Use Everyday Software for Bulk SMS

Daunted by all the technical terminology associated with sending out bulk SMS messages to your clients? It’s easier than you think and can be done in an instant, using your web browser, email client or favourite FTP client.

The use of bulk SMS as a medium to engage in one- or two-way customer communication is taking off. Companies who make use of this powerful channel are reaping the benefits of communicating with their customers through a personal and engaging medium. Yet for many businesses, who don’t have their own technical staff, the use of bulk SMS seems complicated and very technical.

If you’ve got little or no technical experience, then read on. We’ll show you how you can make the most of bulk SMS with software applications already installed on your computer.

Easy to use bulk SMS API’s

If you already have an application installed that allows you to send SMS messages, then you are most probably already making a successful gateway connection through the right API. Alternatively, the HTTP/S, FTP and SMTP API’s are versatile and allow for safe and secure bulk SMS marketing. If you’ve got a web browser, email client or word processor on your computer, then these API’s will enable your computer for bulk SMS client communication.

HTTP/S For Web Browsers

The beauty of the HTTP/S API is that it is the easiest to employ for both non-technical and technical audiences.

Business owners, marketers and generally everyone else will be able to make use of a web-based interface using the HTTP/S API that operates very much like an email client. In most cases, these interfaces will allow you to send messages to individual numbers or groups, making bulk SMS messaging easy and affordable. Depending on the web interface, you’ll be able to manage your contacts, create and send customised messages, receive replies and view statistics for all messages sent.

An additional benefit is that this service will allow you to work from any internet-enabled device, just about anywhere in the world (just about… some countries restrict the content their citizens are allowed to access).

FTP For Browsers and FTP Clients

The FTP API allows you to specify recipients and their respective messages in one comma-delimited (.csv) file using an application like Microsoft Office’s Excel , OpenOffice.org’s Calc and Apple’s iWork Numbers.

Once the file has been created, it’s simply a case of uploading it with your browser or FTP-client to a destination specified by your bulk SMS provider, who’ll then send out the messages in quick succession.

SMTP For Email Clients

SMTP, or Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, is a ubiquitous protocol used for sending email messages. Employing this API is as easy as composing a plain text email, according to the format specified by your bulk SMS provider, and clicking send. Here’s a sample format:

api_id: xxx
user: api_xxxx
password: xxxx
to: mobile#1, mobile#2,…
text: xxxx

In the above sample format xxxx should be replaced with the details supplied by your bulk SMS provider while mobile#1 and mobile#2 represent the mobile numbers of the individuals you wish to contact. As easy as that.

Technical Bulk SMS API’s

While the above-mentioned API’s can be employed in both technical and non-technical environments, there exist a number of API’s exclusively available to companies who wish to integrate bulk SMS with their native software environment. These include: .COM, SOAP, XML and SMPP. While even these API’s are easy to integrate, they do require some technical and/or programming expertise for optimal efficiency.

Before Sending Bulk SMS Messages…

On a final note, be sure to verify the capabilities of the API you wish to employ with what you aim to achieve. Some API’s allow for two-way messaging (such as the HTTP/S API), while others allow send only. Nevertheless, it is possible to combine more than one API for increased bulk SMS efficacy.

Sending out bulk SMS messages can be as easy as sending an email or opening your web browser when you know which API to use.

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Tags: APIs, bulk sms, bulk SMS messages, Bulk SMS text messages, Bulk SMS text messaging, Clickatell UK, Developer SMS API's, SMS