Bulk text messaging is a great way to expand your customer base and generate brand awareness. Though it might seem like an easy task, many marketers forget that there’s more to it than just buying short code services and setting up a cell phone app.
To take your SMS marketing strategy to the next level, you need to think about how you’ll implement it across all your vendors, platforms, and channels. Luckily, that’s easier said than done! Let’s explore some of the details you need to know before jumping into designing or building your bulk SMS gateway.
What is a Bulk SMS Gateway?
A bulk SMS gateway is a piece of software that stores your customer’s phone numbers and creates text messages as and when required. Depending on the vendor and solution you choose, you can either use their software or host your own. There are a couple of main benefits of using a bulk SMS gateway – You cut out the cost of acquiring new customers.
As you can send bulk SMS messages to an unlimited number of contacts for a single cost, you can significantly expand your customer base with ease. You can send messages across vendors and channels.
Many companies use text messaging as a channel for sending last-minute confirmations, lead follow-ups, and so on. A bulk SMS gateway lets you send messages to an unlimited number of contacts from any vendor or channel of your choice.
How to Build a Bulk SMS Gateway with an API
First things first – you’ll need an API. APIs are a great way to connect your software with different systems and services. Bulk SMS API is a scalable, reliable method to send bulk SMS messages to your customers. You can use an API for sending email notifications and creating digital marketing campaigns. The API will help you build an app for sending text messages, allowing you to send more messages with less effort.
Why do you need a Bulk SMS Gateway?
The benefits of using a bulk SMS gateway are clear, but so are the reasons why they aren’t suitable for every marketing scenario. While they can provide an enormous ROI boost in certain industries, they don’t work in others. It’s important to choose the right fit for your particular marketing strategy.
Here are four reasons why you might want to consider building a bulk SMS gateway with an API. You’re sending a lot of messages. Sending 100, or even 1,000, text messages a day isn’t easy. It requires a lot of equipment and manpower. Sending just one or two messages per day probably doesn’t require such a high investment.
If you have the capacity to send a huge number of messages per day, then a bulk SMS gateway is a great fit. You have a specific need for large numbers of emails. Sending 100 emails per day doesn’t sound much but if you have an online retail store and you need to send a daily confirmation email for each and every order, then a bulk SMS gateway is the way to go.
You have a specific need for a high response rate. Different marketing channels vary in terms of response rates. Some, like email, respond well to mass campaigns. Others, like social media, excel at individual engagement. A bulk SMS gateway lets you send messages to an unlimited number of recipients without worrying about the response rates of each.
A word about API security
There’s no denying that APIs are one of the most popular ways to integrate different systems and services. However, they come with the risk of being breached. Therefore, it’s important to ensure that your API security is up to par. Here are a few things you can do to reduce the risk of your API being hacked.
Audit – Auditing your application’s security is the best way to ensure your API is safe from hackers. Invest time in auditing your application’s code for security flaws and modifying them.
Compartmentalize – APIs shouldn’t store, process, or transmit customer data. This means that all data related to your application should be stored on your server and not be accessible to the API. This can help mitigate the risk of the application being hacked.
Easy as 1, 2, 3!
The beauty of a bulk SMS gateway is that it’s incredibly easy to set up. You don’t need to be a computer programming whiz to implement a bulk SMS gateway. All you need is bulk SMS gateway software and a good internet connection. Once you’ve signed up with a vendor and bought their plan, you simply need to download the software and create a gateway.
You don’t even have to configure it. The vendor will take care of that for you. Now, you can simply sign up with the different vendors you want to integrate with and start sending messages!
