SMS Bulk Messaging Software: The Magic Bullet For Businesses

Whether for marketing, reminders, or alerts—SMS bulk messaging software provides immediacy, reach, and engagement that few other channels can match. 

From restaurants that use it to share menus and reservations, to medical departments sending appointment reminders, to fashion boutiques offering discounts, the use cases are nearly limitless.

Let’s take a look at why you should adopt SMS bulk messaging software as a business, the key features to consider, and some common FAQs. 

Why businesses should use SMS bulk messaging

Firstly, SMS works on all mobile devices without the need for internet access or app downloads. Even if you send messages with images, videos, or in modern rich media formats, a ‘fallback’ plain text version is always available for phones that indicate they are out of data connectivity. 

You don’t have to consider device type, area, range, or even how it will load when reacting to an SMS message. There is a set format, and it can be opened on 100% of mobile phones that have connectivity. 

Beyond that, people prefer personalized texts over calls. A 2019 survey of 1000 participants found that 63% would like to switch to text-based communications. Heck, a 2024 survey found that 23% of GenZ admit they simply never answer phone calls at all. 

Okay, your customers may like it. But does it make sense for you to use it as a business? Yes. 

Digital outreach forms, like online ads, have a low Click Through Rate (CTR). The CTR of Google ads, for example, is 3.17% for search results. SMS CTR hovers from 19% to 36%, depending on the industry.  

These factors are what make SMS bulk messaging software such a must-have. To round up: 

• All customers are likely to receive and read the SMS.
• Customers react favorably to personalized SMS.
• A large percentage of them will interact with your campaign.

Do not overwhelm recipients with too many texts. A few times per week is optimal. But preferences vary with content and audience feedback.

Top SMS bulk messaging software features for 2025

Now that we have seen how much customers like text-based communications and why it works for your business, here are some ‘must-have’ features your SMS bulk messaging software must provide to you. 

We have taken Gaglers SMS marketing software as the prime example in this case, as it is a leading SMS bulk messaging software provider. 

Personalized Bulk Texting in multiple formats

Send thousands (or tens of thousands) of messages in a single click, ensuring each text is personalized to that customer. (The bedrock of any SMS mass texting software). 

And you can do this via plain text SMS, an MMS (with images, video, and sound), or an RCS (Rich Communication Services), with advanced interaction features like logo, read receipts, and carousels. 

Critically, your software should: 

• Allow you to use ‘merge tags’ and similar tools to make sure every single message is highly customized to the person receiving it. 

• Autofill names, dates, or custom user details for each recipient.

• Have the ability to send images, GIFs, videos, or audio to make offers seem as attractive as possible. 

• Brand your messages with Caller ID and logos for a consistent business identity.

Merge tags let you personalize messages by dynamically adding a contact’s information – like first name, last name, or other custom fields – into text messages. For example, instead of a generic ‘Hello!”, you can use merge tags (“Hello {first_name}!”) where {first_name} will be replaced with the recipient’s first name.

Automatic replies and scheduled campaigns

You need the ability to schedule messages ahead of time so that you can send them at optimal moments, or when certain keywords or events are triggered. 

• Send messages within the contact’s time zone, or perhaps in the evening or afternoon for that segmented list. 

• Schedule special messages for contact’s birthday, religious holidays, specific seasons, etc.  

• Set up instant auto-replies for new subscribers or keyword-specific queries.

Two-way texting

Engage in real-time, two-way SMS conversations with customers for support, feedback, or sales. This is known as Peer-to-Peer texting, and is one of the most personal ways to communicate with your customers. 

• Look for the ‘fast P2P’ feature, which allows you to send a first message as a text blast to everyone at once, freeing your staff to focus on the replies.  

• Manage all conversations in a single inbox for your agent, similar to an email client.

• Use pre-set responses and templates to save time on standard replies or frequently asked questions.

Tool to grow your contact lists

Your SMS bulk messaging software should come with additional tools on the same platform that help you grow your contact list. 

Tools like the ‘Text-to-Join’ feature – which allows customers to sign up for your campaigns by messaging a keyword to your system.

• Send instant confirmation and welcome offers (e.g., discounts or perks) to new subscribers using automatic replies. 

Link shortening and tracking

SMS messages have only 160 characters of space. And even if you use MMS or RCS to make them longer, a messy URL is both aesthetically bad to see and hard to read. 

You need to have a URL shortener to make everything look clean. 

• The URL shortener should also have the ability to track clicks, to see who interacts with your links, and measure campaign success.

Compliance

Lastly, your software should not only comply with the law at all times, but should also be actively helping your business remain compliant across multiple campaigns. So the software must have features like: 

• Easily remove invalid numbers from your list.

• Offer an easy ‘Opt-Out’ to comply with regulations with every single text.

• Maintain a DNC (Do Not Call) list and adhere to regulations (TCPA, GDPR), and secure data handling.
  

A unique but effective way of using SMS bulk messaging software is to conduct SMS polls for quick feedback and text surveys for deeper data collection about your customers. Don’t forget to automate follow-ups based on survey responses.

SMS bulk messaging software: Pro tips businesses must follow

To be effective with your SMS bulk messaging software, you must follow certain best practices. These keep your business on the right side of the law and keep you in the good books of your customers. 

Here are the recommendations based on recent industry sources:

Obtain explicit consent and make Opt-out easy

• Always secure a written confirmation of an ‘Opt-in’ before sending your customers SMS messages. 

• Also, legally, you must include a clear ‘Opt-out’ in every message (e.g., ‘Text STOP to unsubscribe’).

Segment and personalize your audience

• Use customer data to segment your list into relevant groups based on interests, purchase history, demographics, or behavior. 

• Mention first names and tailor offers to past behaviour to boost engagement and conversions.

Messages should be clear and actionable.

• Text messages should be under the 160-character limit (though longer ones can be sent) and focus on one core action. 

• Include direct call-to-actions (CTA) such as ‘Shop Now,’ ‘Book Today,’ or ‘Reply for Details.’

Send messages during legal hours

• Send messages during business hours only, Monday to Friday – which is a legal requirement. 

• Analyze campaign performance to find optimal times for your audience. Evenings and afternoons are often best for commercial messages.

Use automation and scheduling

• Use SMS platforms like Gaglers to automate replies, schedule campaigns, and manage responses at scale. Don’t trust someone in the shop to just remember and send the right message at the right time.  

• Automation will trigger replies to customers based on specific words, such as replies or events. This makes replies seem on time and seamless to the customer.  

Ensure brand recognition

• Set your SMS sender ID to reflect your business or campaign purpose (e.g., your company name). 

• Make sure you follow pre-decided brand guidelines that are repeated in every message, allowing your messages to become familiar to consumers. 

Track and optimize

SMS bulk messaging software providers like Gaglers will provide you with in-depth analytics so your campaign knows how it is doing at all times. 

• This includes delivery reports to track open and response rates, timing, link clicks, and other relevant metrics. 

• Use this data to refine your campaign regularly.  

While these are some suggestions, for maximum effectiveness, you must coordinate SMS campaigns with email, push notifications, or social media outreach to deliver a consistent brand experience and reinforce your message. 

And personalize each message to ensure a boost in revenue. 

Best ways to use SMS bulk messaging

There are an unlimited number of ways a business can use sms bulk messaging software. To help you understand the range and scope of the outreach and possibly inspire some ideas, let’s look at some great examples of the best ways to use SMS bulk messaging.

Pro tip – SMS bulk messaging

Segment your subscriber list based on behavior, demographics, or purchase history. You can even make ‘micro segments’ for niche interests.  And then create outreach specifically for the segments.  California Olive Ranch micro-segmented SMS and email and boosted revenue by 94% in nine months.

• Send promotions, exclusive deals, and loyalty rewards to boost sales and customer retention.

• Share daily specials, reservation confirmations, and order updates to drive repeat visits.
  
• Reduce no-shows in healthcare, beauty, and service industries with timely, automated text reminders for appointments.
  
• Notify staff about schedule changes, urgent updates, or meetings.

Ready to use your SMS bulk messaging software?

If you haven’t yet invested in an SMS marketing platform, now is the perfect time to consider Gaglers. Here’s why:

• Reach more, faster: With Gaglers, you can send bulk texts to thousands of customers in seconds, plus schedule messages and automate entire campaigns—saving you hours.
  
• Two-way communication: Gaglers lets you chat one-on-one, manage every reply in a unified inbox, and save time with pre-set responses and templates.
  
• Effortless list growth: Setting up text-to-join campaigns is a snap; just pick a keyword and let your audience opt in automatically. Send welcome offers instantly to boost conversions from the start.
  
• Smarter tracking: Every link you send is automatically shortened and tracked, so you can see exactly what’s working and continually optimize your approach.
  

So if you want to boost engagement, reach, and results without compliance worries, then Gaglers is a smart investment for your business.

Sign up for Gaglers here

If you want all your questions answered and your SMS bulk marketing needs met effectively by software, make sure you try out Gaglers today!