The most popular messaging app has hundreds of millions of users, but how secure are they really. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has been finding out, producing a “secure messaging scorecard” to rate them on a range of criteria.

“Many companies offer ‘secure messaging’ products – but are these systems actually secure? We decided to find out, in the first phase of a new EFF Campaign for Secure & Usable Crypto,” explains the EFF.

“This scorecard represents only the first phase of the campaign. In later phases, we are planning to offer closer examinations of the usability. And the security of the tools that score the highest here.”

Are messages encrypted in transit, and encrypted so the provider can’t read them? Can you verify contacts’ identities? Are past communications secure if your keys are stolen? Is the code open to independent review, is the security design properly documented, and has the code been audited?

What’s interesting is that the apps that score seven green ticks are the likes of ChatSecure, CryptoCat, Signal, silent phone, Silent Text and TextSecure. Yet for most mainstream users, what defines their choice of messaging app is not “how secure is it?” but rather “which one is my friends using?”

BBM, Facebook chat, Google Hangouts, Kik Messenger, Skype, Snapchat, WhatsApp, and Viber. Don’t score well on the EFF’s criteria, for example. Apple’s iMessage actually does pretty well, with five out of seven ticks.

Even so, will the EFF’s new research encourage those mainstream messaging apps to beef up their security? Or are we going to continue seeing a divide. Security-conscious people messaging other security-conscious people on the niche apps. While everyone else continues using the popular apps.

The important security is in your choice of messaging app, and whether you’ve tried to persuade friends to switch from one to another on those grounds.

SMS Marketing

Top Reasons Your SMS Isn’t Being Delivered

March 15, 2018

Using Cheap Routes

The Bulk SMS industry has long been plagued by shady characters and tactics used to maximize margins. Techniques such as SIM boxes and “grey” routes are illegitimate ways for businesses to connect to the telecom network for a very low cost. With sending bulk SMS, the general rule is that you get what you pay for. SIM boxes, due to their illegality, are shut down by carriers and lead to extremely unpredictable and unreliable message delivery.

Banned Content

If I asked you to think of a few obvious examples of countries with banned or filtered content, it would probably be easy for you to come up with a few like China or Saudi Arabia, where the government controls what information citizens are allowed to receive. Aside from the government filtering certain types of content, there is also the issue of what the carriers will allow.

Incorrect Sender ID

The Sender ID of a message is the “from” field that is shown on the users mobile phone when they receive the message. The fragmentation and complexity of the global bulk SMS industry are also shown here due to different countries and carriers having different rules as to what can be displayed.

Message Length

You may know that, typically, an SMS is 160 characters in length. If you’ve read examples through three, however, you’ll know that nothing is as simple as it seems. Countries like Brazil only support messages of up to 157 characters of length. If your message length is over this limit, it will be rejected if your SMS provider doesn’t automatically split it into multiple messages.

Encoding

Last but not least is the SMS encoding. At a basic level, encoding determines the possible combination of characters for which characters can be sent. Typically, messages are sent using either Unicode, which allows for 70 characters. Or using the global standard GSM 3.38 which allows 160 characters. It’s important to know that different carriers and countries require different encoding. Some carriers simply will not deliver messages that are sent in Unicode while others will deliver the message incorrectly.

SMS Marketing

Using Perfectly Timed SMS Marketing to Engage Customers

March 14, 2018

Ability to be personal with SMS marketing

One of the greatest advantages of SMS marketing is the ability to be personal. Yes, email can be personal too or personalized, but these days most people are so familiar with an email that it doesn’t have the same impact it used to have. But SMS messages delivered directly to a person’s mobile still are seen as personal. People have not yet become jaded to hearing the notification sounds and usually read the message immediately.

For marketers, this is a great opportunity to engage customers based on actions. For example, here are some actions that could trigger perfectly timed SMS messages:

Retail purchase

After a customer makes a purchase is a great time to follow up with them to offer additional information on the product, discounts on accessories, ask for feedback, or just to say thank you for their business.

Major purchase

Insurance companies, banks, and estate agents can reach out to their customers after a major purchase like a home with updates, first payment reminders, referral requests, and customer surveys.

Registrations

After registering for an event, class, or trip, organizations can offer up travel deals, meal discounts, add-on purchases, upgrade packages, or social media requests (to like or share their registration to get the word out).

There is any number of actions that might work for your particular business or organization. And beyond actions, think about how you can use the information you already have on your customers. Birthdays, graduations, anniversaries, and major holidays are also possible reasons to send an SMS with a related offer or marketing message.

Some people call this kind of marketing “just-in-time”. And that term does describe the concept really well. It also isn’t new at all. In the “old” days, organizations would send a postcard or make a phone call with the offer. More recently email was the main method to follow up with customers. But the immediacy and intimacy of SMS messaging give more power to this kind of SMS marketing.

Just remember you always need permission to send a message regardless of what the trigger is, as well as providing a way to opt out.

Mobile Marketing, SMS Marketing

Top 5 Reasons Your SMS Isn’t Being Delivered

March 8, 2018

SMS Marketing industry has not been very transparent. Each country and carrier has their own rules about what type of traffic is allowed and it is difficult to know the intricacies. Here I’ll tell some of the main problems we encounter when helping people increase their message delivery :

Carrier Filters

Similar to email, some cell phone carriers have implemented filter systems that can block spam, phishing attempts, and other unwanted messages. One of the primary ways that carriers block spam is by separating “A2P” and “P2P” messages. P2P messages are messages sent between individuals and they always have a valid alphanumeric senderID. These messages are likely to be delivered without being filtered.

A2P messages are messages sent from mass texting applications. Some carriers will “filter” these messages, and prevent them from being sent to individuals, in an attempt to prevent spam.To avoid this, DialMyCalls uses advanced A2P routing to send messages through A2P-enabled routes. However, some messages may still be blocked if they contain certain keywords, though this depends on the specifics of each individual’s carrier.

Filtered Content

Aside from the government filtering certain types of content, there is also the issue of what the carriers will allow. In Japan, for example, if there is a URL in the body of the message then the message delivery will fail. Those messages are classified as illegal and are either discarded completely or the part of the text that is illegal will be removed. Before starting an SMS initiative, we recommend taking a look at our Country Specific Features and Restrictions to make sure you are set up for obtaining the highest SMS delivery rate possible.

“Long Code” Text Messaging

If you’re using a free online SMS messaging application instead of a powerful application like DialMyCalls to promote your business SMS Marketing, this is probably the most common reason that your messages will fail to deliver. This is because most free SMS services use email – which is a form of “long code” text messaging. Long code text messaging is intended for use by private individuals. Because of this, long code messaging has a variety of limitations.

You’ll be limited to sending 1 message per second and 500 messages per day. If you exceed this limit, your number will be blocked. You must also have a legitimate pre-approved US virtual number that uses the international format – eg “15028675309”. However, there is a solution to this problem. “Short Code” text messaging was developed specifically for mass communications and marketing. And DialMyCalls offers powerful shortcode SMS messaging that’s perfect for your organization!

Incorrect Sender ID

The Sender ID of a message is the “from” field that is shown on the users mobile phone . When they receive the message. The fragmentation and complexity of the global bulk SMS Marketing industry are also shown here due to different countries and carriers having different rules as to what can be displayed. In the US, only numerical Sender IDs are allowed. And all application-to-person messages must be sent from a text short code. Whereas in the UK it can be alphabetical.

Encoding

Mobile Marketing, SMS Marketing

6 Tactics that will Ignite your SMS Marketing Success

March 7, 2018

To Become Successful you will have to work hard in each and every field. The same thing happens in SMS Marketing If you want to become a master at something, it takes a lot of time and works to learn the tricks of the trade.

If you’re trying to promote your product to the world and grow your business, you have no choice but to market to audiences on mobile devices. This is where your customers are, as mobile usage is now surpassing that of “fixed Internet access” worldwide. Whether it’s mobile banner ads, ads that appear in video games, or QR codes, there is no shortage of methods for getting the word out to mobile consumers.

Short Message Service (SMS) marketing is another one of these methods. It’s a low-cost, high-return marketing system that uses text messaging to convey content or offer it to customers.

Some Tactics that will Ignite your SMS Marketing Success :

Keep your message short and sweet.

Over 90 percent of all SMS messages are read within 3 minutes, making it an intimate way to connect with your customers. With only 160 characters to use, ensure your message is to-the-point and delivers high value to your customer is motivated to respond positively.

Have a clear call-to-action.

Two factors drive an SMS campaign: the keyword and a shortcode. If you want customers to take part in a campaign that has them text your keyword to a five-digit number.

Ask customers their opinion on a product or idea, or even. If you should launch a business page on a new social media platform. Once you have results, text them to your customers or post the results on one of your social media pages and direct your subscribers to it.

Encourage your customers via texts.

Text messages can prod your users to share your social media links. The best advertising is by word of mouth, and award your top referrers with a special deal or freebie product.

If texting an offer to your customers, make it exclusive.

Include the fact that the deal is being offered to all VIP text customers and make them feel like they are a part of something special. If the offer were available to anyone, then being a subscriber becomes less appealing.

Ask customers about their preferences.

Inquire as to when they would like to receive messages and what kind of information they want. Then simply customize your SMS program to suit their wants.

Personalize the texts.

Customers respond more to materials addressed directly to them, so insert your subscribers’ name when you can. You can also target your customer with more relevant texts based on their preferences.

Mobile Marketing, SMS Marketing, Telemarketing Services

Powerful SMS Marketing Ideas

March 5, 2018

SMS Marketing remains one of the most powerful ways to get in touch with your audience. The ability to attain your customers on a device that they always have with them is invaluable. But right here’s the challenge that many small corporations are going for walks into. They aren’t sure the way to fine make use of this innovative marketing channel to get a strong ROI and develop their organization.

In case you’ve been searching out cheaper methods to market your small enterprise with SMS marketing and marketing, provide those techniques :

1. Appointment reminders

In case you own a salon, spa or any other sort of commercial enterprise where clients make appointments, then this approach needs to be carried out ASAP. No-indicates suggest misplaced sales, and corporations lose tens of millions every 12 months from customers who pass over appointments without canceling. And the worst part is that it may be easily prevented.

The mistakes that a variety of groups make, and also you probably too, is relying on sending out electronic mail appointment reminders. however, there are some key troubles with that: Most email advertising and marketing campaigns have less than a 30% open fee. The average character gets over 100 emails according to day. People have a tendency to open emails after which just forget approximately them. It takes the average character 90 minutes to reply to an email. Essentially, there may be a very sturdy threat that your reminder emails are being ignored.

2. Flash discounts

There’s not anything higher than getting an alert for your phone and finding out which you simply got a textual content message with a reduction code all of a sudden. One of the organizations widely recognized for sending out spontaneous reductions via SMS is Telcob.

3. Do a weekly tip

This strategy combines SMS marketing and content marketing. Content marketing is an inbound technique that focuses on providing your audience with free value to get them to know, like and trust you. After providing your audience with so much value, they’ll be more likely to choose your services over a competitor.

You can start sending out a weekly tip via text message to people who have opted in. The tip should be something that’s related to your industry and is helpful.

4. Offer in-store deals

In case you run a brick and mortar small commercial enterprise, then use SMS marketing as a device to get people inside the doorways.

If nobody is coming in to claim the deals, then that’s a sign that you need to do more to kick your list into high gear. If you notice that multiple people are claiming the deal, then you know you’re on the right track.

These are five of the most powerful and inexpensive ways to market your small business with SMS marketing. Start putting them into action to help gain new customers as well as retain your existing ones.

SMS Marketing

Save Cost and Time with bulk SMS service

February 20, 2018

Bulk SMS Marketing for Business

Bulk SMS Marketing is used to send SMS to many people at a single time and these services came into effect as they are cost-effective as well as time-saving. Bulk SMS Services can be used by organizations of all level as it has been used by big organizations for informational purposes where small businesses use these services for marketing.

With the global economy affecting a lot of businesses both large and small, most Companies are looking to cut down cost of operation as much as possible. Many have been able to drastically reduce the monthly cost of their business call bills by replacing their phone call with Bulk SMS.

One of the key indications that your Business or Company is growing and managing resources optimally is indicative of how you cut down on cost and time.

How do Companies save cost using SMS

Save money by saving time

Time is money, and SMS marketing saves huge amounts of time. By scheduling SMS components, you can organize your SMS marketing campaigns for later dates. This is a great way to manage your time efficiently.

High Returns at Low cost

The cost of outdoor advertising or other such expensive forms can be ‘out of budget’ for small businesses. Whereas, SMS solutions offer high ROI with low cost involved. Bulk SMS marketing campaigns can be put into action in no time with less cost. And it is allowing you to reach thousands of people quickly and effectively.

High Open rate

Compared to email marketing, SMS has a staggeringly high open rate. Essentially, almost every SMS sent is opened (and read), whereas only a fraction of emails sent is read. When a subscriber feels that buzz in their pocket or hears that trill signaling a text message, they always look. In some cases, text messages are automatically opened, where emails aren’t. Subscribers have a choice to open your email.

Sms Deals provides Bulk SMS Marketing services so that organizations can get the best revenues out of their marketing budget. The rates at which Bulk SMS Services are being offered are very feasible and a Business organization can manage easily without any interruption

Mobile Marketing

How Text Messages are Useful for Small Business?

January 17, 2018

Textual content messages as a software for promotion has come a long way.Countless conventional methods of marketing and adverting typically go unfruitful. However, effective use of SMS for small business could make you stand at a sophisticated level to develop your purchasers. Extra, traditional marketing hits difficult to your pocket, whereas textual content messages for advertising and marketing is low-priced and not more time ingesting.

SMS marketing has the permission from the users as they have got provided their number. That is one of the important thing purpose why SMS advertising is powerful for small corporations and entrepreneur. Additional using text messages for advertising may have a better conversion cost as customers have submitted their expertise due to their interest on your product or offerings.

Top 3 reasons why text messages should be used for small business:

1. Quick and effective

SMSs are quick and to the factor. This increases the customer’s chance to learn the message and reply to it. Extra, preserving a textual content messages short saves time and improves the overall effectivity. As a result, that is the key rationale why quick textual content should be use for promotional activities.

2. Highly Appealing

Most of the telephone cell user hardly ever wait until the time they don’t open a text message received on their phone telephone. Also, most of you’re going to agree that textual content messages are learn within short time of the receiving it. Further, customers already have tremendous influx of countless mails within the inbox that lowers their interest to read it. In addition, most of the occasions, promotional mails go into the junk mail box. Additionally, many of the users do not examine inbox as usually as their mobile telephones. This makes text messages totally robust for marketing and sending messages.

3. Affordable

Entrepreneurs above all can revenue by way of sending textual content messages for marketing in gentle of the truth that it is cheap. Sending text messages is less pricey than surroundings a full commercial before a abilities patron. Expenditures range, however countless phases permit your small business to ship every message for simplest a few pennies. For the time being, bulk packages help you ship thousands or a huge number of messages each month for a ordinarily low, stage cost.

Learn how to conveniently use text messages for promoting what you are promoting? Good, you can prefer brief codes and long code services to send across your messages.

Short codes (sometimes called short numbers) are specific telephone numbers, significantly shorter than full cell numbers, that can be used to handle SMS and MMS messages from specified provider vendors’ cell telephones or fixed phones. There are two varieties of brief codes: dialing and messaging.

Long codes are normally less regulated than brief codes and will also be cut back fee relying on message volume, however the absence of legislation can make them open to unhealthy marketing practices equivalent to unsolicited ‘junk mail’ messages.

It is highly principal to find an low priced SMS marketing offerings for appropriately speaking your message to the specified person.

Variforrm answer presents is a crew of young, full of life and passionate people. Variforrm solution takes its name from two phrases ‘quite a lot of’ and ‘varieties’.Variform answer appreciate the multifaceted nature and multidimensional problems that our buyers may just confront, because it host a wealthy various features of ideas and potential can provide solutions to any complex trouble.

By way of their brief code services, the organization make it easy for buyers to get the requested knowledge rapidly. Their smooth and rapid offerings make your customers reply fast leading to favored name of action. This leads to your extended income and thereby increases your profit.

The enterprise’s lengthy codes offer dedicated services to one enterprise with rates of an SMS. By means of long code services, company help the consumers to respond to their customer in a cost powerful method as a way to gain multi-directional verbal exchange. Their swift and efficient offerings would finally broaden the response price, thus making them your sale zoomers.

Mobile Marketing

5 Tips for Using Texting as a Retention Marketing Tool

January 14, 2018

You spend so much time trying to bring new customers in the door, whether that door is a real one or the sales page of a website. Once those customers have been with you for a while, it’s easy to assume that they’ll always come back. However, if you stop paying attention to your customers, they’ll stop paying attention to you as well. Text message marketing can be a valuable tool to market for customer retention: here’s how to use it well.It’s also a part of Mobile Marketing.

1. Make Their Presence an Invitation

Are your customers in your store or on your website? Congratulations: you have customer engagement. Or do you? Enhance your engagement by inviting your customers to connect with you via text. Whether you place an invitation to text on a napkin in a restaurant or you use a social media message to get your customers to text now for a special offer code, you can use text to encourage your customers to opt into further engagement while they’re already interacting with your brand.

2. Send Them a Reminder

Have you ever gotten a reminder that you’re overdue for an oil change or a medical exam? These key appointments are ones that you might book on a relatively regular basis, but what about other products? You can send out text messages to prompt your customers to visit and buy at certain times of the year or at specific intervals.

Make these reminders valuable. A home supply business in a hurricane-prone area could send out a text reminding customers to get ready and letting them know that there’s a discount available on key supplies. Don’t be a nag: be a helpful inspiration instead.

3. Make Your Customers’ Lives Easier

Modern life is busy, and you want to make your customers’ lives easier, not more cluttered. Instead of just providing a reminder, give your customers a reminder with something of value, such as a coupon. For instance, if you have a sale on t-shirts, you could provide a scannable coupon or code that customers can simply show in the store. They don’t need to print or remember anything, and you’ve just made their lives a little easier – and less expensive.

4. If There’s a Process, Should You Automate It?

Is your sales process a lengthy one? Perhaps you rely on your customers to sign up and then come back to sign additional forms or to renew a product every year. If you’re an insurance agency, bank, or another business that must have customers return to complete a single transaction, you can use text messages to simplify ongoig communications. Focus your attention on providing your customers with a smooth process, valuable information and offers rather than trying to remember to make phone calls, send emails, or remind them with texts.

5. Celebrate Your Customers

Is it your customer’s birthday? Are you celebrating a year of your vendor-customer relationship? Use text messages to celebrate your customers and draw them into your store for a discount that’s designed just for them.

At EZ Texting, we’re here to support your text marketing efforts. Talk with your customers and draw them into your business again and again. Learn more about the ways in which text marketing can invigorate your business and consistently renew your relationships with customers. Want to learn more? Sign up for free today.

Mobile Marketing

Understanding the Advantage and Power of SMS Broadcasting

January 11, 2018

Why limit marketing campaign to traditional media, when you can use other cost-effective channels, such as SMS? Sending text messages does not cost much, but can create a positive impact. If you have not considered SMS messaging before, you might want to start using it now.

On SMS broadcasting

SMS broadcast campaign is where you send one text message to a number of people, which is more convenient than sending SMS one at a time. Although personalization matters in text marketing, there are instances when bulk SMS provides a better and quicker option.

For this marketing strategy to work, you must collect plenty of phone numbers and build a database. The best way you can do this is to send SMS that gives prospects a choice to opt-in for mass text messaging. We use 10 digit phone numbers such as (647) 565-8888 so that you will know immediately that it’s a local phone number.

With a bank of phone numbers, you can then send information about your promo through a text blast service. Using the promo code received, prospects will then be prompted to visit your store and take advantage of your special offers.

Now that you understand how bulk SMS works, it’s time to find out what benefits it will bring to business owners like you.

It offers great convenience

Whether it is through mobile or online SMS, text messages remain to be a great way to communicate. What is even better is that they are easier to create and disseminate, especially when SMS broadcast is used. Using just one number to send to many, you can cut down on advertising time and efforts.

It enables you to send important notifications at an affordable cost

Compared to traditional media, sending text messages by bulk is relatively inexpensive. But the response rate is staggeringly high, which is something you would not achieve through print advertising. You can send mass text messaging to announce special promotions, create customer surveys and other campaigns without spending a lot.

It guarantees a direct response

As long as the content of the SMS appeals to a client, a direct and quick response is almost always guaranteed. What does it take for a prospect to respond, anyway? Knowing that they’re dealing with a local phone number can put them at ease and thus respond quickly.

So how does bulk SMS compare with traditional media?

It boasts a read rate of up to 90%, with 32% of recipients responding immediately. Email newsletters only have an open rate of around 15% with no guarantees of a response. Flyers and brochures may be read the moment they are received, but they often make their way to archives or the waste basket. This only shows that SMS messaging can do wonders for your business. Used right and with enough incentive to generate leads, you will have more opportunities for conversion.

Want to make the most of the SMS broadcasting? Let a voice and carrier provider do the hard work for you. TTAG Systems have the tools and expertise to handle this task and ensure positive and profitable results.

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sms marketing

Using Cheap Routes

Banned Content

Incorrect Sender ID

Message Length

Encoding

Ability to be personal with SMS marketing

Retail purchase

Major purchase

Registrations

Carrier Filters

Filtered Content

“Long Code” Text Messaging

Incorrect Sender ID

Encoding

Some Tactics that will Ignite your SMS Marketing Success :

Keep your message short and sweet.

Have a clear call-to-action.

Encourage your customers via texts.

If texting an offer to your customers, make it exclusive.

Ask customers about their preferences.

Personalize the texts.

In case you’ve been searching out cheaper methods to market your small enterprise with SMS marketing and marketing, provide those techniques :

1. Appointment reminders

2. Flash discounts

3. Do a weekly tip

4. Offer in-store deals

Bulk SMS Marketing for Business

How do Companies save cost using SMS

Save money by saving time

High Returns at Low cost

High Open rate

1. Make Their Presence an Invitation

2. Send Them a Reminder

3. Make Your Customers’ Lives Easier

4. If There’s a Process, Should You Automate It?

5. Celebrate Your Customers

On SMS broadcasting

It offers great convenience

It enables you to send important notifications at an affordable cost

It guarantees a direct response

So how does bulk SMS compare with traditional media?

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