Great WordPress Plugins for SMS Marketing

Are you tired of how impersonal it feels to send emails or post on social media? These are tried and tested marketing platforms, but it can feel like nobody is listening or that your emails are being deleted unopened. While these platforms are reliable, they often lack the immediacy and personal touch that SMS messaging provides. With great WordPress plugins for SMS marketing with ConveyThis, you can seamlessly integrate SMS campaigns into your marketing plan. SMS marketing offers a direct way to reach customers, delivering concise messages like coupon codes or order updates directly to their phones.

We are all familiar with text messaging. It’s a reliable communication medium, and the greatest thing is that the messaging app comes pre-installed on all phone models, so there’s no need to download extra apps. Receiving and sending texts feels personal, like having a face-to-face conversation. It’s an integral part of our everyday lives.

If you want to expand your customer base and keep them engaged in a new way, researching WordPress SMS marketing plugins and designing an SMS campaign could be a game-changer. Whether it’s sending out SMS notifications, order updates, or marketing campaigns, WordPress plugins can help streamline this process.

What’s SMS marketing good for?

SMS marketing is a similar way of communicating with users as social media posts or emails, though not as much seems to have been written about it. Anyone with a WordPress website can find a useful function for it. Let’s explore some common use cases:

• Ecommerce: You can send SMS messages to your customers’ phones to update them on their order status, notify them of shipping details, or offer them coupons and discounts. These notifications improve customer experience and boost conversion rates.
• Service providers: If you offer a service that requires appointments with clients (dentists, real estate agents, handymen, etc.), you can send reminders for appointments, reducing no-shows and improving scheduling efficiency.
• Content creators: Send notifications for new blog posts, videos, or podcast episodes to keep your audience engaged.
• Charities: Notify supporters of upcoming charity drives and fundraisers. SMS marketing plugins make it easy to collect donations via links.
• Membership websites: Send links for quick renewals and updates about exclusive content to subscribers.
• Retail businesses: Notify customers of vouchers, promotions, or special offers. You can also send short polls, quizzes, or surveys to gather valuable feedback.

Why You Need Great WordPress Plugins for SMS Marketing

SMS marketing is an efficient and highly personal form of communication. By leveraging great WordPress plugins for SMS marketing with ConveyThis, you can:

• Notify customers about order updates.
• Send promotional codes or reminders.
• Automate appointment confirmations.

If you’re already using WordPress for your website, you can explore how to easily add multilingual support and SMS functionality by visiting ConveyThis WordPress Integrations.

Building a Phone Number Database

To effectively execute an SMS marketing campaign, a critical first step is building a comprehensive phone number database. Without a collection of accurate, opt-in phone numbers, your efforts to engage customers through SMS will fall flat. Fortunately, there are multiple ways to collect these numbers from your audience—each catering to different business types and customer interactions. Below are several strategies for collecting phone numbers, along with best practices to ensure that your database remains valuable, engaged, and compliant with regulations.

1. Account Creation Forms

One of the most straightforward methods for collecting phone numbers is by adding a field in your account creation forms on your website. This is a natural place to request additional contact information, including phone numbers. When using this approach, make sure that the phone number field is optional to avoid deterring potential users from signing up.

You can also use this form to explain the benefits of providing a phone number, such as receiving personalized offers, order updates, or appointment reminders. However, make sure you are clear about how you will use their information to maintain transparency and build trust.

2. Keyword Opt-Ins via SMS

Another highly effective method to build your phone number database is by encouraging customers and potential customers to opt-in voluntarily by sending a keyword via SMS to a short code. A shortcode is a 5- or 6-digit number that allows businesses to receive text messages, and they are often used for marketing campaigns.

For example, you might encourage customers to text a specific keyword like “SALE” or “WIN” to a shortcode like “22333”. Once they text the keyword, they opt-in to receive SMS alerts about promotions, new products, or special events. This method is a great way to engage customers directly, especially in situations where you don’t have direct access to their phone numbers through the website.

This opt-in approach helps you ensure that customers are genuinely interested in receiving your messages, which not only increases engagement but also ensures compliance with regulations like the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) in the U.S.

3. In-Store Forms

For businesses with a physical location, collecting phone numbers directly from customers during in-store visits is another effective option. This can be done through a simple paper form at the checkout counter, or more efficiently, via an in-store tablet or digital kiosk where customers can provide their information directly.

Additionally, you can ask for phone numbers during customer service interactions, such as when they inquire about promotions or request assistance with a product. This direct approach can work especially well for businesses like retail stores, gyms, salons, or restaurants that have high foot traffic and frequent customer visits.

4. Pop-Up Forms on Your Website

If you run an e-commerce store or a content-driven website, adding a pop-up form is another great way to gather phone numbers. These pop-ups can trigger after a customer spends a certain amount of time on your website, or when they attempt to leave the page (exit-intent pop-ups). You can encourage users to sign up for SMS updates or newsletters and offer incentives like a 10% discount on their first order to drive sign-ups.

5. Social Media Campaigns

Leverage your social media platforms to encourage followers to share their phone numbers. For example, you could run a contest or giveaway where participants enter by texting a keyword or filling out a form with their phone number. This method can help you quickly grow your phone number database by tapping into your existing social media audience, who are already familiar with your brand.

6. Customer Feedback Surveys

After a transaction or service, consider asking for feedback via SMS. Customers who engage with your survey can be asked to provide their phone numbers as part of the process. You can then use this data to improve your services while simultaneously expanding your SMS contact list.

Benefits of Installing SMS Marketing Plugins on Your WordPress Site

As you can see, text messaging is an incredibly versatile tool that complements your digital marketing plan. The stats will blow your mind:

• High Open Rates: SMS boasts a 98% open rate compared to email’s 20-30%.
• Quick Read Times: 90% of SMS are read within three seconds.
• High Conversion Rates: SMS marketing recipients experience about a 14% conversion rate.
• Multi-Channel Support: SMS integrates seamlessly with other marketing tools, enhancing email campaigns and social media strategies.

The Best Great WordPress Plugins for SMS Marketing

When it comes to SMS marketing, the right plugins can make all the difference. Here are some of the great WordPress plugins for SMS marketing with ConveyThis that can streamline your efforts:

1. Formidable Forms with the Twilio SMS Add-On

Formidable Forms stands out as one of the most versatile and powerful form builders for WordPress. When paired with the Twilio SMS Add-On, it transforms into a robust tool for SMS-driven marketing and communication. This plugin allows you to collect customer phone numbers directly through your forms, enabling seamless SMS integration for tasks like surveys, feedback collection, and community text voting.

The Twilio integration enhances its functionality by enabling two-way communication, allowing you to send and receive SMS messages globally. Twilio’s pay-as-you-go pricing model, starting at just $0.0075 per message, makes it a cost-effective solution for businesses looking to scale their SMS marketing efforts.

Key Features:

• Customizable forms for collecting customer data
• Conditional SMS messaging for targeted campaigns
• Scheduled messages for birthdays, holidays, and follow-ups
• Real-time analytics for monitoring engagement and performance

Best Use Cases:

• Conducting surveys and polls via SMS
• Automating customer feedback collection
• Sending personalized promotions and updates

Explore Formidable Forms + Twilio

2. Gravity Forms with the Twilio add-on

If you’re already using Gravity Forms, its Twilio add-on is a must-have for integrating SMS notifications into your WordPress site. This plugin is particularly beneficial for businesses looking to automate notifications for form submissions, payment confirmations, and other key actions. With additional integration options like Bitly for URL shortening and PayPal for payment alerts, Gravity Forms + Twilio is a comprehensive solution for e-commerce and service-based businesses.

The Twilio add-on is included with Gravity Forms’ Pro and Elite licenses, offering advanced features for creating customized, SMS-based workflows. You can use it to notify customers of important updates or streamline internal communications by alerting your team about new submissions.

Key Features:

• Real-time SMS notifications for forms and payments
• Bitly integration for easy link sharing
• Multi-language support for global businesses

Best Use Cases:

• Sending order updates to customers
• Notifying your team about new inquiries
• Enhancing customer support through SMS

Explore Gravity Forms + Twilio

3. Appointment Hour Booking with Twilio or Clickatell add-on

Appointment Hour Booking is an essential plugin for businesses that rely on appointment scheduling, such as clinics, beauty salons, and educational institutions. Its intuitive interface lets you define working hours, customize booking forms, and integrate with SMS add-ons like Twilio or Clickatell.

With Twilio, you can send automated SMS reminders and booking confirmations, ensuring clients never miss an appointment. Clickatell adds another layer of functionality with two-way communication and real-time analytics, making it ideal for businesses with an international client base.

There are two SMS add-on options for Appointment Hour Booking:

• By pairing with Twilio: You can send automated booking and reminder notifications as SMS so clients won’t forget about upcoming appointments and also give them the possibility to reschedule.
• By pairing with Clickatell: Allows bilateral communication between you and your client by sending personalized messages to mobile phones around the world, and you can see the analytics reports in real time. You can access the Clickatell add-on by purchasing the Appointment Hour Booking Professional plan.

If you are only texting clients within the US, and you are using a long number instead of a shortcode, the prices are comparable. Otherwise, if you are texting outside the US and/or want to use a shortcode, Clickatell will cost extra.

Key Features:

• Flexible booking forms with time and duration settings
• Integration with payment processors and SMS services
• Automated notifications for bookings and reschedules

Best Use Cases:

• Managing appointments for service-based businesses
• Sending SMS reminders to reduce no-shows
• Streamlining customer communications

Explore Appointment Hour Booking + Twilio/Clickatell

4. Joy of Text

Connecting with your customers and blog followers is easy with Joy of Text. With the free version, Joy of Text Lite, you can send SMS to groups or individuals. It has a built in subscription form and it automatically sends a welcoming message to those who subscribe. You can also personalize your messages with a wide range of tags and check that each phone entered is valid.

On the other hand, Joy of Text Pro has the following additional features: it has support for Twilio, integration with the WordPress user database, you can receive and route inbound SMS messages to a phone or email, you can remote message, read text exchanges as message threads, and do much more!

Joy of Text can be seamlessly integrated with WooCommerce, Gravity Forms, Easy Digital Downloads and WhatsApp.

This plugin is perfect for businesses aiming to build stronger relationships with their customers and followers. Its ability to send personalized messages, manage subscribers, and automate responses makes it a powerful tool for both marketing and customer support.

Key Features:

• Group and individual messaging
• Integration with WooCommerce, Gravity Forms, and more
• Inbound SMS routing and response automation

Best Use Cases:

• Sending promotional offers to subscribers
• Managing customer queries via SMS
• Building a loyal audience through personalized communication

Explore Joy of Text

5. Twilio for WooCommerce

For e-commerce businesses, Twilio for WooCommerce is an indispensable plugin. It allows you to send automated SMS updates to customers, keeping them informed about their order status. This plugin also lets you customize messages for each order status, enabling you to include promotional codes or personalized thank-you messages.

By enabling customers to opt-in for SMS updates during checkout, Twilio for WooCommerce enhances the shopping experience and helps build trust. Its seamless integration with WooCommerce ensures that setup and usage are hassle-free.

Key Features:

• Customizable SMS updates for order statuses
• Opt-in options during checkout
• Integration with WooCommerce Order Status Manager

Best Use Cases:

• Notifying customers about order updates
• Sending promotional offers alongside delivery notifications
• Improving customer satisfaction through timely updates

Explore Twilio for WooCommerce

6. Amelia

Amelia is a comprehensive booking plugin that supports both email and SMS notifications. It is ideal for businesses like gyms, law firms, and beauty salons that require an efficient booking system. With its SMS reminder feature, Amelia helps reduce no-shows and improve customer satisfaction.

The plugin also integrates with Google Calendar and WooCommerce, allowing you to manage your schedule and payments seamlessly. Its user-friendly interface makes it easy for businesses to automate appointment-related communications.

Key Features:

• SMS reminders and notifications for appointments
• Integration with Google Calendar and WooCommerce
• Customizable booking forms with advanced fields

Best Use Cases:

• Scheduling appointments and events
• Sending automated reminders to clients
• Streamlining the booking process

Explore Amelia

7. Easy Appointments’ All in One Extension Package

Easy Appointments is an intuitive and user-friendly booking plugin that allows businesses to manage appointments effortlessly. For those looking to add SMS functionality, the All in One Extension Package provides the essential integration with Twilio and other popular SMS services. By integrating Twilio, you can automate appointment confirmations, reminders, and reschedule notifications, ensuring your clients stay informed and engaged.

With Easy Appointments, businesses can create a highly customized booking process, including multiple locations, services, and team members, and integrate with payment processors like WooCommerce and PayPal. The added SMS functionality takes the booking experience to a new level by streamlining communication and enhancing customer service.

Key Features:

• Multi-location, multi-service, and multi-worker support
• Customizable booking forms with advanced fields
• Integration with payment processors like WooCommerce and PayPal
• Two-way Google Calendar sync and iCalendar support

Best Use Cases:

• Managing a busy appointment calendar with automated SMS reminders
• Confirming bookings and cancellations via SMS
• Improving client engagement with real-time appointment updates

Explore Easy Appointments

8. Notification with the Pushbullet Extension

If you’re looking for a plugin that goes beyond traditional SMS marketing and offers push notifications, the Notification plugin with the Pushbullet Extension is an excellent choice. This integration allows you to send push notifications alongside SMS, making it a versatile option for businesses seeking to reach customers across multiple platforms. You can set custom triggers for when notifications are sent, such as when new content is posted, or when an order is placed.

With the Pushbullet extension, you can send notifications directly to Android devices, and these notifications can be converted into SMS messages, providing you with additional marketing flexibility. Furthermore, this plugin offers the ability to send notifications for system events like new user registrations or comments on your site.

Key Features:

• Customizable triggers for notifications (e.g., new content, order updates)
• SMS notifications for events like new orders or user registrations
• Integration with WooCommerce for e-commerce notifications

Best Use Cases:

• Sending system alerts and updates to both site admins and users
• Reaching customers with promotional offers and new product announcements
• Sending reminders and updates for customer orders and bookings

Explore Notification + Pushbullet

9. WordPress SMS

WordPress SMS is a flexible plugin designed for businesses that need a reliable SMS marketing tool. It supports multiple SMS providers, allowing you to choose the one that best fits your needs. With features like SMS newsletters, subscriber management, and scheduling, WordPress SMS is perfect for businesses of all sizes.

This plugin is especially useful for organizations like restaurants, churches, and e-commerce stores that want to communicate with their audience directly from the WordPress dashboard.

Key Features:

• Support for multiple SMS providers
• Scheduled SMS campaigns and newsletters
• Subscriber management with group messaging

Best Use Cases:

• Sending bulk SMS promotions
• Managing community or organizational announcements
• Scheduling recurring messages for campaigns

Explore WordPress SMS

10. WooSMS

WooSMS is a robust and easy-to-use plugin that combines the power of SMS marketing with WooCommerce, making it an ideal choice for e-commerce stores looking to enhance customer interactions. This plugin allows you to send SMS notifications for new orders, stock updates, and other essential transactional messages.

One of the standout features of WooSMS is its ability to handle multilingual messages, making it an excellent choice for businesses with an international customer base. It also allows for bulk SMS marketing, enabling you to send promotional offers or updates to large groups of customers simultaneously. WooSMS ensures that the communication process is smooth, whether you’re sending order updates, special offers, or stock alerts.

Key Features:

• Bulk SMS for promotions, announcements, and offers
• Multilingual support for global businesses
• Real-time SMS alerts for stock updates and new orders
• URL shortening for easy message sharing

Best Use Cases:

• Notifying customers of order statuses and delivery confirmations
• Sending time-sensitive promotional offers to increase sales
• Communicating product availability and stock updates

Explore WooSMS

For a step-by-step guide on translating your WordPress website and enhancing its functionality with plugins like these, check out How to Translate WordPress.

Further options

If none of the previously mentioned SMS marketing plugins meet your specific needs, don’t worry—there are still plenty of other options to explore! The WordPress ecosystem is vast, and new plugins and tools are constantly being developed to provide solutions for different marketing challenges. By incorporating great WordPress plugins for SMS marketing with ConveyThis, you can effectively collect phone numbers through forms, pop-ups, and opt-ins while ensuring compliance with regulations. Whether you want more customization or need a different approach entirely, you have a world of possibilities at your fingertips.

1. Create Your Own Plugin

If you have coding experience, one exciting option is to create your own custom plugin tailored specifically to your business’s needs. WordPress is built on PHP, and with a little knowledge of this programming language, you can start developing a plugin that integrates seamlessly with your site’s design and functionality. For SMS marketing, you can leverage APIs like Twilio to send and receive SMS directly through your WordPress website. Twilio provides an extensive and well-documented API that enables sending SMS messages, making phone calls, and even building interactive voice applications.

For those who are new to plugin development, the Twilio blog offers excellent resources, including tutorials and step-by-step guides for creating your own WordPress plugin. If you’re interested in building more custom solutions or experimenting with new ideas, this route allows you to have full control over the features, appearance, and behavior of your SMS system. The ability to tweak every detail means you can tailor the plugin to fit your exact needs—whether that’s adding custom SMS workflows, integrating with other platforms, or creating unique user experiences.

Key Benefits of Custom Plugins:

• Full customization and control over functionality
• Integrate unique SMS workflows tailored to your business needs
• No need to depend on third-party tools or their limitations
• Ideal for developers with technical expertise who want to create specialized features

2. Integrate with Zapier

If you’re looking for an easy way to automate and integrate various tools without needing to write a single line of code, Zapier is a fantastic option. Zapier is an online automation tool that connects your favorite apps and automates workflows. With over 5,000 supported apps, including Twilio, Google Sheets, Slack, and Mailchimp, you can create seamless workflows between different platforms to help streamline your SMS marketing strategy.

For instance, you can automatically trigger SMS messages through Twilio whenever a new entry is made in your Gravity Forms or WooCommerce checkout. Or, you can automate tasks like adding customers to a specific group in your SMS system after they make a purchase. The free version of Zapier offers a simple interface and one-to-one integrations that can help you get started with automating basic tasks. It’s perfect for small businesses or those just beginning their SMS marketing journey.

For more advanced users or businesses looking to scale, Zapier’s Premium version unlocks multi-step workflows with more complex automation options. This version allows you to add conditional logic, create automated sequences with multiple actions, and further customize the flow of tasks between your apps. Whether you want to trigger specific SMS marketing messages at certain times or automatically update customer records across platforms, Zapier gives you the flexibility to build these integrations with just a few clicks. The intuitive interface makes it accessible to those without a technical background, while also offering powerful features for power users.

Key Features of Zapier:

• Integrates with over 5,000 apps, including Twilio, Google Sheets, and WooCommerce
• Easy-to-use interface with no coding required
• Free version for basic automation needs with limited triggers
• Premium version for more complex workflows, with support for conditionals and multi-step automation
• Saves time by automating repetitive tasks and creating efficient workflows

The Bottom Line:

• Custom Plugin Development gives you the most control and flexibility if you have the technical skills.
• Zapier provides an easy and code-free way to integrate and automate your SMS campaigns with other apps and tools.
• The WordPress ecosystem offers a variety of plugins and customization options to fit any business’s needs, whether you’re just starting out or need advanced features.

Explore these options, and you’ll find that SMS marketing is an incredibly powerful tool that can elevate your WordPress site’s customer engagement and business operations.

Why SMS Marketing is Essential for Your WordPress Website

SMS marketing is one of the most direct and efficient ways to communicate with customers, especially when dealing with time-sensitive information. Whether it’s confirming appointments, sending promotional offers, or updating customers on their orders, SMS ensures that your message is delivered instantly and is often read within minutes. Here are a few reasons why SMS marketing is so powerful:

1. High Open and Engagement Rates

SMS messages have an incredibly high open rate, with over 98% of messages being opened. Unlike email, where messages may get lost in crowded inboxes, SMS messages are read almost immediately after being received. This makes SMS an excellent channel for delivering time-sensitive promotions, reminders, and updates.

2. Personalized Communication

With SMS marketing, you can personalize messages based on customer preferences, purchase history, or past interactions. Personalized SMS campaigns tend to perform better than generic messages, leading to higher engagement rates and conversion rates.

3. Automated and Scalable

Using the right WordPress SMS plugins, you can automate a wide range of messaging activities. From automated order confirmations and appointment reminders to birthday greetings and follow-ups, automation helps you scale your efforts without compromising on personalization. Automated SMS campaigns save time and increase efficiency, making it easier to handle large volumes of communication.

4. Real-Time Communication

SMS offers real-time communication, meaning you can instantly notify customers about important updates like order confirmations, changes in service, or special offers. This immediacy leads to a more responsive customer experience and ensures your business remains top of mind for your audience.

5. Global Reach

With global SMS delivery options through services like Twilio and Clickatell, your business can easily reach customers around the world. Whether you’re targeting local clients or managing international campaigns, SMS marketing ensures that your messages are delivered without the barriers that other channels, like email, might face (such as spam filters or language preferences).

To conclude

Incorporating SMS marketing into your WordPress website is becoming an increasingly essential part of effective multi-channel marketing and it can significantly enhance customer engagement, improve retention, and drive sales. Whether you are using SMS for appointment reminders, order notifications, or marketing campaigns, the plugins listed above provide the tools and features you need to successfully integrate SMS into your WordPress site.

By selecting the right plugin for your business needs, you can automate customer communications, deliver personalized experiences, and scale your efforts with ease. With the wide array of SMS marketing plugins for WordPress, you can ensure that your business stays connected with customers, both efficiently and effectively.

Start implementing SMS marketing today and watch as your customer satisfaction and conversion rates soar!

Additional Resources:

• ConveyThis Integrations to explore compatibility with WordPress.
• How to Translate WordPress for more guidance.
• Help Guide for Translating WordPress Websites for step-by-step support.