Short Message Service (SMS) is a vital text-based feature of the global mobile network. While most individuals utilize SMS for personal Person-to-Person (P2P) interactions, Application-to-Person (A2P) messaging is increasingly gaining traction. A2P messaging allows applications to deliver SMS directly to consumers. In 2019, more than 1.2 trillion A2P SMS messages were dispatched globally. Organizations, governments, and educational institutions leverage A2P SMS via Amazon Pinpoint to maintain connections with their audiences. Typical applications include transactional alerts, targeted promotions, and mass communication channels.
Despite there being over 5 billion mobile devices worldwide, only about half are smartphones. The widespread availability of SMS makes it an ideal choice for various mass communication needs. It functions without requiring Wi-Fi or data, supports two-way communication, and boasts an impressive open rate exceeding 90%.
Applications of SMS
Many organizations, government bodies, and educational institutions require efficient outreach to their customers, constituents, or students through SMS. Here are a few instances:
- Organizations:
- Notifications about special working hours
- Promotions based on specific timeframes
- Governments:
- Alerts or updates on new programs
- Announcements for upcoming events
- Educational Institutions:
- Regular digests (daily or weekly)
- Updates or announcements regarding school closures
Getting Started
Amazon Pinpoint provides the ability to send transactional messages instantly or include SMS in a broader campaign. When launching an SMS campaign through Amazon Pinpoint, you can select a pre-configured template, create targeted segments, and analyze response metrics post-campaign. For guidance, we have prepared several tutorials:
- Delivery via Console: Creating a campaign in the Amazon Pinpoint console utilizing SMS as a channel
- Immediate Delivery via API: Employing SMS APIs from your application for prompt delivery
- Campaign Delivery via API: Using campaign APIs with SMS as a channel in your application
Before organizations can effectively use SMS for mass communication, they must ensure they have accurate contact details for their intended recipients and obtain their permission to reach out. SMS operates as an opt-in communication channel, subject to various national regulations. Often, organizations are required to secure explicit consent from recipients before sending SMS messages.
To obtain this consent, creating a web-based registration page can be beneficial. The Amazon Pinpoint Developer Guide features a tutorial on establishing an SMS registration framework. For best practices surrounding SMS communications, including strategies for garnering opt-in from customers, please refer to SMS Best Practices.
Additional Considerations
An effective SMS message for mass communication should be clear, concise, and ideally under 160 characters. Although longer messages can be transmitted, they may incur charges as multiple messages. For instance, a straightforward one-way message might read:
“Two (2) hour snow delay on 1/5 (Jan 5). Follow up today at 9 PM PST. https://amzn.to/a – FROM Alpha School District, 1/4/2021.”
As situations evolve, updates can be communicated, but it’s crucial to avoid redundancy.
“School closure on 1/5 (Jan 5). https://amzn.to/b – FROM Alpha School District, 1/4/2021.”
If there are frequently asked questions from recipients, consider implementing an SMS bot. Learn more about two-way SMS bots by reading this insightful article.
While it might appear that any SMS service can accomplish these tasks, several critical factors come into play when selecting an SMS provider, including the scale of their network. Although many mass communications are executed locally, collaborating with a provider capable of global scalability is essential for message deliverability. Amazon Pinpoint operates across international provider networks and can fallback to redundant routes in case of failures, ensuring your messages reach their destination.
In conclusion, SMS remains a prominent channel for customer engagement across various use cases, including mass communication. Amazon Pinpoint serves as a comprehensive marketing and developer communications service, facilitating global messaging through SMS, push notifications, email, and voice channels. For more information on this topic, check out another blog post that dives deeper into SMS strategies at this link. Additionally, for authoritative insights, visit this page, and for an excellent resource on leadership development and training, explore this resource.
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