In this article, you will learn how to create an SMS, to manage its deliverability, to integrate content and to personnalize it to differents audiences. You will finish with testing your SMS.
Prerequisites
Step 1: Create an SMS
Go to Communications -> SMS and click Create an SMS.
Then, give a name to the SMS and select a communication type. When you are done, click on Create:
Communication types available are those you authorized for SMS messages when you activated the module.
Step 2: Insert Opt-out Instructions
Some countries require to insert opt-out instructions into an SMS. To be compliant, you can check the Show opt-out instructions option:
Step 3: Add a sender ID (optional)
If you want the recipient to see your business name instead of your phone number, you can enter a name in the From field:
If you enter a sender ID, the recipient will not see your phone number and will not be able to answer to your SMS.
Sender ID restrictions
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Step 4: Write the Content
Note: When writing your SMS, pay attention to the number of characters in your message, which is displayed in the right pane SMS analysis section. Ideally, your message should have a maximum of 140 characters as to count only one fragment.
Read the article on how to check the number of fragments in your message.
- To compose or edit the content of the message, you must go to the Library section.
- In the center pane of the editor, type in your message.
- Add desired elements from the available options under the Library section.
- Make sure to save your changes by clicking on Save. Actually, it is safer to save as you make changes.
Note: In some countries, legislation requires including unsubscribe instructions in SMS content. Our platform offers an option that allows you to add these instructions automatically based on the keywords "Arrêt" and "Stop". The unsubscribe instruction text will be visible in the "Test" and "Send" sections when previewing the SMS.
To activate this option, go to the "Properties" tab of the "Compliance Options" block. A toggle button allows you to select the display language between French or English. If you activate this option, the default unsubscribe mechanism will be enabled.
Step 5: Personalize the message by adding variables
You might want to customize the content of the message with variables. The most common variable used is for the introduction.
Example: Hello [[=Contact.f_FirstName;]], will show in the message as: Hello Peter, or Hello Susan, You can insert customizable variables anywhere in the message by using fields from the contact's profile, whether it is an address, a phone number or a comment entered in the profile.
- Place the cursor in the message where you want to insert the customized text.
- In the Customization section, select the data source by clicking on
to display the list of possible sources. By default, the source is the contact's profile, but you can choose variables from the project, the company, or even from system data. Then, select the field corresponding to the value you want to insert. - Click on Insert.
Personalize the message with dynamic content
If you want to customize the message by adding dynamic and conditional content, you must select the desired options under the Dynamic content. For example, you might want to show in the message the address of the company that is in the same location as the location of the recipient.
Example: If the region of the contact is Quebec, show the address of the office in Quebec; otherwise, show the address in Montreal.Description of condition types
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Contact's profile | Lets you add content based on any field in the contact profile. |
| Project's info | Lets you insert specific content when a given project data is met, such as the project name, id number, key or creation or edit date. |
| Company's info | Lets you choose amongst the information on the company to insert a specific content. This information is found in the Account Management module. |
| System info | Lets you insert dynamic content based on a given system date. |
| Device | Lets you personalize the content depending on the type of device and platform used to view messages. See a description of all available choices under Device |
- Place the cursor in the message where you want to insert the conditional text.
- If you need more space to type in your text, or simply wish to work in a bigger space, click on
to see the section in full-screen mode. - In the Add this contentsection, type in the text to insert in the message if the condition is met.
Example: The address of the office in Quebec
You can also select the text right in the message and click on the
icon to copy your selection. - Under the If... section, select the data source by clicking on to display the list of possible sources. By default, the source is the contact's profile, but you can choose variables from the project, the company, or even from system data. Once the source is selected, select the field and the operator to use for the search.
- If you want to have an alternate text, for when the condition is not met, check the Else option and specify the replacement text.
Example The address of the office in Montreal if the contact's region is not Quebec
- Click on Insert.
Step 6: Preview
Once the SMS is saved, you can immediately see what it looks like in the right panel.
Step 7: Test the Sending
To check if your SMS is correct and can be sent, it is recommended to perform a test by entering a valid cellular phone number and send the message as a test. See also Supported Number Formats for Sending SMS.
Check on the phone on which you sent the SMS to see if the SMS was received and if it is desired.
Next Step
Send the SMS. See Sending an SMS Message.