Most of the time, texting from your phone is the way to go. Your phone is with you all the time, providing access to your friends and family at your fingertips. But sometimes, it is just more convenient to send texts from your laptop or desktop, like for SMS marketing.
When you need to send business texts, your cell phone is no longer the most convenient device, especially if you need to send mass texts for a marketing campaign. There are other reasons sending texts from your PC might be more convenient. It is easy to do multitasking on a computer. The large keyboard also makes it easier to type messages. Whatever your reason, here are eight ways you can text from your computer.
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8 Ways to Send Texts from a Computer
While text messaging was created for mobile phones, there are many methods you can use to bridge the gap between cell phones and computers to send messages from your laptop or desktop. Each of these methods will work to some degree, though some may have limitations or require a subscription if you need more than basic functionality.
Use Email to Send a Text Message
It is possible to send a text using an email. The only caveat is that you have to know the recipient’s mobile carrier. To use email to text someone, in the “To” line of the email, type the recipient’s ten-digit phone number. Combine this with the mobile phone carrier’s gateway address. Some common ones are listed below:
- AT&T: @txt.att.net for SMS and @mms.att.net for MMS
- Verizon: @tmomail.net for either SMS or MMS
- T-Mobile: @vtext.com for SMS and @vzwpix.com for MMS
An example of what the resulting email address would look like is “[email protected]
“.
Send a Text with iMessage
This method will only work if you have a Mac computer and are sending a text message to an iPhone. If you have either, iMessage came pre-installed on the device when you purchased it.
Simply open the application and sign in with your Apple ID if you are asked to do so. Once you do, sending texts from your Mac will work just like sending texts from your phone.
Sending Texts with Android Messages
Android Messages is a service provided by Google that allows users to connect to the text messaging functionality of their phone through a website. To use it, you need an Android phone with the Messages app. Then you simply visit the Messages site in your computer’s browser and scan the QR code located there with the Messages app on your phone. Once you do, you will be able to text from the browser as if it were your phone.
Texting from a Wireless Carrier Website
Some wireless carriers offer texting through your online account. If so, you can simply log in to their online portal and text from the browser. A carrier may also offer desktop apps that allow you to send texts.
Sending Text Messages with a Free SMS Website
You can also send text for free through websites like TextEm, SendSMSnow, Globfone, TextEmNow, and others. With these free services, you get what you pay for. Depending on the website, you may only be able to send SMS messages, and none will guarantee that your text will reach the recipient.
Sending a Text Through an Online Platform
Many online platforms specialize in providing text messaging to businesses, including Twilio, SimpleTexting, and ClickSend. When you pay for a subscription, you get features like bulk texting, auto-replies, and API access so you can customize your texting workflow with your own code.
Texting with Google Voice
Another option for texting from a computer is Google Voice. When you sign up with Google Voice, you can choose a new phone number from a list of available numbers, forward that number to other phone numbers, and send texts from it in the browser.
Use a Virtual Phone System to Send Texts
If you need to send texts for your business, one of the best options is a virtual phone system like the one that comes with the vanity 800 phone numbers offered by 800.com. Because the phone system is virtual, you can do much more with business texts, including auto-responding, mass texts, and scheduled text messages. Because it is a “phone” system, it comes with more business features like call forwarding, call analytics, and call tracking.
Get Started Sending Texts from Your Computer with 800.com
If you aren’t using SMS marketing for your business yet, maybe you don’t know about the open rate of text messages. It is pretty incredible. SMS has a 98% open rate compared to email marketing. With numbers like this, you don’t want to leave your business texting to chance. While all the methods above will enable you to send a text from your computer with varying levels of success, for text marketing, you need a professional solution.
When you get a vanity phone number from 800.com, it comes with a professional-grade virtual phone system. This includes a suite of SMS marketing tools that will allow you to send mass text campaigns to customers, schedule text messaging for drip campaigns, auto-respond to text message replies, and track every event that happens.
