Do you want to benefit from the power of text marketing but don’t know how to send mass text messages to customers? Don’t worry; Pony Express HQ got you covered! 🤍 In this article, we will guide you through a step-by-step process on how to send bulk text messages to your customers. Keep reading to discover essential details, message templates, required files, and more. Or, for a quick and straightforward tutorial, you can watch our video guide titled "How to text from your computer?".
Let’s create your first text marketing campaign together and fly your business! 🚀
Basically, the text marketing campaigns are generated in three parts:
However, each step has its own tricks and sub-steps that we’ll discuss in the next part.
Step-by-step sending mass text messages
1. Collection of user permission & contact
The first rule of text marketing is getting user permission. Collecting customer opt-ins is essential for sending promotional messages, whether you write the most creative text message or generate the best text marketing strategy. In the US, consumer rights are strictly protected under TCPA legislation. 👩⚖️ So, you have to play the game by the rules!
💡Discover more: How to be TCPA and CTIA compliant when text message marketing
How to collect customer opt-ins?
You can collect customer opt-ins with an old-school method by asking them in-store with a pen and paper. Or, you can go with digital paths, including websites and mobiles. If you have an e-commerce site, you can integrate the Pony Express HQ web widget into your website to collect customer permissions. On the mobile side, you can publicly share your Pony Express HQ number in-store or via e-mails and have your customers send you opt-in messages with specific SMS keywords such as YES and START.
⛔ In the last method, don’t send any SMS before they text you to opt-in.
💡 Always inform customers on how to opt-out from the text marketing list.
▫️ Discover: How can I add the web widget on my website?
Can I text customers to ask for their permission to send promotional text messages?
No! 🙅🏻♀️You can’t text customers to collect their opt-ins. Your first text message should be sent after you have the opt-ins.
💡Bonus: Opt-In Requirement
"Prior to sending the first message, you must obtain Prior Express Written Consent from the message recipient to send them texts using automated technology. You must make clear to the individual that they are agreeing to receive messages, sent by automated technology, of the type you're going to send. And you should use the phrase "Prior Express Written Consent" to comply with the law. You need to record, and keep a record of the consent, such as a copy of the document or form that the message recipient signed, or a time-stamp and associated IP Address of the customer agreeing in a lead form."
User contact information format
While collecting customers' contact information, an excel sheet can be used to upload these contacts on business texting services. For example, within Pony Express HQ, you can use the CSV file with the following structure:
💡Discover more: How do I upload contacts with a CSV file?
2. Writing a plain text message
If you have collected user permissions and contacts, it’s time for creativity!
In this step, you need to generate your plain text message. It is an easy step, but you can increase the impact of your promotional text message with several considerations.
Things to consider when writing text messages to customers:
Be direct. Say what you need to say. Thus, you will not waste your credits and customers’ time.
Mention necessary information such as your brand, essential numbers, dates, times, etc.
Use humorous language rather than monotonous one to attract attention.
Benefit from the power of emojis, but avoid over-using.
Personalize the text message to make your customers feel special.
If this is your first time sending text messages to customers, you should start with a warm welcome message. Here are a few welcome text message examples:
“Howdy 🙌 Thank you for joining our VIP text list. You’ll gain access to our most exclusive offers. Reply STOP to opt out. - Pony Express HQ”
“Welcome on board! 🌟 We’d like to offer a 15% discount as a thank you for joining our text list. Stay tuned 🤍 . Reply STOP to opt out. - Pony Express HQ”
▫️ Find out more text message examples for different purposes:
100 ready-to-use-text-message-templates (You can directly copy and paste these text message templates, they are for you. ☺️)
Prepare your text marketing message by considering the issues above. And put it aside; we’ll use it in the next stage. 😉
3. Signing up to Pony Express HQ (Step-by-step texting to customers)
In this last step, we’ll explain the technical details of sending bulk messages to customers.
You can send bulk messages to customers by following these 8 easy steps:
1. Sign up for Pony Express HQ by clicking here. When you sign in, you will see the following screen:
2. On this screen, you should click the “Manage Subscribers” button to add your contact lists to the business texting service.
3. Then, click the “Bulk Import” button to add all your contacts to the business texting service.
(NOTE: You can also add your contacts one by one from the “+Add subscribers” button if you need to add only a few contacts.)
4. At this step, you should import the CSV file you created in the first part to the business texting service dashboard. Then click the “Import CSV Files” button.
5. Turn to the main dashboard page, and click the “Send Message” button.
6. On the next page, click the “💬New Group Message” button.
7. Now take the text message you put aside in the previous step, and paste it into the relevant place.
Bonus: At this step, you can personalize your text marketing messages by clicking the “Personalize” button.
8. You are almost done! You can do a final check from the “+Group Message Details” button to see text marketing campaign details such as;
How much credit you spend for each subscriber
How much credit you spend in total
Character details
Emoji details.
9. If you checked everything about your message, click the “Send Group Message” button to send text messages to customers.
Congratulations! 🎉 You completed your text marketing campaign. Your message will look like this:
In this article, we have shown step-by-step sending text marketing messages to customers on the business texting service dashboard.
Text marketing is one of the most cost-effective marketing methods for small businesses. Besides, the affordable bulk SMS pricing and easy-to-use dashboard of Pony Express HQ are the cherries on top! ✨
Happy Texting 🤍
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The Pony Express HQ Team