Sending messages to all your customers one by one can be quite a task. That's where SMS campaigns come in handy! They let you send bulk messages to everyone on your contact list or to specific groups, making it easy to keep everyone in the loop.
In this article, we'll walk you through using SMS campaigns to send bulk messages, which will save you time and help you connect better with your customers.
If you prefer visual learning, you can watch this easy step-by-step video on how to send a campaign.
A step-by-step guide to sending a Campaign
Step 1: Access the Campaigns Page
To create a campaign, begin by clicking the (1) yellow plus button or the (2) Send Campaign icon on the left navigation sidebar.
Pro-tip: You can also create a campaign from the Campaigns dashboard and Contacts pages by clicking the New Campaign button.
Step 2: Fill out your Campaign information
1. Enter a name for your Campaign. This name will not be visible to your customers, but is helpful for you when organizing and tracking your Campaigns.
Example: Beat the Heat Summer Sale
2. If you have multiple phone numbers, you can choose which number the campaign will be sent from.
3. Next, fill out your message. Here's a sample campaign message:
Struggling with summer heat? Get 20% off our cooling solutions! Reply to this text and we'll get you set up. Stay cool and save now!
Pro-tip: You can see a preview of your message on the right side of the page as you are drafting it.
Below the message box, you can add emoji's and attachments to your message. All files sent must be 5MB or less. For all accepted file types, click here.
Step 3: Personalize your Campaign
Custom fields allow you to personalize your messages by including specific information unique to each contact, such as their name. Currently, the only custom field available is the recipient's first name.
When composing your Message, place your curser in the space where you want the recipient's name to appear.
Select the (1) personalize icon located under the message box to insert the (2) {{ first_name | friend }} placeholder where you want the recipient's name to appear.
By default, if a first name isn't available, the placeholder will be replaced with "friend," but you can change this fallback to something else if you'd like.
When your Message is sent, your contact's first name will automatically replace the placeholder.
Step 4: Select your Audience
Next, select your audience. This is who will be receiving your campaign. You can send to everyone in your contact list or select a specific group or keyword.
To send to specific groups, select the (1) Groups option. This option gives you the option to send to All Contacts or to select group of contacts.
To add keywords, click (2) All Keywords and select any keyword groups you would like to send to.
Filter your audience
To send to specific groups, click (3) All Contacts and select any groups you would like to send your message to.
You can add additional filters with tags by pressing (4) + Filter and selecting a tag.
Currently, when you select multiple groups, keywords, or tags, the message will only be sent to the contacts listed in every item you select.
In the example below, if you select the group "VIP Offers" and the tag "New Customer," then only the contacts that are in the "VIP Offers" group and tagged "New Customer" will receive the message.
Pro-tip: Make sure to double-check the audience number to ensure it matches your expected number of contacts for the message.
Step 5: Set when to send your Campaign
After choosing your target audience, the next step is to determine the frequency and timing of your message delivery. You have the flexibility to set the frequency and choose the exact time for delivering your campaign to your audience. You can set the frequency of the campaign to either One time or Recurring.
One Time: Sends the message one-time.
Recurring: You can select the day(s) and time(s) the message be sent.
Sending a One-Time Message
To send a one-time message, follow these steps:
Select One Time: Choose the "One Time" option to send a single message.
Set When to Send: Decide when you want to send the message. You have two options:
Send Immediately: The message will be sent to your audience as soon as you hit "Send Message."
Set a Future Date and Time: Schedule a specific date and time for when you want the message to be sent.
By selecting these options, you can ensure your one-time message reaches your audience at the perfect moment.
Selecting a Recurring campaigns
To set up a recurring campaign, follow these steps
Select Recurring: Choose the "Recurring" option to set up a campaign that will be sent regularly.
Select Day and Time: Choose the day of the week and the time of day you want to send the message. You can select multiple days and times if needed.
Set End Date: Decide when the recurring campaign should stop. You can choose from:
Never: The campaign will continue indefinitely until you manually stop it.
Custom Date: Select a specific date for the campaign to end.
Set Number: Specify the exact number of times the campaign should be sent before stopping.
Use case example: A fitness coach wants to remind their clients to log their workout details each week to keep them motivated and on track with their fitness goals.
Hello {{ first_name | champion }}! Don't forget to log into your account and enter your workout details for the week. Stay on track and reach your fitness goals! 💪