CRM and a content management platform.

ActiveCampaign has an SMS add-on option. It also has some direct integrations with SMS providers and also has an API you can tap into in order to integrate your SMS marketing. And, of course, there’s always Zapier.

5. Attentive

Attentive is an SMS and email marketing platform that’s popular for ecommerce use cases.

Attentive is arguable an SMS-first platform but does offer a robust email marketing option simultaneously.

Since Attentive offers both SMS and email, no integration is necessary in order to coordinate your email and text marketing together—however, keep in mind that since Attentive is more of an SMS-first program, its email marketing option may not be as robust as you’d like.

6. Klaviyo

Klaviyo also offers both SMS and email marketing. It’s another solution that is often adopted by ecommerce companies.

The company broadly seems to have good reviews, but some reviews do mention issues with customer support and difficulty in figuring out how to use it.

Klaviyo is another option that requires no integration with SMS since it already offers SMS.

7. Omnisend

Omnisend is one more ecommerce-focused SMS and email marketing solution.

It’s been around for 10 years, since 2014, and has mostly positive reviews.

And again, as an option with a native SMS marketing, no integration with an SMS service is needed.

What’s the Top Email and Text Marketing Platform?

With so many options to choose from, how do you decide which email and text marketing platform you should use for your own business?

Well, it depends.

If you already have an email marketing service…

To start off, unless you’re a brand new business, you may already have an email marketing service.

And your current email marketing service may not offer SMS (at least natively).

If that’s the case, you probably don’t want to start from scratch with a brand new program.

(Because that sounds like a nightmare!)

Integrating via an SMS API

So in that case, you can stick with your current ESP and odds are it allows you to integrate with an SMS marketing platform such as Mobile Text Alerts via an API.

Here’s an example of how it looks with connecting Mobile Text Alerts to Customer.io:

In your Customer.io campaigns, select the “Send and Receive Data” element and drag it onto your workflow.

The text message will now send as indicated in the webhook set up and in the location of the webhook within the workflow.

This is just one example of the many ways that this idea could be implemented.

(You just need to have the developer manpower to implement this type of integration.)

Integrating via Zapier

If you don’t have the dev manpower, you can still integrate with SMS marketing services using Zapier.com.

Zapier allows you to integrate thousands of different software without any coding needed.

With Zapier, you simply set up what they call “zaps” including a “trigger” app and an “action” app.

The “trigger” app is the software which initiates the integration, and the “action” app is the software that takes action as a response to the trigger.

For example, you can set it up so that when a new profile is created in Customer.io, they are automatically sent a text message via Mobile Text Alerts.

If you don’t have an email service provider (or are thinking of switching)...

If you need your first email service provider (or need a new one), you can explore any of the 7 ESPs mentioned above.

Attentive, Klaviyo, and Omnisend all offer both email and SMS marketing services. However, these services focus on ecommerce. Furthermore, you may have reasons for wanting to keep your email and SMS marketing services separate.

Mailchimp, Customer.io, Hubspot Marketing Hub, and ActiveCampaign have SMS add-on options, so you can consider going with those add-ons. However, if you’re already paying extra for SMS, you may consider going with a service that particularly specializes in SMS marketing.

All of the email marketing platforms listed have good reviews and so if you are looking for a new ESP, you probably can’t go too wrong with any of the choices.

Your best bet is likely to narrow it down to 2 or 3 choices and get a free trial of all those choices to try the platform out for yourself.

Why Use an Email and Text Marketing Platform? (Benefits)

The question then arises… why should you use an email and text marketing platform? Why coordinate your email and SMS marketing campaigns together?

1. Maximized marketing communications

Both email and SMS (in particular) have a lot of untapped potential.

They’re both highly effective communication mediums.

So when you use them together and coordinate your campaigns, you can really maximize your marketing communications and get the most ROI for your buck.

2. Better organization

Haphazardly cobbling together your email and SMS marketing campaigns separately won’t be as effective as it could be.

If you have better organization, you’ll be able to better track your initiatives—which will make you a more effective marketer.

3. Better planning and control

If you’re more organized in coordinating your email and SMS campaigns, you’ll have better planning and control over your marketing initiatives.

And more control means that you can be more precise about what messages go out when and to whom.

In other words, you can be more intentional about the messages you send.

4. “Set and forget” automation

Being able to coordinate your email and text marketing together means that you will have more flexibility to set up automations that you can “set and forget.”

And we all love a good automation that saves us time and hassle!

5. Competitive advantage

While almost every business does email marketing, you may be surprised to know that not every business does SMS marketing yet.

So incorporating SMS into your email marketing efforts could be a way to stand out from the crowd in the midst of your competition.

What to Look for in Email and Text Marketing Platforms

OK, so let’s say you’re looking for a platform to coordinate email and text marketing together.

What do you look for?

1. Integration opportunities

If you want to coordinate your email and SMS together, it’s best if you can do it through some kind of integration.

The good news is that most email providers and SMS providers offer APIs that your developers can program to integrate your email and text marketing together.

So if you’re planning on using APIs, make sure that the platforms you’re looking at do actually support that.

At the very least, check that your platforms are supported by Zapier, so that you can integrate via Zapier if you don’t have the developer manpower to set up the API integrations.

2. Automation capabilities

It’s best if you can find platforms that allow you to automate things as seamlessly as possible.

The more you can automate, the more efficient you can be—and the more scalable your efforts.

If a platform requires you to do a lot of manual input, that may not be the best sign.

3. Available customer support

You want customer support that’s actually available and responsive.

Because we all know that frustration of getting the runaround when we try to get help with some kind of customer support question or issue!

And these days with AI being used more and more, you want to make sure you can reach a real person when you need to.

Email and Text Marketing Platform FAQs

Here are some more answers to questions you may have about email and text marketing platforms…

What is email and SMS marketing?

“Email and SMS marketing” can refer to coordinating the separate but closely related initiatives of email and SMS marketing together into a thoughtful organizational flow. Or the term could refer to email and SMS marketing initiatives respectively.

Since email and SMS marketing are similar marketing channels and often are used in conjunction with each other, in many cases it makes sense to organize these initiatives together.

What is the cost for email and SMS marketing?

The costs for email and SMS marketing vary widely depending on the providers you choose and the amount of activity in your email and SMS services.

As an example on the email side, Mailchimp starts at $20 per month for up to 6,000 emails each month.

As an example on the SMS side, Mobile Text Alerts starts at $20 per month for up to 500 SMS each month. (Keep in mind that SMS has a much higher reach than email and you’ll likely send much fewer SMS per month.)

Take the First Step to Trying Email and Text Marketing Now

Email and SMS.

Two communication channels that pack a marketing punch.

Two channels that help you really reach the people you’re trying to reach.

Two channels that, when used together, stand stronger than they could stand alone.

Remember to…

• Take full advantage of both marketing channels
• Select an email service provider and SMS marketing provider that meets your needs
• Keep in mind your various options (such as an SMS API, Zapier, etc.)

What’s the first step?

You probably already have your email service provider squared away, so your first step would be to get a free test account with an SMS marketing service.

Then you’ll start to see how you can connect SMS up to your email—for the good of your sales and your business.

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Sam Pelton has been with the SMS platform Mobile Text Alerts for 10 years. He currently works as Content Director, specializing in blog articles and email content.