Mass Texting Service for Businesses: How to Get It Right

Mass texting service. 

Sounds like a recipe for spam, right? An ecosystem populated by shady basement lurkers who speak in whispers about link wheels, cloaking, and rich snippet markup spam.

First off, let’s get this clear — mass texting service is legitimate. Disclaimers on that forthcoming.

Second, however, a good mass texting service is hard to find. 

Third, there are a series of important cautions to know before selecting a mass texting service and sending a mass text.

So, let’s answer all the questions — both asked and unasked — and explain exactly how to legitimately and safely engage in mass texting.

First, the tl;dr.

What Is the Best Mass Texting Service? 

Salesmsg is the industry-leading best mass texting, bulk texting, or SMS broadcast tool. 

Why? 

• Superior protection and carrier compliance
• Exceptional deliverability
• Audience segmentation
• Easy scheduling
• Much more

The sheer power and precision of the tool is astonishing. 

You can customize bulk SMS to your heart’s content.

Plus, after launching your mass texting campaign, you get real time feedback and data-driven insights to help you optimize future mass texting campaigns. 

If you want to start mass texting today, sign up for a free trial with Salesmsg, and you’re on your way to a happy and prosperous life. 

Now, feel free to stick around for a deeper dive. 

What Is Mass Texting? 

Mass texting, also called bulk texting, is the act of sending a single text message or SMS to a large group of people. 

In theory, it’s brilliant. Genius, even.

You take a hot minute. Spin up a text. And, triple flip, you’ve touched 5,000 customers. 

Makes me wanna dance. 

But there’s a dark side to mass texting that you need to know about. 

Mass Texting Service: Be Careful, Please

If you’re looking for SMS Spam Techniques 2021 Edition, this article is probably going to disappoint you. Here’s something else for you to enjoy.

Mass texting is legal.

BUT, it’s also heavily restricted. As in laws. Lots of government laws. 

What laws? I was hoping you’d ask. 

• 47 U.S.C. § 227(b)(1)(A)(iii)
• 47 U.S.C. § 227(b)(3)(B)
• 47 U.S.C. 227(a)(3); 47 CFR 64.1200(f)(14)
• 47 U.S.C. § 227(a)(1) and (b)(1).
• 23 FCC Rcd. 559, 566 (2008)

Frankly, reading these laws are about as boring as driving Interstate 70 through Kansas in a 1989 Toyota Camry. 

Don’t get me wrong. I love Kansas. 

But reading this stuff feels like scraping your eyeballs with a grapefruit spoon. 

The term “established business relationship”, for purposes only of subsection (b)(1)(C)(i), shall have the meaning given the term in section 64.1200 of title 47, Code of Federal Regulations, as in effect on January 1, 2003, except that— (A) such term shall include a relationship between a person or entity and a business subscriber subject to the same terms applicable under such section to a relationship between a person or entity and a residential subscriber; and (B) an established business relationship shall be subject to any time limitation established pursuant to paragraph (2)(G)).[1]

Those are the kinds of mass texting laws that you are required to obey if you want to engage in lawful, ethical, legitimate mass texting the right way. 

To summarize in language that normal humans can understand, here are the basics:

1. You can only send mass texts to people who have consented to receive them. 
2. Your text messages must be sent within reasonable daytime hours (8a-9p)
3. Those who are on the National Do Not Call Registry should not receive a mass text.
4. You must identify your business or organization
5. You cannot send messages about sex, hate, alcohol, firearms, tobacco, or cannabis. (These are the S.H.A.F.T. guidelines.)

A few case specific examples: 

• You run a gambling ring? Don’t mass text your customers about a special. 
• You use profanity? Don’t mass text.
• You want to promote a sexually explicit or suggestive OnlyFans? Don’t mass text. 
• You want to sell a cannabis edible? Don’t mass text
• You want to use multiple exclamation points in your content? Don’t mass text.

One reason why the restrictions seem complicated is, well, because they are, and because they are coming from multiple sources: 

• The government or government-associated organizations, specifically these departments: Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA).
• The cellular carriers such as AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, US Cellular, etc. 
• The specific mass texting tools, such as Salesmsg

In general, all the laws are intended to protect consumers, so we’re fans.

How To Do Mass Texting The Right Way

How do you do mass texting right? 

There’s a very simple answer — use a trusted SMS platform for mass texting, such as Salesmsg

Mass texting platforms are referred to as A2Ps —which stands for app to person. They are designed not just to make your job of texting customers easier, but to ensure that you stay in compliance with all the relevant laws and regulations that surround mass text messaging.

The biggest change in the SMS industry in 2021, is known as A2P 10 DLC. Beginning in 2021, all businesses that want to text customers must use a 10 DLC. 

A2P 10 DLC stands for app to person ten-digit long code. 

Using an A2P 10 DLC allows your business to text customers using a local phone number with a recognizable local area code. 

There are many benefits of using a 10 DLC (ten-digit long code), one of them being the extra layer of security it gives to both you and customers in sending and receiving mass texts. 

If you are interested in mass texting, you’ll need to register your business and sign up for a 10 DLC. 

With Salesmsg, the process is quick and easy. The Salesmsg platform integrates with the carriers to ensure that your business registration goes through successfully.

Mass Texting With Short Codes vs. Long Codes

There are two common ways to send a mass text — using a short code or using a long code.

A short code is a number like 79000. 

A long code, discussed above, is ten digits with an area code or toll-free prefix — for example, 561-999-8877, or 1-800-123-45676

The carriers such as T-Mobile or AT&T limit mass texting from long codes. 

The intention is consumer protection. Ten digit long codes are not intended for sending a message to thousands of contacts.

The alternative is using a short code to send mass texts. 

If you use a short code, you can achieve higher throughput and send a mass text to thousands of recipients. SalesMsg provides you with an option to lease a dedicated short code for higher-volume mass texting purposes.

Mass texting at a high volume is usually for use cases such as one-way texts, or widespread notifications or alerts. They may also be used for marketing messages.

With a short code on Salesmsg, you can send a mass text to 1,000 recipients a day. 

Using a ten digit long code on Salesmsg, you can send a message to 500 recipients per day. Obviously, if you have more longcodes, you can send the same number of messages from that number as well. 

If you surpass this 500 threshold, then carriers will begin to block deliverability and may even shut down your number. 

Here’s the bottom line on sending mass texts from a short code vs. a long code:

1. Using a short code, you can send mass texts to thousands of recipients at a time. 
2. Using a long code, you can send mass texts to up to 500 recipients per day. 

How to Safely and Effectively Use a Mass Texting Service

The mass texting service that we have found most effective, safe, and powerful is referred to as our Smart SMS Broadcasting. 

Smart SMS broadcasting gives you an infinitely customizable and powerful way to send mass texts. 

1. In the Salesmsg platform, you click on Create Broadcast.
2. You then name your broadcast.
3. You can customize the filters that you want to apply to your broadcast.
4. Select the number you want to send the broadcast from
5. Schedule the broadcast or send it right away. 

The entire process of creating and sending a mass text takes about 45 seconds. (I timed it)

One of the best features of using this mass texting service is segmentation. 

By selecting only a portion of your mailing list, you can more effectively connect with, upsell, maintain, or update the recipients who truly matter.

More importantly, Salesmsg’s mass texting service protects you and consumers by remaining strictly within deliverability thresholds. You can schedule your mass texts with confidence, knowing they will be delivered as planned.

Mass Texting Service FAQs

Can I send mass texts using a long code? 

Yes. However, mass texting services and carriers limit you to 500 recipients a day. 

Can I send mass texts using a short code?

Yes. Using a short code, a five or six digit number, is permitted for mass texting. Mass texting using a short code, however, has limitations. You can send up to 1,000 per day, and it is only for one-way texting.

Is it legal to mass text my customers? 

Yes, as long as your customers have provided their consent and your texts are compliant with carrier regulations, you can send mass texts using a short code (1,000 per day), long code (500 per day), or a toll free number (500 per day). 

Can I send mass texts from a toll-free number?

Yes, as long as your toll-free number is text enabled, you can mass text up to 500 recipients a day. Salesmsg is the mass texting platform to use for this functionality. 

Will the carriers block me if I try to send mass texts?

As long as you are compliant with message content and quantity limitations, your messages should be delivered with no problem. If you are using Salesmsg as your mass texting service, we’ve implemented features that virtually guarantee your messages will be delivered. 

How do you send thousands of texts at once?

You can send thousands of texts at once using a mass texting service like Salesmsg and a short code. These mass texts are limited in their functionality, and can only be used for one-way texting. 

How many recipients can I send a mass text message to? 

The Salesmsg platform limits you to 500 per day. If you are on our pro subscription, the limit is 250 per day. 

Do I need to use a mass texting service in order to send mass texts? 

Theoretically, no. You can send mass texts using your phone, but the process is probably cumbersome and it’s also risky. 

The best alternative is to use a legitimate mass texting service like Salesmsg to send mass texts. 

Can people reply to my mass texts? 

Yes, as long as you are texting from a shared short code, your recipients can text you back. If you’re sending mass texts from a short code, however, two-way texting will not work. 

Is mass texting illegal? 

No. Mass texting is perfectly legitimate and entirely legal. However, there are important laws that regulate how and what you send in your mass texts.

How can I send a mass text for free? 

There’s really no such thing as free mass texting. Either you have a phone plan, which costs money, or you use a mass texting service, which also costs money. 

The exception is to start a free 14-day trial on Salesmsg. Give it a try today!