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How Much Does SMS Marketing Cost? 2025 SMS Marketing Pricing Guide
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Published: Oct 18, 2024
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7 min. read
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Savannah SwansonLead Digital & Social Trends Writer
- Savannah is a content marketer with editorial experience spanning several businesses. Specializing in social media and marketing trends, she loves talking about the latest developments in online marketing. When she’s not writing, Savannah loves traveling, hoarding books and coffee mugs, and adoring her cat. Please don’t ask her about famous true crime cases, or else she’ll tell you all about her theories and get absolutely no work done.
In a world where people are practically glued to their smartphones 24/7, short message service (SMS) marketing is one of the most effective ways to get their attention. But before you plan an SMS campaign, you have to know about SMS marketing pricing and the factors that play into it.
Keep reading to learn all there is to know about SMS marketing pricing. We’ll cover:
- How much does SMS marketing cost?
- SMS marketing pricing factors
- What is SMS marketing ROI?
- SMS marketing pricing FAQs
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How much does SMS marketing cost?
Typically, U.S.-based businesses can expect to pay anywhere from $0.01 to $0.05 per SMS text message sent and approximately $0.01 per message received. When sending messages internationally, SMS marketing pricing will increase, ranging from $0.25 to $0.50 per message.
SMS MESSAGE TYPE |
COST PER SMS TEXT |
SMS text (U.S.) sent | $0.01–$0.05 |
SMS text (International) sent | $0.25–$0.50 |
SMS text received | $0.01 |
The cost of SMS marketing depends on various factors like text length, message and campaign frequency, audience size, and more. In other words, while hitting that “send” button may be simple, calculating the cost of your messages can be a tad more complicated.
SMS marketing pricing factors
So, what goes into the price you pay for each text? When calculating the cost of SMS marketing, there are various factors that impact how much you pay, including:
- Pricing models
- Message length and type
- Number of messages sent per campaign
- Campaign frequency
- Audience size and location
1. Pricing models
To run an SMS marketing campaign, you need an SMS platform. SMS platforms are equipped with the proper tools and compliance features to help you run a successful campaign. But of course, to use an SMS platform, you need to pay for it.
All SMS marketing software providers offer different pricing models and subscriptions for users, and the one you choose will ultimately set the tone for how much you pay for SMS campaigns, and how you pay for them. Common pricing models include:
- Pay-as-you-go: The amount you pay is based on the number of messages you send and receive, with no fixed quota.
- Subscription-based: You pay an annual or monthly fee upfront for a fixed number of messages and text credits. You’ll also pay additional fees for special tools or features you opt into.
- Hybrid: You pay an annual or monthly fixed fee, while also enjoying the benefits of the pay-as-you-go pricing structure. Most SMS platforms offer a hybrid pricing structure.
2. Message type and length
Sending a text is one thing, but what’s in that text can also increase SMS marketing costs. SMS message lengths play a big role in cost. Texts with higher character counts will increase your cost per message.
What’s more, including multimedia like images, videos, or interactive links will turn your SMS text into a multimedia messaging service (MMS) text. While MMS messages are a great way to increase engagement, they’re more costly (around $0.04 per message), so keep this in mind when planning your budget and campaign strategy.
3. Number of messages sent per campaign
This one may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s worth mentioning — the more texts you send, the more you’re going to pay!
Especially when you’re on a pay-as-you-go plan, it’s important to remember that while you’re only paying a few cents per message, it adds up quickly when you’re sending hundreds, or even thousands, of messages multiple times a week.
4. Campaign frequency
How often do you plan to run SMS marketing campaigns? Once a week, or once a month? How often you launch a campaign is entirely up to you, but remember that the more campaigns you run, the more money you’ll pay.
5. Audience size and location
Just like message frequency, the more people you reach out to, the more you’re going to spend on SMS messages. Also, where your audience is located can impact how much you pay for SMS marketing. SMS rates, carrier fees, and regulations vary from country to country, so your cost per message will fluctuate depending on where in the world your international audience is.
What is SMS marketing ROI?
Now that we’ve covered what affects SMS marketing pricing and how much you should put into your campaigns, let’s talk about the money you can get out of it.
Your SMS marketing return on investment (ROI) is a metric used to measure the profitability of your campaign by comparing the total investment you made against your profits from the campaign.
How to calculate your SMS marketing ROI
By calculating your SMS marketing ROI, you can see just how successful your SMS efforts are and whether you should adjust your spending. Plus, it’s easy — simply follow this formula:
(Net Profit / Cost of Investment) x 100 = SMS Marketing ROI
SMS marketing pricing FAQs
Now that you’ve learned about SMS marketing pricing and how much it costs, take a look at some SMS marketing FAQs:
What is the cost of SMS marketing?
SMS marketing costs around $0.01 to $0.05 per SMS text message sent. When sending messages to international customers, you can expect to pay $0.25 to $0.50 per message. Your total SMS marketing cost, however, will depend on various factors like campaign frequency, the number of messages sent, and more.
What factors affect SMS marketing costs?
There are various factors that affect SMS marketing pricing, including:
- SMS marketing software pricing models
- SMS message type
- The length of your texts
- The number of messages sent per campaign
- Your campaign frequency
- Audience size
- Audience location
When planning your SMS marketing budget, keep these factors in mind, so you can plan accordingly and ensure you’re setting yourself up for success and start driving results!
What is SMS marketing?
SMS marketing is a digital marketing strategy used by businesses to deliver promotions to customers via text message. Also referred to as text marketing, it’s an effective tool for those who want to engage with their customers in a place where they’re unlikely to miss your marketing efforts — their smartphones.
What are the benefits of SMS marketing?
SMS marketing has a few distinct benefits that make it an effective marketing tactic. Below are four reasons you should consider adding SMS marketing to your digital strategy:
- People use their phones a LOT: Did you know over 2 trillion text messages were sent in the U.S. alone in 2021? With texting being such an integral part of our lives, it’s the perfect way to start effectively engaging customers.
- SMS messages reach customers directly: Unlike social media and email, SMS texts don’t require people to open a separate app to view notifications. SMS texts show up on people’s lock screens, making them pretty hard to miss.
- SMS texts encourage quick action: When viewing a text, you’re less likely to face distractions, like flashy social media posts or a full email inbox. With SMS marketing, you can deliver messages that encourage quick action.
- SMS campaigns complement other marketing strategies: Many businesses use SMS marketing campaigns to reinforce messaging from campaigns they’re running on other digital channels, like social media or search engines.
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Get your SMS marketing campaign off the ground with WebFX
Now that you know what goes into calculating SMS marketing pricing, it’s time to put your knowledge into action. Launch your engagement-driving SMS marketing campaign today with the help of the digital experts at WebFX!
With WebFX’s mobile advertising services, you can leverage our team’s 25+ years of experience and industry-leading marketing technology to deliver attention-grabbing marketing messages directly to your customers.
Ready to start landing in your customers’ smartphone notifications? Call us at 888-601-5359 or contact us online to speak with a strategist!
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Savannah is a content marketer with editorial experience spanning several businesses. Specializing in social media and marketing trends, she loves talking about the latest developments in online marketing. When she’s not writing, Savannah loves traveling, hoarding books and coffee mugs, and adoring her cat. Please don’t ask her about famous true crime cases, or else she’ll tell you all about her theories and get absolutely no work done.
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