Bulk SMS

What is bulk SMS?

Bulk SMS, also called text blasts or Application-to-Person (A2P) messaging, let businesses send text messages to multiple end-users simultaneously. Think of bulk SMS like an email blast—it’s typically used as a ‘broadcast’ or ‘one-to-many’ SMS message. Organizations often use bulk SMS to reach opted-in customers with important updates, sales and promotions, requests for feedback, or brand awareness via messaging applications. 

Bulk SMS is different from a group Message, which is considered ‘many-to-many.’

How is bulk SMS used in marketing?

Because bulk SMS is one-to-many, brands can use texting in tandem with email and other marketing channels to reach opted-in customers and prospects. 

Consent is a crucial consideration for using SMS for marketing purposes. Rather than traditional digital marketing channels, like pay-per-click (PPC) or video ads, SMS marketing requires that customers opt-in to receive messages. 

Your contacts are expressing a stronger intent by opting in for marketing texts, and with open rates between 95-99%, the messaging channel can deliver a higher ROI. Organizations can use bulk SMS to engage with their opted-in contacts about: 

• Appointment reminders
• Account updates
• Product releases
• Promotions and deals
• Payment confirmations
• Feedback surveys
• Shipping updates

Whether you’re sharing timely promotions, upcoming offers, or sending loyalty rewards, bulk SMS is a great asset to marketing strategies.

The benefits of bulk SMS messaging

1. Return on investment. SMS messages are inexpensive to send. Paired with high click-through rates, bulk texting is one of the most effective ways to drive sales & awareness for brands. By going to a Tier 1 aggregator, like Bandwidth, organizations can get more transparency into pricing.
2. High-throughput capacity. One-to-many texting lets brands engage with all your customers quickly and efficiently. And with 5 billion people globally sending and receiving SMS messages, it’s the easiest way to communicate info about your business to the masses. 
3. Personalization at scale. Brands can separate lists of contacts into segments for tailored messages to drive conversions. Using personalization elements, like First.Name, can make en-masse texts feel one-to-one and deliver a better ROI.

Getting started with Bandwidth’s bulk SMS API

Bulk SMS with Bandwidth’s Messaging API allows brands to initiate large-scale outreach to their users, from a single source. By using Bandwidth’s owned and operated network, bulk SMS is more cost-efficient by cutting out the middleman. 

Bandwidth is here to support your business, whether you have a small start-up or an enterprise giant. From reaching out to 20 customers to over 500, we are built to scale, so your business can grow. 

The most important part of using Bandwidth to fulfill your messaging needs is that you gain access to our world-class team. We are here to support you, answer your questions, and solve problems so you can focus on your business. We’ve mastered the art of messaging, so you can master what’s important to you.

Where we talk about bulk SMS

• SEND SMS/MMS
• Bandwidth’s State of Messaging 2023 Report

Terms related to bulk SMS

• Application-to-Person (A2P)
• SMS API
• MMS API

The information provided in this glossary definition does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice, nor does it necessarily represent Bandwidth's products or business practices. This page is for general informational purposes only.