Four features to look for in an online SMS gateway
Written by Agus Echagüe
According to the Australian Communications and Media Authority, mobile phone ownership amongst Australians over 18 comes in at astaggering 92 percent. Hence, mobile represents an ideal platform for generating leads and interacting directly with customers. A 2010 study by Singlepoint reported that approximately 90 percent of all SMS messages are read within three minutes of being sent, while SMS boasts a 99 percent open rate.
Given these numbers, it’s critical to invest in a robust SMS Gateway that can efficiently manage your campaigns and take advantage of the many uses of SMS marketing.
As with any area of your marketing spend, tracking the value generated from your SMS marketing activities is vital. With this in mind, we’ve put together this handy guide on what to look for in the perfect SMS Gateway system.
Below are four features we recommend keeping an eye on >>>
Email-to-SMS functionality
There’s nothing worse for businesses than being dumped with a system that forces you to overhaul your existing processes and systems.
With email-to-SMS functionality, users can compose, distribute and respond to SMS campaigns from within their existing email client. If you can send an email, then you can use an email-based messaging platform – it’s that simple!
Hot tip: Look for a system that supports the most frequently used email clients (e.g. Apple Mail, Outlook, Yahoo, Gmail, Windows Live).
Read related articles in Business Review Australia
- Five tips for SMS marketing
- How to design emails for a mobile inbox
- Can marketing mobility win you more customers?
Robust reporting
Sure, you may have developed a brilliant marketing campaign. When it comes time to evaluation, you’ll need comprehensive data to help you make decisions to refine and optimise your campaign. This is where analytics and metrics are critical.
Hot tip: Opt for a system that supports detailed segmentation (e.g. by location, gender, purchase history, member status, etc.)
No software downloads
Investing in a purely web- or cloud-based platform has several advantages. Most importantly, your campaign data and customer database is secured with encryption and accessible remotely from any device with an internet connection. This is particularly useful in the event of theft, property damage or fire.
Other secondary benefits include conservation of valuable disk space, and not having to pester the IT guy at work!
Real-time support
For a technical product like an SMS Gateway, you want to be sure that you can access personalised support, when you need it. At the very least, that means phone and/or live chat assistance (no ticket lodging) For more complex queries, it’s great if you can drop into a physical office and receive one-on-one support.
Hot tip: The more established providers often have an extensive online database of FAQ’s that users can use to troubleshoot issues. This is a great way to resolve minor queries without getting tied up on the phone or sending an email to a customer service team.
With a 99 percent open rate, don’t underestimate the power of an SMS Gateway for your business.
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About the author
Agus Echagüe is the Marketing Manager (or Capocha as she calls herself) at SMS Central, so always has an excuse to be texting at the office. A marketing nerd all the way from Argentina, Agus has worked previously in tech for Paycycle.com.au as well as for consumer brands such as Unilever. Agus believes in balancing hardcore number crunching with airy-fairy, go with your gut style creative thinking and so far it is working out well.
Find out more about Agus via her Google Plus page and Twitter feed.
