Need help figuring out how to text, oh about 5000 people at once!

[cyks]

Wow, I guess I'm the only one who generally opts in to receive texts from businesses to be occasionally alerted/ reminded of sales, offers, and the like. That way, I don't have to remember to go out of my way to check their web page, it comes to me- usually with an additional discount code.

So long as the OP lets people easily opt in or out of the service and doesn't abuse it (which, at once a month should be fine), I see no problems.

As others have suggested though, this is something a service should be able to help you with. Even using something like Google Voice and sending the texts from a computer would like get you kicked from the service pretty quickly with those numbers.

 

[Lucille Carter]

Jesus how many people have to give me their opinion about spamming!? I should have made this clear this is not spamming. These are people I already do business with just letting them know what deals are going on in a given month. But 'thanks' for all the opinions.

Now, does anyone have an opinion on how to get this done?

You use would still be spamming. Just because you claim to have done business with them in the past does not mean your massive text message would be welcomed. It would not for me and I bet the majority of others.

Emails from companies that I have had dealings with is bad enough, texts are reserved for friends or family for most, not texts!

Thank GOD there is no provision to allow this to happen!

 

[noisycats]

Jesus how many people have to give me their opinion about spamming!? I should have made this clear this is not spamming. These are people I already do business with just letting them know what deals are going on in a given month. But 'thanks' for all the opinions.

Now, does anyone have an opinion on how to get this done?

Do you not get it? Not one person supports your spam text idea. And all of the above folks have undoubtedly healthy relationships with a myriad of businesses. We are all saying the same thing ... use something other than text to communicate to us.

 

[Black Magic]

Do you not get it? Not one person supports your spam text idea. And all of the above folks have undoubtedly healthy relationships with a myriad of businesses. We are all saying the same thing ... use something other than text to communicate to us.

He doesn't get it and that's the problem. What will end up happening is he will lose that relationship with the customer because they will get pissed and change their phone#. He clearly hasn't thought this through or even considered how he would feel if businesses were texting him all the time with deals? With this lack of vision or courtesy, his business will always remain small or will go under in a short amount of time.

 

[jtara]

You will need to use an SMS gateway service. You will have to pay for each message delivered. It would almost certainly be a violation of your service agreement to do this using your ATT consumer (or business) mobile phone account.

ATT offers such a service:

https://www.wireless.att.com/busine...ing/products/global-smart-messaging-suite.jsp

You can also get similar services from third parties, who aggregate for smaller users. But with 20,000 texts/month you are probably not a "small user".

Edit: this looks more geared toward smaller businesses:

https://www.wireless.att.com/busine...bile-marketing/products/messaging-toolkit.jsp

Let's not start the "unlimited" argument. "Unlimited" isn't.

Pretty sure you will lose interest as soon as you read the "you will have to pay for each message" part...

 

[PDFierro]

Jesus how many people have to give me their opinion about spamming!? I should have made this clear this is not spamming. These are people I already do business with just letting them know what deals are going on in a given month. But 'thanks' for all the opinions.

Now, does anyone have an opinion on how to get this done?

Well it sounds like texting wouldn't be the best platform for something like this.

 

[BruiserB]

So I just Googled "service to send out marketing text messages" and one of the first sites that pops up is this:

http://www.eztexting.com/

Looks like what the OP is looking for....there are other options as well in the search results.

I think the following points already made are good advice:
1.) Don't try to use your regular phone to do this....you will have to pay to do this.
2.) Make sure people opt in and can opt out of the messages (and each message contains opt out instructions).
3.) Send messages only infrequently.
4.) Send messages at a reasonable hour of the day.

 

[Klae17]

I have an iphone 5 through AT&T with unlimited text and I need to figure out how to do mass text msg to a very large group of phone numbers. Trying to do a little marketing for my small business. After analyzing past phone bills I've got somewhere between 5-10 thousand phone numbers I'd like to send a mass text message to once a month. As this number is so large doing it through the phone itself would take just way too long, so using some kind of alternative mass text method would be my only option. Can anyone give advice on how I can use the net to send text messages to this many people? If it turns out this would only be possible through another carrier I would probably switch.

I'm open to anything. Thanks.

The app I use is text2group. It is easy to use with people you have in your contacts. What I do is send to about 300-700 people who are my friends already. I'm a club promoter! But I keep it very personal. For example, "hey , I just wanted to let you know we have dirty pop Dj this weekend, I would love to see you there, let's catch up!" There are good instructions you have to follow in the app though.

 

[zorinlynx]

Open a Twitter account. Post a sign that tells customers to follow you. Tweet special deals.

This is the RIGHT way to do this. Twitter is opt-in and free.

Do NOT spam your customers' mobile numbers. Most will not appreciate it. I know that I'd add you to my ******** of companies I don't work with, immediately.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

Jesus how many people have to give me their opinion about spamming!? I should have made this clear this is not spamming. These are people I already do business with just letting them know what deals are going on in a given month. But 'thanks' for all the opinions.

Now, does anyone have an opinion on how to get this done?

I seriously doubt you have 5000 customers who specifically opted in to receive deals via texts but nice try.

 

[ApfelKuchen]

The negative response to this sounds just like the response when e-mail spam arrived on the scene (for those old enough to remember). The response is completely understandable, but in the end, besides the point. If people can make a buck spamming (whatever the path may be), they'll do it. Someone else will make a buck with anti-spam solutions. Politicians will try to buy votes by passing legislation...

Business owner to business owner: Your personal feelings about Twitter are besides the point. It's whether Twitter is an effective method for reaching your audience. Either your customers are folks who already use it, or not. Either they're willing to start using it, or not. "Twitter is stupid and I won't patronize someone who uses it" is not a widespread opinion. SMS spamming is more widely disliked. If Twitter can work for you, hold your nose and do it.

It's not a matter of either/or - Twitter's another path for reaching prospective customers. There will be people happy to opt-in for Twitter who will NOT give you their phone number. And if you're lucky, someone re-Tweets your message to their list of followers and your message spreads - that won't happen with simple SMS messages.

 

[cube]

BBM Channels. You need 5001 BlackBerrys for now and the people need to subscribe.

 

[dictoresno]

I'm going to laugh when you disregard our advice and send out these messages against our advice. Then, all 5000 of your customers will opt out, but you will never know. You will be spending a lot of money on marketing junk to only reach 10 customers in the end who actually will still allow them through.

Be normal, sign up an email list or small website that offers instant notification my email for last second alerts. That way, people can subscribe to your marketing as they wish, if they wish. Like you stated, you have had a small select group of people thank you for the immediate heads up....not all 5000. And just because you think twitter and Facebook are for morons and stupid, their advertising and marketing abilities have been proven to be moneymakers. If you were a smart business owner, you would already be using them. You're obviously thick headed, since you got a lot of feedback from your peers here, and still want to disregard our advice. Directors call it test screening and they change movies based on crowd responses. You may wanna reconsider your marketing strategy if you want to succeed.

 

[Hankster]

Jesus how many people have to give me their opinion about spamming!? I should have made this clear this is not spamming. These are people I already do business with just letting them know what deals are going on in a given month. But 'thanks' for all the opinions.

Now, does anyone have an opinion on how to get this done?

It's not spamming? That's not true and you know it. If you buy something from Amazon.com, they regularly send you emails with promotions and specials. All those emails are called spam.

Text messages are the same. If I got a text message from a small business AND I did not request text messages from them...I wouldn't use that business again (or, I'd just be upset). It's bad enough there are telemarketers calling and texting.

This is coming from a person (me) who owns and runs two small businesses. Unless your customers have signed up for "updates" via text messages you are in the wrong.

 

[Black Magic]

How many really successful companies you know that text their customers frequently or infrequently? Not many. Apple could easily do it and they don't. He should try to emulate the best. Twitter and Facebook are not bad ideas at all. You should also look at your own shopping patterns to get an idea of what you find acceptable. Treat others how you would like to be treated is a good rule that still applies to this day.

 

[Baggio]

You need a text messaging service and you will have to pay for the ability to text message en mass.

Here is what my small business uses.

http://www.phizzle.com/

 

[AbeFrohman]

OP: It sounds as though you're going to go ahead, despite just about every response indicating it's not the best of ideas.

Why not focus on collecting those contacts' information that want to opt in? That way, they'll be in the elite "text deal of the week/month/whatever" club and can get all your special deals via text. The rest of your customers that don't want a spam - oops, I mean "unsolicited" - text won't get annoyed and cease doing business with you. If you offer a phenomenal service/price/deal that they want to sign up for the text alerts, great.

A mass email with an invitation to opt into your latest deal alert system would probably do the trick.

If I was a loyal customer, I'd probably opt in. I can use my "do not disturb" feature and not get texted in the wee hours, then look at the deal in the morning. If I got one mass solicitation text from you, I'd probably chalk it up to an ill-conceived marketing plan. The inability to opt out and/or getting a second unwanted text would make me never use your services/business again, no matter how great the deals were.

Again - some humble advice. It's your business and your customers to do with as you please.... and potentially at your peril.

 

[old-wiz]

It's not spamming? ... If you buy something from Amazon.com, they regularly send you emails with promotions and specials. All those emails are called spam.

Text messages are the same. If I got a text message from a small business AND I did not request text messages from them...I wouldn't use that business again (or, I'd just be upset). It's bad enough there are telemarketers calling and texting.

This is coming from a person (me) who owns and runs two small businesses. Unless your customers have signed up for "updates" via text messages you are in the wrong.

It is very easy to opt-out of Amazon advertising. I have it checked and never get promotion/specials e-mail from Amazon.
-----------------------

Spam text messages are a lot more of a pain than e-mail - they clog up your phone and cost money to receive.

 

[TacticalDesire]

Use something like remind 101 where people can voluntarily sign up for it. Or do what every other business is doing and start a facebook page or open a twitter account.