subject: A Short Guide To Send And Receive Sms Online [print this page] Mobile SMS is a simple and effective communication tool. Friends, family and business associates use this handy little mobile phone feature for sending quick messages. It is a trendy and discreet way to update people around you. Its growing popularity can be gauged from one of the market studies which say that SMS's are sent in billions all over the globe. It generates revenues in millions of dollars.
On the other hand, online SMS is used for marketing chores. Today, with the help of SMS gateways and web based interface you can Send and Receive SMS Online. It is a straightforward and a simple tool which allows marketers to send thousands of messages with just a click of a mouse button.
In spite of its simplicity, this tool is extremely versatile and comes bundled with features that make the task of sending and receiving messages a joy. Some of the salient features of this tool are mentioned below.
1. You can send messages to your customers using a template (Ready made messages) or customize the message to your hearts content.
2. Using the mail merge facility you can upload a excel file to sync it with your web based SMS software.
3. Scheduling is yet another feature which makes the task even more fun. Time these text Ad campaigns with the launch of your product or service.
Message tracker, 24 hours technical support and report generation are some of the other highlights of this online SMS tool.
A Bulk SMS Reseller forms an integral part of SMS marketing platform. These entities are responsible for popularizing the idea of SMS as a marketing avenue. SMS providers typically offer these businesses with a reseller control panel. This window is then customized by the reseller by adding his own logo, terms, pricing policy and even the content. Once this entity sets up the infrastructure as per his choice he starts marketing bulk SMS to end users.
The reseller on his part sells the end user two core elements; SMS credits and login details to send and receive messages. SMS providers assure these resellers 24 hours technical support, connection to intelligent SMS gateways for smooth and uninterrupted services.
One of the subsets of bulk SMS is Two Way Messaging. When a person sends a message from a mobile device it is called one way messaging. But when a marketer sends a message to the target customers via short code and if that customer responds or replies then it is termed as two way messaging.
This form of messaging is initiated with the help of short code. These are just ordinary mobile numbers but much shorter and easier to remember. It allows customers to interact with the sender.
A perfect example would be a television reality show where the organizer asks viewers to choose their favourite singer. The organizer of this show will send a message like VOTE A, B, C to 998899. The alphabets are the codes of three singers; the viewer replies using the following parameters, VOTE B to 998899. The number 998899 is the short code.
Short codes can be dedicated or shared. A shared short code is exploited by many marketers, who are identified with the help of KEYWORDS. This form of messaging is highly interactive, generates leads and creates a bond between the customer and the product.
