Group chat vs bulk sms
Group messages are useful if you have a small list of recipients and the time to message them individually. On the other hand, mass messages are useful when you have a huge list of recipients and you want to send them the same message.
Group messages may appear to be affordable but the cost of per message can be very high if you have a huge list of recipients. Plus, responding to each message is troublesome as well, since there is no ‘automated’ system.
Why Group Messaging Doesn’t Cut It
As mentioned earlier, group messaging is only viable if you only have a few people you want to reach at a time. Aside from the technical limitations of some carriers, phones and operating systems that may max out your group messaging list at 10, 30 or some other arbitrary number, it’s just not possible to effectively run a mass texting campaign for your business from a personal phone or handheld device.
Nevermind the confusion of trying to manage dozens of conversations at once on top of any texting you might already be doing, but group messaging is really only for smaller groups, not the large-scale dissemination of information that you’ll need to kick off that campaign.
Group text vs Mass text
Text messaging is fast becoming the preferred communication channel for businesses across various domains as it is informative, non-intrusive, generates more responses and has the capacity to impact every business’s top line.
Did you know? if your business communication lands on a user’s native messaging app there is a 98% chance it will be read and a 40% chance you will get a response.
But what if you want to text multiple people at once? Be it business announcements, promotional messages, mass text alerts, or exclusive offers, there are two major ways you can text multiple people at once Group text and Mass text.
What’s the difference between group text and mass text messages? Is a particular channel more effective for a certain type of business communication? Let’s find out
Group text vs mass text: 7 key differences you should know about
Number of contacts
Group text: In the case of group texts, you can only add a limited number of contacts to a group. For example, in Google Messages, you can add a maximum of 20 contacts to a group. On WhatsApp, you can add a maximum of 256 contacts and on an iMessage a maximum of 32 contacts.
If you are using a group text message service, then there are usually no limitations on the number of people that can be added to a group text.
Mass text: The usual limitation on mass text from iOS is 25, from android is 20 and from Whatsapp is 256.
Again, if you are using SMS broadcast software, you can send mass texts to as many contacts as you want.
Number of messages you can send at once
Group text: When you send group texts, you can only send one message per second. This is because telecom carriers such as T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon limit the number of texts you can send.
Mass text: Mass text messages undergo carrier vetting. Carrier vetting allows businesses to send more than 10 messages per second. Some services even allow you to send more than 40 messages per second using shortcodes.
Fact check: What is carrier vetting?
Carrier vetting is the process that requires businesses to comply with regulatory and statutory requirements while running text message campaigns.
What are shortcodes?
Shortcodes are special telephone numbers that are used for two-way SMS and MMS messages.
Texting privacy
Group text: Group texts do not support no reply text messages or BCC text messages. All members in a group message can see each other’s messages, and contact details and contribute to an ongoing conversation. As a result, There is a lack of privacy in the case of group messages and limited options to manage text notifications in group texts.
Mass text: On Mass texts, while the messages will be sent to all contacts at once, the recipients wouldn’t be able to see each other’s text messages. If a recipient responds to a message, it will initiate a one-on-one text conversation with the sender.
Fact check: What is BCC?
Short for Blind Carbon Copy, BCC is a texting feature that allows the sender to send mass texts to the recipients, without the recipients knowing who else the texts have been sent to. IE much like mass texting all the recipients will only be visible to the sender.
Carriers approval for sending text messaging campaigns
Group text: If you need to send a text to thousands of recipients at once, which is very difficult to do with group texts, but If you do manage to do this somehow you are at the risk of inviting penalties as group texts are not approved for marketing campaigns.
Moreover, your number can be marked as spam or your texts could be undelivered.
Mass text: Earlier, short code text messaging was the only way for businesses to send mass texts. But now businesses can use 10-digit phone numbers for the same, provided that they have the 10DLC approval. But, with the necessary approvals and registrations in place, you can send unlimited mass texts
Fact check: What is 10DLC registration?
10DLC is a 10-digit phone number that allows both promotional and transactional messaging to businesses. It is only available in the United States, and the mass text messages that go to customers will be sent from a 10-digit phone number as the sender. Such long code numbers allow for A2P messaging.
Fact check: What is A2P Messaging?
A2P messaging, short for Application to Person messaging is a texting technique wherein a text message is sent to the recipient through a software application run by an enterprise.
Personalization
Group text: With group texts, personalizing messages is always a challenge as all texts are visible to each member of the group.
Mass text: You can easily facilitate personalized mass text messaging with mass text messaging software. With mass texts, there are now softwares available that can easily help you not only personalize messages but also schedule them to a later time.
Subscribe/unsubscribe features
Group text: In the case of group texts, the recipients cannot opt-out of the messages. Why? This is because text messaging apps in iOS and Android are not compliant with US laws.
According to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), businesses are required to get written consent from consumers before sending them marketing-related text messages.
If you are still contacting customers who have opted out or unsubscribed from the marketing texts, then you are in violation of the TCPA. Also, the consumers who opt-in for such messages must have access to all documents including the business’s privacy policy and terms of service.
Mass text: Mass texting software such as Emitrr complies with US SMS marketing laws. This allows them to comfortably send text message blasts to customers who have opted for such messages.
Cost-effectiveness
Group text: In the case of group texts, one text sent to a group of 20 people will be counted as one single text as it has been sent to one single group. Hence, this type of texting is quite affordable if you want to converse in a collaborative environment.
Mass text: You can easily run a text messaging campaign through a mass texting software as it is relatively quite inexpensive to drive one-on-one conversations. While the character limit for text messages is 160 characters, you will be charged per message. However, this price will reduce with an increase in the number of messages you send as a part of the campaign. The charges are subjective as they vary with the service provider you choose.
Group text vs mass text – major differences