Does your bulk SMS platform offer international messaging?

Customers are increasingly buying across the globe – especially if they want access to certain brands or products. This creates huge opportunity for businesses to sell in new markets. International communication should be as seamless as local messaging – and it should be available regardless of internet access.

International SMS services offer companies simple, cost-effective and reliable text messaging ability, anywhere in the world that they do business.

So whether you’re exploring new markets or have an established international presence, send international SMS quickly and reliably wherever your customers, staff and partners are.

So why use SMS for global business messaging?

Texting is the easiest way to send reliable, instant messages to your employees, customers, associates, suppliers… anyone! It allows contacts to receive your message straight to their handset – without additional applications or an internet connection. So why not extend your SMS service to handle your international communications also?

Here’s why international businesses love SMS:

• It’s more reliable than other direct marketing methods and the results are easily trackable
• All cell phones are equipped to receive text messages as the default messaging service.
• Most people are simply more inclined to read a text message than an email; the succinct format is easily digestible.
• 98% open rate (good luck getting that with email!)
• SMS elicits high levels of engagement, no matter where you (and they) are. Consumers are more likely to respond to calls to action on text messages compared to email or voice campaigns
• SMS is very cost-effective, inexpensive to send and delivers fantastic ROI.

Send international texts from your home country to consumers in more than two hundred nations worldwide, with our fully global SMS service.

What you should know before sending international texts

Most countries have their own regulations for sending international SMS. Before you send SMS, it’s best to find out about any applicable laws and best practices for the country that you’re sending to. Or reach out to one of our friendly team members to guide you through sending international texts.

But no matter where you’re sending to, here are some general tips:

1. Always get opt-in consent from your contacts to send them texts.
2. Never contact numbers on a DNC or do-not-disturb list.
3. Be mindful of timezones – we recommend only sending within local business hours (Monday- Friday, 8am-5pm).
4. Support messages in both English and the appropriate language in the country you’re sending to (especially for STOP or HELP content).

Also, some countries may filter messages based on their content – so it’s best to check local regulations. Here are a few examples:

• China blocks content deemed to be financial, “adult”, political, or “illegal” and even filter keywords related to healthcare, cosmetic surgery and beauty care.
• Mexico heavily filters traffic and it’s best to avoid using URLs, brand names and phone numbers.
• France and India queue marketing text messages for later delivery, if sent at inappropriate times. That is, between 10pm-8am (France) or 9pm-9am (India), on Sundays and public holidays.
• Content related to gambling and other topics deemed “objectionable” are filtered by countries including the USA, Saudi Arabia and Japan.

Sending to the United States or Canada? Chances are that you will need to get your dedicated number verified. It’s free to do and we have prepared a guide to number verification.

How to get started with international text messaging

Go global; send your first international SMS campaign with the same 3 easy steps to send text message campaigns. Once you log in to your account, you upload your contact list, create your message and click send.

There are a few small differences when sending internationally; international country codes, sender details and timing. Read on for three tips to ensure your international text message campaign is a success.

1. Uploading international phone numbers

It’s very important to include the correct country code when uploading your contacts. Typically, if you upload mobile numbers in your local number format, we try to convert the number into international format based on your default country code. But this could have some interesting results for international SMS 😳

Upload your international contact list in one of two ways:

• Include numbers in their full international format with country code
  Eg. 1555xxxxxxx in the USA, 614xxxxxxxx in Australia, 44xxxxxxxxx in the UK, etc.
  Full list of country codes can be found here.
• Add a column to your spreadsheet including the 2 character country for each of your contacts (eg. ‘US’) and your numbers will be converted during the upload. Just ensure to choose the ‘country’ column in the list import.

Find out more about ensuring that your contact list is set up for success.

2. Country specific features for sender identification

Our international SMS service supports four options for sender identification:

• A shared number
• A dedicated number
• Your mobile number
• Your business name

Read more about the ‘from’ sender details here.

However, different countries allow and restrict how senders are identified. We have compiled information about sending to specific countries, and our knowledgable customer support team are happy to help (and live on chat 24/7).

3. Send International SMS to different timezones

Earlier we mentioned that it’s best to only send messages within local business hours. But that doesn’t mean that you have to be awake at midnight to ensure that your Singapore campaign delivers at lunchtime.

💡 That’s where SMS scheduling comes in.

Choose exactly when you want your message to be delivered using the SMS scheduling feature in our dashboard to create messages at any time, to be delivered at any time.

Tip: it’s also important to note that in some countries, like in Australia and the US, there are multiple timezones. We recommend choosing a time that works in all timezones or split out your contact list into segments based on timezone and send accordingly.

ClickSend: global coverage. Fast direct routes.

Want to start sending messages all over the globe?

Make sure your messages reach your recipients securely and reliably by choosing an international SMS provider with stable direct routes. Build powerful SMS campaigns with lightning-fast delivery anywhere in the world with ClickSend. Sign up and get sending.

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