Text Messaging in Business: Examples & Best Practices [2024]

Text messaging has become an indispensable tool for businesses of all sizes.

For example, one study by Forrester found that 60% of respondents used SMS for their business, and these brands attributed 12.8% of their online revenue to SMS.

Need to send quick reminders? Promotions? Updates? Customer service inquiries? Text messaging continues to grow in popularity as a channel for doing all of that and everything in between—a convenient way to communicate with customers, employees, and partners.

So what exactly does text messaging in business look like? And how can you best use it for your business?

In this blog post, we’ll explore best practices, examples, platforms, and frequently asked questions, so that you can take advantage of text messaging to its fullest potential.

What Is Text Messaging in Business?

Business text messaging, also known as SMS messaging, is the use of texting to communicate with customers, leads, employees, and partners. It’s a direct way to reach people on their mobile devices, making it a powerful tool for businesses of all sizes.

In the context of business, text messaging can be used for a wide variety of purposes, such as:

• Marketing: Sending promotions, offers, and event notifications
• Sales: Following up with leads, nurturing relationships, and closing deals
• Customer service: Providing support, answering questions, and resolving issues
• Employee communication: Sending announcements, reminders, and updates
• Internal communication: Facilitating team collaboration and information sharing

How to Use Text Messaging in Business

As mentioned above, you can use text messaging for multiple different purposes in business. Here’s a fuller breakdown of some of these different uses.

Marketing

One of the top ways businesses use texting is for marketing purposes. This can be done through shortcode texting or through 10-digit numbers.

You can incentivize people to sign up for your text list, and then you’ll be able to reach them directly on their phones with promotions and offers.

But the marketing initiatives don’t have to stop with promotions—you can also use it to drive traffic to your website or to collect feedback.

Sales

Being able to reach people directly under their noses via SMS is a salesman’s dream.

You can use SMS to follow up with leads, nurture relationships, schedule appointments, and even close deals.

Customer Service

Including SMS as a channel in your customer service process opens up the door to give your customers one of the most convenient and efficient ways to get help.

Think about it—everyone agrees that the typical customer service interaction via phone calls is not good, with its automated menus and endless waiting on hold and re-explaining the problem multiple times.

SMS can help streamline that process.

Employee Communication

How do you get mass updates out to employees? How do you send them meeting reminders, HR notices, announcements, and urgent updates?

Have you thought about using SMS? SMS has the benefit that most people will actually read all of their texts, unlike many other communication channels—so your employees will actually see the update.

Internal Communication

In addition to mass updates, you can use SMS to keep the lines of communication open within your team—for 2-way back and forth and collaboration.

That way, you can help make sure everyone has an effective means to communicate whenever they have a need.

Examples of Text Messaging in Business

Here are some tangible examples of different ways you can use texting for each of the use cases mentioned above.

Marketing Examples

Promotional offer:

“

Enjoy 20% off your next purchase! Use code SMS20 at checkout.

New product launch:

“

Our new line of products is now available! Visit our website to learn more.

Event notification:

“

Don't miss our upcoming webinar on the latest marketing trends! Register now: [link]

Abandoned cart reminder:

“

You left some items in your cart! Click here to complete your purchase: [link]

Customer loyalty program:

“

Thank you for being a loyal customer! Earn double points on your next purchase.

Sales Examples

Lead follow-up:

“

Hi [name], I hope you enjoyed our demo. Are you interested in learning more about our product?

Relationship nurturing:

“

I hope you're having a great week! Just wanted to say hello and see if you have any questions about our product.

Deal closing:

“

I'm excited to hear that you're interested in our product! Let's discuss pricing and finalize the details.

Objection handling:

“

I understand your concerns. Let me address them one by one.

Testimonial request:

“

Would you be willing to share your experience with our product? Your feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Customer service

Customer question/issue:

“

Thanks for reaching out! Sorry to hear you’ve had some issues. I'm taking a look at your account right now and we’ll get you squared away in no time.

Order confirmation:

“

Thank you for your order! Your order number is [number].

Shipping update:

“

Your order is on its way! You will receive a tracking number shortly.

Product inquiry:

“

We'd be happy to answer any questions you have about our product. How can I help?

Complaint resolution:

“

We apologize for the inconvenience. We are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

Employee communication

Company announcement:

“

We are excited to announce that [name] has been promoted to [position].

Company event:

“

Don't forget about our upcoming company picnic! RSVP by [date].

Employee recognition:

“

Thank you for your hard work! Your dedication is appreciated.

Performance review reminder:

“

Your performance review is due on [date].

Company policy update:

“

Please be aware of the following update to our company policy on [topic].

Internal communication

Project update:

“

The [project name] project is on track and on budget.

Team meeting reminder:

“

Team meeting at [time] in [location].

File sharing:

“

I've shared the [file name] file with you. Please review and provide feedback.

Question asking:

“

Does anyone have any questions about the [topic]?

Idea sharing:

“

I have an idea for how we can improve [process].

Platforms for Text Messaging in Business

Now that you have an idea of how to use text messaging for your business and what kinds of texts you can send, the next question is… how?

The first step is to select a business SMS platform. Here are a few you can try out.

Mobile Text Alerts

Our platform Mobile Text Alerts lets you send out all the texts you need at little hassle to you. With easy setup and all the features you’re looking for, you’ll be able to start sending texts in no time.

Here’s a taste of what you’ll get with the platform:

• Accessible support so you don’t have to wait days and days to get questions answered
• 3 different ways to access services for maximum flexibility—online dashboard, mobile app, and SMS API
• Automated messaging options so that you can have greater effectiveness
• Multiple opt-in methods so that you can grow your text list in a way that works for you
• Contact management options such as grouping and custom attributes, so that you can personalize your SMS efforts for greater engagement
• Reporting and analytics so that you can be more informed about how your messages are performing
• Fun and handy built-in AI solutions for maximum efficiency
• Other perks such as automatic QR codes and digital contact cards for you to enjoy exploring

You can try it free for 14 days here.

Other Platforms

Some other SMS platforms include:

• SlickText
• EZ Texting
• Trumpia
• TextMagic

How to Go About Text Messaging in Business

Once you have an account set up with an SMS platform, the process is pretty simple.

You just need to…

1. Fill out the preliminary mobile carrier registration form (this just takes a few minutes)—with Mobile Text Alerts, this form is found within your online dashboard and is automatically submitted to the mobile carriers on your behalf after you fill it out
2. Load phone numbers into your texting database—you can load in existing lists or databases, and/or you can grow your list through automated opt-in methods such text-to-join
3. Set up your messages—you can easily create your messages within the online platform

Opt-In Methods

Here are some different ways you can get opt-in’s loaded into your text list:

• You can manually drag and drop a spreadsheet file with your contact list into the online platform.
• You can connect your text list to your business’s database via API or Zapier.com integrations.
• You can allow people to text in a particular word to join your texting list.
• You can allow people to fill out an online form that will automatically add their info into your database.
• You can allow people to scan a QR code that you can create within your online platform.

Sending Methods

Here are some different ways you can send messages from your SMS platform:

• Manually—you can send out a text blast at any time by typing it into the platform and hitting “Send.”
• Scheduling—you can schedule your messages for the perfect date and time, and even set it to repeat at regular intervals.
• Automated campaigns—you can set up a series of messages to automatically go out over a time period that you specify.
• Auto-replies—you can designate “auto-reply” messages to be triggered under certain conditions (such as when someone texts in a specific word).
• 2-way texting—you can chat back and forth with recipients via an online SMS inbox

Best Practices for Text Messaging in Business

So what are best practices for going about text messaging in business?

Here are just a few.

1. Remember It’s Different than Email

SMS is not the same as email, so you can’t come to it with the same approach.

You can’t have very long messaging.

You usually can’t send as often.

You don’t have as much control over how it looks and is formatted.

So just remember that it’s a different approach than what you typically do with email. We’d recommend keeping messages as concise as possible and only sending 4 messages per month.

2. Keep an Eye on Your Delivery Rates

One of the primary concerns with SMS right now is message delivery, since mobile carriers want to make sure that only legitimate traffic gets sent.

Keep an eye on your delivery rates, and if they start slipping, check out the rest of the best practices mentioned here to make sure you’re following them.

3. Be Careful with Links

If you’re texting links, take extra care.

Mobile carriers scrutinize links that are sent via SMS because they are wary of spam and scams.

If they believe your message to be spam, they will prevent it from being delivered—and they’re more likely to filter it as spam if it includes links, especially publicly shortened links, such as bit.ly links.

4. Make Sure to Fill Out Registration Forms!

One of the best ways to get the best message delivery for your texting efforts is simply to fill out the wireless carrier registration form.

Just by answering a few brief questions about your business and your use case, you can have a lot better delivery rates.

FAQ

Here are some other frequently asked questions regarding messaging in business contexts.

Is texting appropriate for business?

Yes, texting is now usually considered appropriate for business in many settings. Obviously, you’ll need to follow some common sense boundaries but if you keep your texting business-related, professional, and during business hours, it will typically be considered appropriate.

What are some business texting statistics?

• Texts have a reported read rate of up to 98%
• 97% of Americans own a cell phone
• By one report, 56.9% of people said they’re addicted to their phone
• People check their phones an average of 144 times per day
• 53% of web traffic comes from mobile

How much is text message marketing?

Plans for Mobile Text Alerts start at $20 per month billed annually or $25 billed month-to-month.

When is text messaging best used?

SMS is best used sparingly but regularly. You can use it for almost any situation that involves business communication, but if you over-send, you may annoy your audience and they may start to ignore you.

What are advantages of text messaging in business communication?

Advantages of text messaging for business include:

• High read rates
• Convenience
• Effectiveness
• Easily referenced written record

What is the role of text messaging in business communication?

Text messaging is one of the tools you can add to your marketing and communication toolbelt for virtually any communication needs. In many ways it can even be more effective than traditional communication methods, such as email.

Try a Text Messaging Platform

Interested in giving an SMS platform a try? Get a free 14-day trial account here.