# 5 Key Features of SMS Marketing Software | Capterra > Trying to figure out key features of SMS marketing software before investing in a product? Check out the five key features of SMS marketing software that users rate as most important. Source: https://www.capterra.com/resources/key-features-of-sms-marketing-software --- Marketing 101Marketing # 5 Key Features of SMS Marketing Software and Top Products That Offer Them Written by: Ashish Upadhyay Ashish UpadhyayAuthor Ashish Upadhyay is a writer at Capterra. He provides insights to help small businesses identify the right software for their needs by analyzing over 550,000 ... [See bio & all articles](https://www.capterra.com/resources/author/aupadhyay/) Published March 20, 2024 7 min read Table of Contents - [1\. SMS messaging](#1-sms-messaging) - [2\. Mass texting](#2-mass-texting) - [3\. Message personalization](#3-message-personalization) - [4\. Contact database](#4-contact-database) - [5\. Scheduled messaging](#5-scheduled-messaging) Developing a customer relationship takes work; marketers know this better than anyone. So when the time comes to purchase an [SMS marketing solution](https://www.capterra.com/sms-marketing-software/) for your small business, it's crucial to know which features to look out for that result in maximum engagement and developing a relationship with potential customers. This article highlights five crucial features of SMS marketing software based on the ratings given by verified software users. We also include the highest-rated SMS marketing software solutions for each feature. Read more. ## 1\. SMS messaging The SMS messaging feature in an SMS marketing platform enables you to create, manage, and send text messages to your target audience for marketing purposes. You can use predefined templates or write your own messages from scratch to create compelling and concise text messages for your marketing campaigns. Additionally, you use marketing automation to set up automated responses to an incoming SMS message, providing a seamless experience for customers and saving time for your business. ### What business problem does SMS messaging solve? Many emails go unread, in spam folders, or are simply ignored. SMS messaging provides a more direct and immediate communication channel, reaching customers on mobile devices. A bulk SMS campaign generally has higher open rates compared to email marketing campaigns. Businesses can leverage this to ensure that a larger portion of their audience sees important information, promotions, and alerts through text message marketing. ### Ideal users of SMS messaging feature Retailers and eCommerce businesses can use the SMS messaging feature in an SMS marketing tool to send customers promotional offers, discount codes, and flash sale alerts. They can also send order confirmations, shipping updates, and delivery notifications via SMS text marketing. On the other hand, service-based businesses can utilize text messaging for appointment reminders, service updates, and notifications. Moreover, businesses can provide instant customer service and address customer inquiries through two-way text messaging.  ### Top 3 products with the highest ratings for SMS messaging _Analysis performed March 2024_ #### Trial/Free Version - Free Trial - Free Version #### SMS messaging feature rating 4.85/5 #### Device Compatibilty #### Trial/Free Version - Free Trial - Free Version #### SMS messaging feature rating 4.76/5 #### Device Compatibilty #### Trial/Free Version - Free Trial - Free Version #### SMS messaging feature rating 4.68/5 #### Device Compatibilty ## 2\. Mass texting The mass texting feature in SMS marketing software is designed for businesses and organizations that want to communicate with a large audience through text messages. Mass texting allows you to send messages to many recipients at once. This is particularly beneficial for announcements, promotions, alerts, and other types of information that need to reach a broad audience through an SMS marketing campaign.  You can track the performance of their mass texting campaigns through analytics and reporting tools. This includes metrics such as delivery rates, open rates, click-through rates, and other relevant data points. ### What business problem does mass texting solve? Mass texting addresses the challenge of limited reach with traditional channels such as email or physical mail. It allows businesses to instantly reach a large audience, including those who may not regularly check their email. Mass texting provides an immediate communication channel for time-sensitive information, promotions, or urgent alerts. You can quickly disseminate important messages to your audience. ### Ideal users of mass texting feature Marketing teams and professionals can use mass texting to reach a wide audience with promotional messages, discounts, and special offers. Event organizers benefit from mass texting for sending attendees event details, reminders, and updates, ensuring smooth event communication. Healthcare organizations can utilize mass texting for appointment reminders, prescription notifications, and patient health-related updates. ### Top 3 products with the highest ratings for mass texting _Analysis performed March 2024_ #### Trial/Free Version - Free Trial #### Trial/Free Version #### Trial/Free Version - Free Trial - Free Version #### Mass texting feature rating 4.92/5 #### Device Compatibilty ## 3\. Message personalization Message personalization in SMS marketing software refers to the capability to tailor text messages to individual recipients by incorporating personalized information. This feature allows you to go beyond generic mass messaging and create engaging and relevant content for your audience by incorporating the recipients’ names, past purchase history, preferences, location, and other relevant data. Utilizing data analytics, message personalization can generate personalized offers, discounts, or product recommendations for individual recipients. ### What business problem does message personalization solve? Generic and impersonal messages may result in reduced customer engagement as recipients are less likely to connect with or pay attention to irrelevant content. Message personalization increases engagement by delivering marketing messages tailored to the recipient's preferences, interests, and history.  One-size-fits-all messages can lead to a generic customer experience, potentially diminishing customer satisfaction. Personalized messages create a more positive customer experience by showing that the business understands and values each customer, leading to increased satisfaction and loyalty.  ### Ideal users of the message personalization feature ECommerce platforms can personalize SMS messages with customer names, order details, and product recommendations, creating a more engaging and relevant shopping experience. Banks and financial institutions can personalize messages with account information, transaction details, and targeted financial product offers, providing a more customized experience for customers. ### Top 3 products with the highest ratings for message personalization _Analysis performed March 2024_ #### Trial/Free Version - Free Trial #### Trial/Free Version - Free Trial - Free Version #### Message personalization feature rating 4.90/5 #### Device Compatibilty #### Trial/Free Version - Free Trial - Free Version #### Message personalization feature rating 4.85/5 #### Device Compatibilty ## 4\. Contact database The contact database feature in SMS marketing software allows you to manage and organize your contacts or recipients for text message campaigns. This feature is crucial for creating targeted and effective SMS marketing campaigns. You can create, import, and manage a contact list within the software. This includes adding new contacts manually, importing an existing contact list, and organizing contacts into groups or segments. ### What business problem does a contact database solve? Without a centralized contact database, your business may struggle to organize and manage contacts effectively. The contact database provides a centralized and organized repository for storing, updating, and managing contact information and subscriber data, facilitating streamlined communication.  Additionally, sending generic messages to a broad audience may reduce recipients' engagement and relevance. With a contact database, you can segment your audience based on specific criteria and send targeted messages to different groups, improving the relevance of your marketing campaigns. ### Ideal users of the contact database feature Schools, colleges, and universities can utilize the contact database to manage student and faculty contact information for announcements, event invitations, and updates. Nonprofits can also benefit from the contact database to organize donor lists, send personalized fundraising appeals, and provide updates on charitable initiatives. Healthcare organizations can use the contact database to maintain a patient contact list, send appointment reminders, and share relevant health information. ### Top 3 products with the highest ratings for contact database _Analysis performed March 2024_ #### Trial/Free Version - Free Trial - Free Version #### Contact database feature rating 4.85/5 #### Device Compatibilty #### Trial/Free Version #### Trial/Free Version - Free Trial - Free Version #### Contact database feature rating 4.71/5 #### Device Compatibilty ## 5\. Scheduled messaging The scheduled messaging feature in SMS marketing software allows you to plan and set specific dates and times for sending text messages to your audience. This functionality lets you choose the desired date and time for sending a marketing message via SMS. This flexibility allows you to plan your marketing strategy based on factors such as the target audience's time zone, industry-specific peak hours, or promotional campaign schedules and optimizes the timing of your SMS campaigns accordingly. ### What business problem does scheduled messaging solve? Sending messages at the wrong time may result in lower open rates and engagement, impacting the overall effectiveness of marketing campaigns. Scheduled messaging allows you to plan and choose the optimal date and time for sending messages, ensuring they reach recipients when they are most likely to be receptive. Moreover, coordinating message delivery across different time zones can be challenging when dealing with a geographically diverse target group. Scheduled messaging often includes options to select specific time zones, helping you cater to the preferences and availability of recipients of the SMS marketing channel in different regions. ### Ideal users of the scheduled messaging feature Marketing teams and professionals can strategically plan and schedule SMS campaigns to ensure messages are delivered at the most effective times, maximizing engagement. Online retailers can also schedule promotional messages, order confirmations, and product announcements to align with sales events, product launches, and customer behavior patterns. ### Top 3 products with the highest ratings for scheduled messaging _Analysis performed March 2024_ #### Trial/Free Version #### Trial/Free Version #### Trial/Free Version * * * ### Was this article helpful? * * * ## About the Author [### Ashish Upadhyay](https://www.capterra.com/resources/author/aupadhyay/) Ashish Upadhyay is a writer at Capterra. He provides insights to help small businesses identify the right software for their needs by analyzing over 550,000 Capterra user reviews and nearly 48,000 interactions between Capterra software advisors and buyers. Ashish has written about insurance, fintech, and real estate sectors and his work has been featured in MAST The Magazine and Medium. ### RELATED READING - [CRM cloud vs. on-premise: Which is better for your business?](https://www.capterra.com/resources/crm-cloud-vs-on-premise-which-is-better-for-your-business/) - [CRM Data Management Explained: From Clean Data to Customer Insights](https://www.capterra.com/resources/crm-data-management/) - [Capterra Sales and Marketing Trends 2026: CRM and AI Adoption Requires Strategic Implementation and Integration](https://www.capterra.com/resources/sales-and-marketing-software-trends/) - [Email Marketing Trends: What SMBs Need To Know To Boost Campaign Performance](https://www.capterra.com/resources/email-marketing-trends/) - [Exploring Different Types of Video Content and Their Benefits](https://www.capterra.com/resources/types-of-video-content/) - [What Are the 8 Types of Digital Marketing?](https://www.capterra.com/resources/types-of-digital-marketing/) - [A Marketing Pro’s Tips for Building a Loyal Email Audience](https://www.capterra.com/resources/email-marketing-tips/) - [Common Branding Strategy Mistakes and How To Avoid Them](https://www.capterra.com/resources/branding-mistakes/) - [Ready To Outsource Content Marketing? Read This First](https://www.capterra.com/resources/outsource-content-marketing/) **Key features:** To identify the key features for this article, we asked users to rate, on a scale of “low importance” to “critical,” how important different features are for SMS marketing software. The features showcased are those that the highest percentage of reviewers rated as “highly important” or “critical” over the past two years (as of Mar. 6, 2024). **Feature eligibility:** To be included in the set of features considered, a given feature had to have at least 200 user ratings within the past two years (as of Mar. 6, 2024), of which at least 20% must indicate the feature is “critical.” Eligible features were determined from two sources:  1. Our research team’s review of public information about SMS software usage, definitions, and associated features  2. Reviewers’ indication of the features they use for SMS marketing **Product selection:** To identify the top-rated products per feature, we evaluated user ratings for products that offer each feature. For a given product, reviewers rate each feature on a scale of one to five stars. A given product had to have at least 20 user ratings (between March 2022-24) for the feature in question to be considered.