SMS marketing, today more than ever before, has become an essential in the business world. And while this is true for all businesses, this all the more the case when it comes to small businesses. After all, it is these businesses that have the smallest budgets and the biggest need for reaching out to the public.

For those unaware, SMS marketing is a marketing strategy whereby businesses contact customers and prospective customers with updates, announcements, and promotional specials when it comes to their products. It is a great way to not only incentivize prospects to sign up, but it also helps with customer retention – all without needing to pay large sums of money to advertisers and in print media.

The challenge comes based on what SMS marketing platform you decide to work with. As with many opportunities, there are a large number of faulty or illegitimate services out there desperate to get your money without delivering a product. Below, we’ve found 5 of the best SMS marketing service platforms out there that you should first look into.

#5. ClickSend

ClickSend is one of the more popular options, largely due to their simplified web-based setup. They are very easy to use, with a host of different tools that any marketer should be able to use to both send and receive messages. They also have a mobile app for iOS and Android, and can be used either for bulk messaging campaigns or to establish two-way communications between businesses and customers.

#4. MessageBird

MessageBird is a great option for smart and savvy small businesses that are already using various other methods of marketing their customers, such as social media marketing, email marketing, or marketing via other CRM methods. MessageBird takes it that additional level by backing up your communications and integrating them into SMS messages.

#3. EZ Texting

EZ Texting is known for being a very reliable method of communication, offering both SMS and MMS through their cloud-based software. Great for beginners, EZ Texting has a several flexible pricing options and comes with marketing method to conduct lead generations as well as various alerts and notifications to promote available products and customer service sales.

#2. MessageMedia

A great option for beginners, MessageMedia is known for being very easy to set up and put together while also offering an online dashboard. They have ready-made SMS templates which can be customized based on the type of business you are or the customer you’re dealing with.

#1. Textedly

Last but not least, we have textedly at textedly.com. Textedly is one of the most impressive text messaging platforms out there. They are known for having an incredibly easy-to-use messaging system as well as 12 different payment options based precisely on what you expect to use. They have a SMS as well as an MMS messaging system, along with options for lifetime auto replies, personalized message responses, and campaign responses.