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SMS Autoresponder services - Any ideas?

by iSoftware
19 replies
Anyone know of any good sms autoresponder services? Tx
#autoresponder #ideas #services #sms
  • Profile picture of the author blkfin
    Greetings

    Not sure if you are looking for personal use or a service to resell.

    [start shameless plug]
    Look for WSO coming next week.

    Weetext.com offers the most competitive business model in the industry.

    Unlimited Text, Unlimited Subscribers, all for $1 day.

    Need to add to your marketing toolbox?

    Weetext has the most aggressive Agent program in the business, you keep 100% of all your sales.Thats correct just pay your monthly agent fee of $97 and you get to resell our service 100 times and you keep all the money.

    Do the math, $97 to make up to $3000. Now thats a great return. And its recurring, each and every month.

    Everything is automated, your client signs up through your pURL. The payments are handled through PAYPAL and all the money goes into your account. Our system self provisions each client and if they cancel or fail to pay the system will automatically suspend their account.

    We are so confident about our service, we will even support your clients.

    All you do is market the system.

    You can see the retail side at weetext.com and get more info on the Agent program at Agenttex.com.

    Do not purchase from the Agent Site, we will have a special WSO next week with an incredible offer. PM me if you would like to be notified when the wso goes live.

    [/end shameless plug]

    Best of Luck

    Jim
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    • Profile picture of the author serryjw
      I can't find you on the NET..very interested in white label re-sell program
      Serry
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  • Profile picture of the author iSoftware
    will do - tx!
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  • Profile picture of the author Peter Olson
    For basic subscribing and message blasting (without the drip autoresponder feature) I use twilio with openvbx. Very cheap and easy to use.
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    • Profile picture of the author ChadWyatt
      I also use OpenVBX and have developed a custom plugin that manages my SMS lists. Whatever service you go with, I recommend using one where you have access to your list (phone numbers). Most of the cheap/free ones don't allow you to actually manage your subscribers yourself. If you don't need access to your list, that's fine, otherwise, something like OpenVBX is a lot more flexible. OpenVBX works via local phone numbers, so you aren't sharing a short code with a bunch of other people. Each number is only $1/mo and $0.03/message.
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      • Profile picture of the author blkfin
        Completely agree with Chad, if you need/want access to the phone numbers of the subscribers, then a more expensive solution is available.

        The Weetext service is for the offline businesses that just want to make contact with their customers quickly and easily. It is not equivalent to an email blast for affiliate marketing.

        That is why we have our AGENT program, so offline marketers can have an additional marketing tool to offer to their clients.

        In our experience, the local pizza shop is not going to maximize the benefit of having the phone numbers. They will however send out a weekly coupon to their text club.

        If you think about it, how often do you actually review the email addresses in your Aweber account? Now you as a marketer want those addresses so in case you want to move your account you can. Also what you promote is the Subscriber count, not actually the list contents.

        As a Weetext Agent you do not want your clients to have access to that data, because it makes you sticky.

        I have reviewed the OpenVBX information, and I think their service looks good. But lets compare the opportunities.

        OpenVBX - $1/mo + .03 a message in and out.

        Weetext - $30/mo

        So as a pizza place you have been able to get 100 subscribers the first month. (Historically a low number).

        So with OpenVBX, it is going to cost you approximately .12 to send a subscriber a first message.

        1. .03 - The subscribers first request
        2. .03 - Your reply to confirm subscription (required by FTC)
        3. .03 - The subscribers confirmation
        4. .03 - your actual message.
        .12 Total

        Now if you are just doing a bounce back, then the cost is .06, but you cannot send them future messages.

        OK the pizza joint has got 100 subscribers, that's $12. Now they want to send them 2 updates a week. That's 800 updates, if the list is full, or $24.

        So we have $36 for 100 subscribers + the $1 for the phone number for a total $37, now the next month we add another 100 subscribers (again the number of subscribers will be more).

        Now we have 200 subscribers @ 2 updates a week or 1600 x .03 updates equaling $48.

        Now do not forget the $12 that it cost to get those subscribers to confirm their subscription.

        So now we have $48 + $12 + 1 = $61 in the second month.


        Each just keeps climbing from there.

        But you do have the phone numbers J

        There are other SMS companies that have turn-key solutions that are probably more user friendly than OpenVBX, only because you will need to write the interface for the system.

        I would also look at protexting.com, if you feel the phone number is a must have.

        Best of Luck

        Jim


        Originally Posted by ChadWyatt View Post

        I also use OpenVBX and have developed a custom plugin that manages my SMS lists. Whatever service you go with, I recommend using one where you have access to your list (phone numbers). Most of the cheap/free ones don't allow you to actually manage your subscribers yourself. If you don't need access to your list, that's fine, otherwise, something like OpenVBX is a lot more flexible. OpenVBX works via local phone numbers, so you aren't sharing a short code with a bunch of other people. Each number is only $1/mo and $0.03/message.
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        • Profile picture of the author ChadWyatt
          Another benefit of having more control of your list is being able to create segments of your list. OpenVBX can allow you to collect data such as zip code and then send only to certain areas. You can also send to a portion of your list, so if you have a list of 5000 people, you might want to send a message to only 500. For a business such as a restaurant, this is critical because response rates can be huge. With response rates commonly over 20%, if your only option is to send to the entire 5000, you can have some angry customers because they can't get in the door.

          Also, by sending to only a portion of your list, you can send a message to a different portion of your list each day of the week. This keeps customers coming in without sending too many messages to the same group - boosting revenue each day without overwhelming the store on one particular day.

          OpenVBX also allows people to CALL the number to get on the SMS list without having to send a text message (if they don't want to). This makes it easier for some people to subscribe without having to type out a weird text phrase because the word "pizza" is already taken. However, you can use the word "pizza" or whatever, because the number isn't used by anyone else, like a short code.

          I'll be putting some finishing touches on my plugins and making them available for free soon to OpenVBX users.

          Each system has it's advantages so it's important to know what features you have available and what works best for your situation/client.
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          • Profile picture of the author blkfin
            All great points, I do like the idea of being able to break your list into segments so you could broadcast daily but to different subscribers so to keep your traffic in your Brick & Mortor Business more consistant.

            I am curious on how OpenVBX gets the zipcode, I can see ph # and carrier code, but does the subscriber have to put that in upon request?

            Any way, you do have some great ideas, we will work towards putting them into the next version.

            Again all good points, if you are looking for a service to build a massive list then WeeTEXT is not the solution.

            In the end, as Chad states, whatever is the best solution for the client is what they should use. So weigh the pros/cons of all solutions and see which provides you with the most opportunity.

            Best Of Luck

            Jim

            Originally Posted by ChadWyatt View Post

            Another benefit of having more control of your list is being able to create segments of your list. OpenVBX can allow you to collect data such as zip code and then send only to certain areas. You can also send to a portion of your list, so if you have a list of 5000 people, you might want to send a message to only 500. For a business such as a restaurant, this is critical because response rates can be huge. With response rates commonly over 20%, if your only option is to send to the entire 5000, you can have some angry customers because they can't get in the door.

            Also, by sending to only a portion of your list, you can send a message to a different portion of your list each day of the week. This keeps customers coming in without sending too many messages to the same group - boosting revenue each day without overwhelming the store on one particular day.

            OpenVBX also allows people to CALL the number to get on the SMS list without having to send a text message (if they don't want to). This makes it easier for some people to subscribe without having to type out a weird text phrase because the word "pizza" is already taken. However, you can use the word "pizza" or whatever, because the number isn't used by anyone else, like a short code.

            I'll be putting some finishing touches on my plugins and making them available for free soon to OpenVBX users.

            Each system has it's advantages so it's important to know what features you have available and what works best for your situation/client.
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            • Profile picture of the author Kevin AKA Hubcap
              @blkfin

              Are you going to run a WSO for Agent Tex? It looks interesting but I have reservations about paying the $297 set up fee without experiencing first hand how the service works and more importantly if its reliable.

              There's a good chance I'd bite if I could make sure the service worked for me and what I'm trying to do before paying the $297.

              So what can you do to get people like me (I'm sure I'm not the only one) to try your service?

              Kevin
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              • Profile picture of the author blkfin
                Kevin

                Thanks for the inquiry. yes we will have a WSO next week, that will have a consideral discount.

                I will keep you posted.

                Regards

                Jim

                Originally Posted by Kevin AKA Hubcap View Post

                @blkfin

                Are you going to run a WSO for Agent Tex? It looks interesting but I have reservations about paying the $297 set up fee without experiencing first hand how the service works and more importantly if its reliable.

                There's a good chance I'd bite if I could make sure the service worked for me and what I'm trying to do before paying the $297.

                So what can you do to get people like me (I'm sure I'm not the only one) to try your service?

                Kevin
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        • Profile picture of the author Jaymark
          I've been unable to find any good information on this type of service. Because it's so new and because mobile applications are very hot right now, it's of interest. However can you direct me to more information so I can make a good decision?
          Signature
          Article Writers - American article writers, sharp pricing, quick turnaround, quality articles and web content
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  • Profile picture of the author Peter Olson
    Chad, would you mind sharing your plugin?
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  • Profile picture of the author iSoftware
    Is anyone using paid traffic to drive optins (ex. admob)....I'm wondering if something simple like a mobile ad like "Text [insert short code here] to receive [incentive optin here]..." is the way to go.

    I really wish aweber woudl get on this. Ive been reading about sms gateways and if they had a way of automatically sending an email-to-text once someone entered in their a)email b) carrier..that would be great

    I found this interesting plugin here that does just that it seems. Check it out if you find it useful:
    WordPress › SMS Text Message WordPress Plugins
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  • Profile picture of the author iSoftware
    I'm interested in the strategy of using sms/text as a relationship marketing tool. Since texts have a much higher open rate than email - connecting with the prospect via text then offering them something free that they download (an app, some free report, etc).

    I'm just curious if anyone has any insights on setting the registration process - maybe ask them to text xyz in the ad to receive something free or asking them to enter in their name + mobile number...what
    Also blkfn, how does your service compare to another warrior's service like http://www.phonefollowup.com?

    Tx
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    • Profile picture of the author blkfin
      WeeText is absolutely a relationship marketing tool, however we are focused on the small business owner. We are not an IM, affiliate marketer, or Network Marketing advertising engine. Hence why we offer an unlimited plan, typical volume for our clients is under 10000 messages/month. WeeText vs PhoneFollowup equates to apples vs oranges.

      This is an interesting point, we may have to introduce a new brand that addresses the needs of those markets.

      J-

      Originally Posted by moneykws View Post

      I'm interested in the strategy of using sms/text as a relationship marketing tool. Since texts have a much higher open rate than email - connecting with the prospect via text then offering them something free that they download (an app, some free report, etc).

      I'm just curious if anyone has any insights on setting the registration process - maybe ask them to text xyz in the ad to receive something free or asking them to enter in their name + mobile number...what
      Also blkfn, how does your service compare to another warrior's service like http://www.phonefollowup.com?

      Tx
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  • Profile picture of the author PreciseSMS
    Shameless plug but preciseSMS provide a full SMS service with dedicated inbound number, autoresponders, contact and group sending - currently supplying to Europe but can also supply to north america... check out psms.me - no set up fees, just choose your volume, subscribe with paypal and away you go...
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  • Profile picture of the author fernandocortes
    You can try the Auto responder of Protexting, it seems to work well for different interactive sms campaigns.
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