SMS aggregators are mysterious entities to some. If you’ve recently been advised to both reject and embrace SMS aggregators, you’re not alone. Indeed, a wide range of opinions about SMS aggregators exist within the mobile marketing community.

Yet, making sense of the role played by SMS aggregators and the power of SMS marketing are vital hurdles to jump on the path to successful advertising and branding.

What exactly is an SMS aggregator?

An SMS aggregator provides connectivity with cell phone carriers by offering an effective gateway to both send and receive messages and other multimedia or digital content.

What are the benefits of using an SMS aggregator?

The professional, quality service with on-call support provided by an SMS aggregator is attractive to many. As a result, an SMS aggregator can be an equally attractive tool available to companies and mobile marketers for whom simple email solutions are insufficient, particularly when the content to be distributed is dynamic and not uniform in any way. Through the power of shortcodes, SMS aggregators allow mobile content developers to more quickly and efficiently reach consumer targets and, consequently, monetize content.

What are the costs of using an SMS aggregator?

Working with SMS aggregators can be a laborious process that leaves many first-time mobile marketers frustrated about everything from the response time of support requests to the efficiency of reporting models employed. Perhaps the biggest cost – literally – is just how expensive using an SMS aggregator can be.

SMS and You

Finding an appropriate SMS marketing solution doesn’t have to be nearly as complicated or costly as some claim. Given the emergent popularity of SMS, the global landscape of the mobile marketing industry will likely be littered by the falling prices of SMS as time passes. According to a recent report in The Times of India, SMS rates are “set to crash” with telecom watchdog TRAI reconsidering its longstanding policy of non-interference on tariffs.

Today, 87% of the US population has a cell phone. And 95% of those cell phones have SMS capabilities. As a result, text messages are, on average, read within four minutes. Unfortunately, it often takes a lot longer than four minutes to select the right SMS option for you or your company. But just knowing the power of SMS and the invaluable role it plays in mobile marketing today are important first steps that can ultimately lead to successful advertising and branding endeavors.

Still scratching your head? For more information about SMS marketing and finding a platform right for you, click here.