Texting Solutions: Everything You Need to Know [2024]

Do you ever get the feeling that you're missing out on a great notification tool?

If you think about it, that's really why you clicked on this "texting solutions" article.

Because you know texting is a tool of untapped potential. You know that everyone texts, and that everyone sees their texts.

But... how do you do it? How does it work? Is there a tool or solution for your particular case?

You’ve got questions - we've got answers!

Here we'll walk you through texting solutions for different types of businesses and other organizations - you'll find out how it works for them, so you can see how it would work for you and yours.

(Feel free to use the content navigation outline on the left to go directly to the section that's relevant for you.)

Let's get into it, shall we?

Texting Solutions for Small Businesses

If you belong to a small or medium business, you're always looking for ways to more easily increase sales.

Online texting platforms help you do just that.

Some of these include:

• Our service, Mobile Text Alerts
• SlickText
• EZ Texting

But what types of businesses use texting? And how can you use it?

Here are some examples of small-to-medium business industries that use online texting tools:

• Banks and other financial services
• Boutiques
• Coaching services
• Construction services
• Distribution services
• Gyms and fitness centers
• Healthcare services
• Manufacturing services
• Online businesses
• Real estate agents and offices
• Restaurants
• Retail stores (in-person or online)
• Stock alert services
• Transportation services
• Webinar hosting services

How do these industries use texting? What solutions do texting services provide for you?

Promotions and Deals

You can use texting to notify customers and prospects about promotions and deals you're running.

This drives attention to those promotions so that they yield the best results possible.

Some examples:

“

Today only! 50% off online purchases - Use promo code 50OFF at checkout.

“

Don't forget our Labor Day sale this weekend! All your favorite items at the lowest prices you'll ever see.

“

BOGO? Yes, please! Buy one get one FREE, today only! Check it out here: [link]

Team Alerts

Missed meetings, ignored shift requests, office memo miscommunication, difficulty getting out HR updates - every business knows the struggle of trying to keep employees fully informed.

Let's be honest, email is becoming more and more a thing of the past, particularly for younger people.

Texting allows you to make sure these notices are seen and heard.

No more missed updates.

Some examples:

“

We need someone to help cover the evening shift tonight. Please respond ASAP if available.

“

Lightning has been spotted near the worksite. Please stop all work and follow safety protocols.

“

Reminder: mandatory safety training is today from 12-1pm. Lunch will be provided but you still can take your "lunch break" after. If you can't make it, please contact your manager to arrange a make-up.

Reminders for Events and Webinars

Want to boost event attendance? Webinar show-up rate?

Of course you do.

What better way to get better engagement than to send would-be attendees text reminders?

Some examples:

“

Reminder! Our "Reverse Your Type 2 Diabetes" webinar is in 30 minutes. See you there! Here's the link: [link]

“

Time to set aside what's in front of you, because your financial wellbeing webinar is LIVE in 5! Get all the juicy tips here: [link]

“

We missed you at the webinar! There's still time to catch the replay - Check it out here before the link expires: [link]

Customer Service

Customers do not enjoy calling customer service.

They don't enjoy the automated menus and the hold times and the repeated "let me transfer you to the right person."

In many ways, texting is a much much more convenient way for your customers to get in touch with you.

They don't need to be tied down to the phone for an hour. You can engage in easy 2-way texting conversations with your customers, or you can even set up automated workflows.

Some examples:

“

Thanks for reaching out! How may I help you today?

“

For hours, reply HOURS. For pricing, reply PRICING. For a list of locations, reply LOCATIONS. For account-related inquiries, reply ACCOUNT and a rep will text you back within 5 minutes.

“

Just doing a quick check-in to see how things are going with your [product name]? Any questions I can help clear up for you?

Texting Solutions for Medium-to-Big Businesses

Larger businesses use texting for all of the above listed purposes that small businesses do.

But if you're a part of larger enterprises, you can have some unique needs.

You need a texting solution that can meet those needs.

Some of these solutions include:

• Our service, Mobile Text Alerts
• Twilio
• Trumpia

Questions for Enterprises

If you're a part of a bigger business, some questions you may run into include:

• How can I load in a huge volume of contacts?
• Can I segment and group my subscriber list?
• How long will it take for my message to go out to all of my contacts?

You need an online texting tool that can handle your large database.

Some elements to look for in order to answer these questions and concerns:

• Spreadsheet import capabilities that are able to process large quantities of data - that way you can load in your contact database without an issue
• A "grouping" or "segmenting" option - that way you can organize your contacts into different groups as you see fit
• High "throughput" (messaging speeds) - that way, your messages go out quickly

Automations for Enterprises

Something else to consider if you're a part of a bigger business is feasibility.

For example, if you're sending out hundreds of thousands of text messages, you may not have the bandwidth to individually monitor responses.

Or you may not have the time to manually send out all the messages you're wanting to send.

Big businesses more than anyone else need automation options within their texting solution.

Here are some automation options to look for:

• Scheduling texts ahead of time
• Setting up recurring messages to repeat at specified intervals
• Creating auto-response messages to trigger automatically when people text in particular words
• Setting up automated drip campaigns to "drip" out texts over a period of time
• Adding people to your contact database automatically when they send a text to your texting account's phone number
• Adding people to your contact database automatically when they scan a QR code
• Adding people to your contact database automatically when they submit their information into a web sign-up form
• Creating integrations with your other software and services to streamline the contact adding and message sending capabilities

All of those automation options give you more freedom to make better use of your texting solution.

Texting Solutions for Direct Sales

"Hey, have you ever tried [insert product here]? I sell it and it's amazing!"

There are thousands of direct sales companies out there, from LuLaRoe to Paparazzi Accessories to Pampered Chef.

These types of companies allow individuals like you to become independent retailers (often called "consultants") of their products and earn a commission of the sales they make.

Retailers and consultants for these direct sales companies often find texting solutions to be an excellent and effective way to increase sales for their independent business.

Some texting solutions for direct sales include:

• Our service, Mobile Text Alerts
• Project Broadcast
• TextMagic

Some of the direct sale companies whose consultants use texting solutions (like Mobile Text Alerts) include:

• LuLaRoe
• Paparazzi
• Scentsy
• Zyia
• Young Living
• Bomb Party
• Doterra
• Pomifera
• Tupperware
• Mary Kay
• Younique
• Pure Romance
• Color Street
• Monat
• Norwex

If you're an independent sales consultant for one of these companies (or another like it), what are some ways you can use an online texting platform?

Live Sale Notifications

Many direct sales consultants' businesses thrive on live videos and live sales on social media.

But you can't rely solely on social media platforms like Facebook to effectively reach your audience and let them know about your live sales.

Merely posting on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or other social media will not drive many people to your videos, because not many people see those posts.

(Think about it - If you're trying to communicate something important to someone, like telling your husband to pick up milk on the way home, do you post about it on social media? Nope, you'll send him a text.)

Thus, you need more effective communication tools to help notify your customers (and potential customers) about when you're going live.

_Many_consultants have seen much larger attendance to their live sales by sending out a text alert before they go live.

This lets your customers know that you're going live, right on the customer's personal phone. Thus, they are much more likely to actually attend the live sale (and therefore, are more likely to purchase).

Here are some examples of live sale notifications you might send out:

“

Time for some fun! Let's catch up on some [product] LIVE - See you in 5! [Link]

“

Quick 15 min live coming up in 10 minutes! New and favs! [Link]

“

I'm LIVE right now! Don't miss out on these great [products] while supplies last.

Promotions and Deals

Just like other businesses, independent direct sales consultants run promotions and deals and need a way to communicate them with their customers.

Texting solutions allow them to showcase their promotions in the most effective way possible, since the notification shows up directly on the recipients' phones.

Here are some examples of notifications consultants might send out regarding promotions:

“

Flash sale! 15% off all [product] TODAY ONLY - Check out the inventory here: [link]

“

[ONLY HOURS LEFT] Unbelievable Black Friday deals expiring soon! Don't miss out! [Link]

“

Announcement! I'm giving FREE shipping to anyone who orders before Monday. Countdown to Monday starts NOW! Shop here: [link]

New Inventory

A lot of times, direct sales is all about the inventory.

For example, one of LuLaRoe's claims to fame is that the patterns on their clothing are so varied that customers will rarely find two items with the same pattern. So discovering what new inventory has come in becomes almost a game as customers sort through new patterns to find ones they like.

Retailers and consultants take advantage of texting solutions to keep their customers up to date on new inventory, more effectively maintaining interest and increasing sales.

Here are some examples:

“

New [product] prints and solids. New [2nd product] too! As always...FREE shipping! [Link]

“

New releases have dropped! Check out this gorgeous [product] that is sure to sell out. Shop all new releases here: [link]

“

New [product] up now! Check it out before it's gone: [link]

Texting Solutions for Governments

Let's just say it.

Government-run organizations are not known for being efficient.

If you're an employee in government, you already know this. You've seen the red tape and bureaucracy.

Political issues aside, you can subvert that "inefficient" stereotype in at least one way: texting.

Admittedly, "government" is a broad category that could cover anything from municipalities to public libraries.

But one thing each of these entities has in common is that you need an effective way to get your messages heard.

Those messages could be to your employees, letting them know about meetings or memos.

Those messages could be to citizens taking advantage of public services, such as park service updates.

Or those messages could be to the public in general, informing them about town hall meetings, utility notices, or any number of things.

The point is that in all of these cases, your message needs to be heard. Otherwise, what's the point?

And we all know how people are much more attentive and responsive to their texts than to emails, phone calls, or social media.

Some texting solutions for governments include:

• Our service Mobile Text Alerts
• EZ Texting
• Trumpia

Below are some ways that government-run entities use texting solutions.

Team Updates

You can keep your team in the know about what's going on in the workplace.

This could include event updates, meeting reminders, safety notices, HR requests, or anything else your team needs to know.

Check out these examples:

“

NOTICE: There is currently a system outage and employees are not able to log in. Please hang tight as we wait for IT to provide us with an update.

“

Don't forget to submit your payroll paperwork to Shelly by 5pm today. Thank you!

“

Just a reminder about our team meeting today at 1pm. View the meeting agenda at the following link (and come prepared with your ideas): [link]

Service Notices

If your government-run entity offers a publicly-accessible service, such as a public park, transportation system, or library, you can use text alerts to send notices to patrons (and prospective patrons).

That way, you can help people maximize the benefits your service provides.

Here are some examples:

“

No bus service this evening. A service update for Thursday will be provided by Wednesday evening.

“

Hi [first name], the Virtual Spring Party for child health services clients is starting now! Here's the link: [link]

“

Camping in both the upper and lower camping areas is completely full for tonight. Sorry for any inconvenience!

Public Announcements and Reminders

Keeping citizens updated on public announcements is a challenge.

Well, challenge accepted!

Sending texts is a highly effective way to let people know what's going on, so that people can be informed and involved.

Need some examples?

“

SNOW EMERGENCY: Starting at 6pm on Saturday, Jan. 30th until noon on Monday, Feb. 1st - There will be no parking allowed on city streets during this time to allow for snow removal. Extra parking is available for free in all downtown parking garages. Thanks for your cooperation! Stay safe!

“

A boil water notice is required by the State Water Board over the next two to three weeks (14-21 days) as repairs and upgrades are made to the water plant filtration system. After the contractor begins the improvements, a more definitive timeline for the length of the repairs and duration of the boil water notice will become available. - City Engineer Jason Green

“

Town Council meeting tonight at 6:00 pm. Attend in person at City Hall room 1101, or via Zoom using this link: [link]

Texting Solutions for Churches

Churches have a problem.

And that problem is how you connect with all of your members and keep them engaged.

More and more churches are turning to texting solutions to solve this.

Some of those texting solutions include:

• Our service, Mobile Text Alerts
• Text In Church
• Clearstream

Here are some ways you can use texting solutions for your church.

Reminders

Even the most organized people need reminders.

Reminders help drive up attendance and engagement for Bible studies, meetings, concerts, and other events.

Here are some examples:

“

Don't forget the prayer meeting tonight at 7pm! If you can't make it in person, you can join via Zoom using this link: [link]

“

Bible Study is TONIGHT at 6:30pm at the Jensens'. Hope to see you there!

“

The "Christ Is Here" Christmas Concert is THIS SATURDAY at 7pm! Enjoy the message of Christmas presented through song, a short Gospel presentation from Pastor Jesse, and a cookie reception afterwards. Bring a friend!

Announcements and Cancellations

Imagine you wake up early Sunday morning, surprised to find 3 feet of snow piled up in your front yard.

Church obviously needs to be canceled. But how can you let everyone know?

With everyone texting all the time, you now have the most effective tool to instantly let your church members know if there's an important announcement, such as a weather cancellation for your church service.

See examples below:

“

Due to expected snow, services are CANCELED tomorrow morning. We will miss you! Pastor Jeff will deliver his sermon from his home office via Facebook Live and YouTube Live. Check it out at 10am at these links: [link]

“

Joyce Perry's memorial service will be held at 11am Wednesday morning. Luncheon will be provided by church volunteers afterward. Please come celebrate the life of a faithful and joyful servant of the Lord.

“

New sermon series starts tomorrow! Don't miss out as we dive into the book of James for a deep and practical study.

Ministry Needs, Requests, and Encouragement

Churches are supposed to be a family, and families support each other and work together.

You can use a texting platform to let people in your church family know about needs to be filled and prayer requests. Or you can send little notes of encouragement - Bible verses or encouraging quotes.

Need some examples?

“

Please pray for comfort for Josie Nelsen and family. Josie's father passed away today and is now with Jesus. We'll announce funeral service details when available.

“

Remind yourself of the Gospel constantly: Christ died for our sins and was raised on the third day. The wages of sin is death, including eternal death in Hell, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (See 1 Cor. 15:3-4; Rom. 3:23; 10:9.)

“

Have you ever thought about working with children? We need a Sunday School teacher for the 4th grade class over the summer. Curriculum and training is provided, and the kids are fun! Reply back to this text or contact [email address] if interested.

Texting Solutions for Other Non-Profits

It's risky to use the word all too often, because it's rarely ever true.

But virtually all non-profits (and all businesses for that matter) could see better engagement with their people if they took advantage of texting.

Work for a YMCA? Text members about the different programs and classes you're offering this year.

Part of a political campaign? Text constituents to raise awareness and support.

Labor union? Special needs camp? Healthcare services? Private school?

Yep, you can use texts too.

Some texting solutions for non-profits would include:

• Our service, Mobile Text Alerts
• Tatango
• SlickText

Here are some ways you can use a texting solution in your non-profit.

Fundraising

Phone call and mail fundraising campaigns are standard.

And they can be effective.

But how much more effective can a texting campaign be (if done right)?

How much more support can you raise by reaching people where they most often look?

Check out these examples:

“

If you love what Baptist Children's Health stands for, will you consider giving a contribution? Click this link for more information: [link]

“

We're reaching the end of our fiscal year and still have a long way to go before being fully funded for the next year. We know your resources are precious, and we'd ask you to think about whether donating some of those precious resources is right for you and your family. Click here for more info: [link]

“

Thanks for your interest in supporting our ministry through your generous financial contributions! Click here to process your donation: [link]

General Updates

Non-profits can utilize the power of texting for all the purposes other organizations can:

• Team updates
• Member notices
• Product/service promotions
• Announcements
• Meeting/appointment reminders
• Client/member service interactions

Examples?

“

Reminder: Staff meeting today at 11am. We'll be discussing ideas on new classes we can offer to better service the members of our community. Feel free to bring new ideas to the table!

“

We're offering FREE consultations for first-time visitors for the month of July. Ask for your free consultation when you come in.

“

The rumba class has been canceled due to illness. Very sorry for any inconvenience! We'll pick it back up next week at 8:00am.

Get a Texting Solution for Yourself

Whether you're a part of a small business, big business, government office, church, or anything in between, texting solutions can help increase sales by reaching customers and prospects in the most effective way possible.

Ready to give it a try for yourself?

Get a free trial today and see how it works.