16 creative new ways to use text marketing for business

Text marketing is growing continually. As the global population migrates towards mobile devices, there has never been a better time to use this channel to market your business. In the UK, 93% of people now own a mobile phone opening up a huge opportunity for businesses to improve contact with current customers, as well as to expand.

Sending texts is pretty straightforward. Using it to market your business however, is different. We have gathered our resources, databases and imaginations to compile a list of reasons why your business could – and in many cases should - be sending texts.

There are hundreds of different uses but to get you started here are 16.


For Dentists, Chiropractors, Healers and almost every other health professional; texts are essential for communicating with patients. Confirming appointment times can be made easier by asking for replies, such as sending ‘OK’ to accept a time. This avoids the costly problem of missed appointments.



Promoting a club night or exhibition is made infinitely easier with text marketing. Sending a message to thousands of different recipients is no problem with our intuitive desktop platform. You don’t need to be a skilled techie to start personalising your company’s marketing.



Retailers find text marketing direct and effective. It gives sellers the chance to inform customers about their stock, such as when they have a new range in, or to let them know the availability of an item.



This is a facility often used by ecommerce sites to retarget customers that have abandoned items in an online cart or basket. Text remarketing serves as a direct reminder for customers to finish what they were doing last time they were on the company website.



For health, fitness or education professionals, test results can be sent via SMS. It is a safe and secure way of delivering news, and also very cost-effective.



This has become ever more popular with gig-goers and cinema regulars, who have lost their paper tickets one too many times. Event organisers can now simply text a reference number to customers to redeem on entry, making things run far smoother for everyone. For those in a rush, m-tickets can also be sent to passengers travelling by coach or rail.



Nowadays the best delivery companies can now text minute-by-minute updates to customers letting them know where their parcel is and when it is going to be delivered. This reduces non-deliveries and the hassle of organising another delivery later in the week.



Getting staff where they need to be on time is vital. Recruiters and agencies use text messages to stay in touch with large numbers of employees if they need help during busy periods. Replies such as ‘Text YES to sign up’ can be set to find out who is available to work.



Offer something to customers in your phonebook by launching a competition. Everyone loves to win and by setting up a giveaway you can encourage customers to connect and engage with your business.



Travel updates are extremely useful for people that need to travel. Train companies could use texts to notify passengers about delays and cancellations. Equally, updates on roads and transport links can be used by councils to keep people informed on how local services are running.



Charity appeals are often sent by text to people who have signed up to help a cause. Donations can be sent and received through the telephone network too by inserting keywords, such as ‘Reply GIVE to donate £5 to (your charity)’.



Text marketing can be used to give away vouchers. By showing a text a customer could receive 10% their next order for example.



Banks and building societies often use text messages to send reminders about balance and payment alerts. It adds a level of customer service customers really appreciate.



Hoteliers and companies in the leisure industry can use texts to confirm reservations. Customers can even make reservations by text. This would add another convenient way of booking.



Surveys are handy for gathering information about buying habits and opinions. Adaptive texts can also be added to collect customer feedback after using a company’s service.



Make it easier for current clients to renew their membership by texting a confirmation. Payment can be taken later on or through a mobile network, providing an easy way of retaining customers without asking them to go out of their way.



There are probably many, many more than this but these are just the ones we thought we’d start with. The point is that text marketing is a powerful, yet flexible tool; one that businesses of all sizes should adopt into their communication strategy.

Mobile is the future of all commercial ventures and with text marketing you can keep one step ahead.

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