What Is Broadcast Messaging?

Broadcast messaging lets businesses send timely updates and promotions, communicating with subscribers at scale. In contrast to emails that get lost in busy inboxes or social posts that get buried by the algorithm, SMS messages connect with contacts efficiently and reliably.

While broadcast messaging is straightforward to implement, the right tools and best practices are key to succeeding with this channel. Learn how to leverage broadcast SMS for your business by mastering both the basics and advanced strategies.

What Is a Broadcast Message?

A broadcast message is a one-to-many business communication method for sending SMS texts to list of contacts. Also known as mass texting, it supports messaging dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of subscribers—ideal for promotions and alerts.

While broadcast messages can include text only, they can also feature MMS elements. For example, you can make MMS messages more engaging by adding images, GIFs, videos, or website links.

So what is a broadcast text message and how is it different from group messaging? Let's look at a few differences.

Broadcast messaging is a one-to-many method where the sender can issue thousands of individual texts. Group messaging uses a many-to-many approach where everyone can read and respond to each other's texts in a single conversation window.

Group texting doesn't provide any privacy, as everyone in the group can see each other's contact information. Message broadcasting keeps conversations private and uses an opt-in process to maintain compliance.

Most texting platforms limit group messages to 20 or 30 phone numbers. Broadcast messaging lets you communicate with large groups of people (hundreds or thousands) and can easily scale with your contact list.

Use Cases for Broadcast Messaging

Broadcast messaging is a great fit for both B2C and B2B businesses. Some of the most common use cases include:

• Marketing Campaigns: Tease new product launches and announce special offers to drive more sales. Host text sweepstakes to generate buzz around your brand.
• Customer Notifications: Send appointment reminders to patients to reduce no-show rates. Automatically issue order, shipping, and delivery status to customers.
• Emergency Alerts: Keep staff, students, or residents safe with timely natural disaster updates. Broadcast school closures directly to subscribers' mobile devices.
• Feedback Collection: Find out what customers think about your business. Send surveys and request reviews after each purchase or appointment.
• Internal Communication: Keep everyone on the same page with routine team announcements. Simplify communication by texting scheduling updates to staff.

Sakari Customer Testimonial: RenoRun

Here's a real-life example of how a service-based business used broadcast messaging to connect with customers. Construction supplier RenoRun used Sakari to automatically send bulk messages to customers.

This strategy drove a 30% increase in customer engagement, including responses to the company's promotions and NPS surveys. RenoRun also integrated Sakari with HubSpot and Slack to streamline communications.

Benefits of Broadcast Messaging

Curious how your business can benefit from a broadcast messaging service? Here are a few of the biggest perks:

• Efficiency: With mass texting, there's no need to wait until recipients check their email inboxes or spot your social media post in the feed. Instead, broadcast messages instantly reach large audiences on their mobile devices.
• Security: When you use a business texting platform to manage mass text messages, you don't have to worry about privacy or security. Platforms like Sakari keep your contact lists secure and in compliance with SMS regulations.
• High Deliverability: SMS easily outperforms email in terms of delivery and engagement. SMS has a read rate of 42% (compared to email's 32%) and a conversion rate of 29% (compared to email's 15%).
• Scalability: With the right broadcast messaging platform, there's no limit to the number of texts you can send to your audience. This approach scales with your business, making it a strong choice for organizations of any size.

How to Implement Broadcast Messaging

Getting started with broadcast messaging is faster and easier than you might think. Let's walk through how mass texting works in just five steps.

Step 1: Select a Reliable Messaging Platform

Start by choosing a reliable business texting platform to manage your contact lists, message workflows, and SMS analytics.Text blast software like Sakari supports both SMS and MMS messages, sends automated campaigns, and handles compliance.

Plus, Sakari integrates with CRM tools, marketing platforms, and automation apps, making it easy to incorporate SMS marketing into a larger messaging strategy.

Step 2: Build a Compliant Contact List

Next, you need a list of subscribers. Because SMS is a permission-based channel, you have to secure opt-ins before texting your contacts.

Sakari makes the opt-in process simple. With our platform, you can import existing subscribers from other sales and marketing channels. You can also allow subscribers to join your list by texting a specific keyword (like "JOIN.")

Step 3: Draft Effective SMS Messages

Map out the broadcast messages you plan to send and start drafting. Take care to review:

• Tone and Voice: Make sure your SMS messages capture your brand voice and engage your subscribers.
• Personalization: Automatically add details like subscribers' first names to make messages more personal.
• Timing: Plan to send messages when they're most relevant to your audience and when subscribers are most likely to be online.

Step 4: Test, Schedule, and Send Text Messages

Preview messages before sending. Confirm that the copy and visuals display correctly on mobile devices, and test the links to make sure they point to the correct page.

While you can certainly send messages in real time, this isn't your only option. Instead, schedule messages to send at the right time for your audience.

When in doubt about your messaging, use A/B testing to split your audience into two groups. Send one version of the message to each group, and then check the results to see what works best.

Step 5: Measure Success with Analytics

Whether or not you use A/B testing, check your SMS analytics to see how your broadcast messages perform. Sakari provides real-time metrics like delivery rates, engagement rates, and click-through rates.

Use the results to make data-driven decisions about future campaigns. Check analytics regularly to see what's working well with your audience and what needs improvement.

Best Practices for Broadcast Messaging

Your text broadcasts shouldn't simply replicate your email marketing or social media posts. Instead, use these best practices to succeed with mass texting.

Aim for Concise Messaging

SMS broadcasts reach subscribers on their mobile devices, which means they require clear, concise messaging. Think in terms of SMS message segments, which are 160 characters long. Keep each message as minimal as possible, and include clear calls to action (CTA) to prompt next steps.

Add Personalization to Messages

Avoid overly generic messages and provide a better customer experience by adding personal details. Include subscribers' first names or information like appointment timing or purchase details. SMS platforms like Sakari can add these details automatically based on your customer data.

Include Multimedia in SMS Broadcasts

Capture attention and get your message across more effectively with multimedia. Include media like images, short videos, or GIFs to illustrate your point or encourage subscribers to click through. You can also share links where subscribers can read more, book appointments, or make purchases.

Optimize Your Timing

With broadcast messages, timing is everything. Analyze past performance regularly to find the times when your audience has the highest read, response, or engagement rates. Then, schedule upcoming messages at the optimal time for your audience.

Skip the Spam and Know the Rules

Review your SMS messages carefully to avoid spammy language. Follow GDPR and TCPA regulations, and make it easy for subscribers to opt in and out of your list. When you receive opt-out requests, honor them immediately.

Tools for Effective Broadcast Messaging

To develop a strong broadcast messaging strategy, you need the right tools. Any SMS software you choose should have these features and capabilities:

• Scheduling: Instead of sending SMS messages in real time, schedule them in advance. Use Sakari's scheduling tools to send messages at the optimal time for your audience.
• Automation: Create custom triggers to send messages automatically. Use Sakari's SMS automation to send campaigns and build workflows that send broadcast messages like clockwork.
• AI: Take a faster and smarter approach to broadcast messaging with AI tools. Sakari AI can craft short messages and test them to find what resonates with your audience.
• Scalability: As your contact list grows and your SMS strategy develops, you'll need to send more messages. Sakari's subscription-based pricing is designed to scale with your business.
• Analytics: Never wonder how your broadcast campaigns are performing. Use Sakari's real-time analytics to check campaign performance and optimize future messages.
• API and Integrations: Connect your broadcast messaging tool with your tech stack. Sakari integrates with 1,300+ apps, and our API allows for custom integrations.

Launch Broadcast Messaging with Sakari

Broadcast messaging lets you share everything from promotions and announcements to alerts and notifications. With well-crafted messaging and thoughtful timing, a broadcast strategy can help you connect more effectively with customers, prospects, staff, or patients.

Getting started is faster and easier than you might think.Sign up for a free trial of Sakari and start sending broadcast messages today.