Overview
This guide concentrates on setting up SMS Campaigns and includes the next steps for configuring the SMS channel, should you choose to use it. For guidance on creating an email-only Campaign, please refer to this article.
Accessing Campaigns
Navigate to Engagement > Campaigns and select One-Time Communications or Ongoing Communications.
Step 1: Create a New Campaign
Navigate to Engagement > Campaigns.
Click on One-Time Communications or Ongoing Communications, depending on how you wish to send your campaign. To learn more about these types, review our Getting Started with Campaigns article.
Select + New Communication or use Copilot for Campaigns to get started.
Name your campaign at the top by replacing "Untitled Communication."
Click on the tag icon (to the right of the campaign name) to add any relevant tags to this campaign. Tags help filter and quickly find a campaign later.
Step 2: Communication Settings
Complete the communication settings section.
Communication Type | Change between one-time and ongoing |
Communication Priority | Marketing: promotional or marketing content Transactional: informational or functional purpose - such as application updates, appointment reminders, etc. |
Channels | Select the channel(s) you wish to use for this campaign. You can use one or both channels.
When you select a channel, an additional section will appear for you to configure that channel's specific settings. More on that to come. |
Audience (One-Time Communication Only) | Select which Segment will receive this communication. |
Personalization | Add version conditions to your campaign. With Version Conditions, you can automatically create personalized versions of your message for different groups of recipients. Tailor everything from the sender's phone number to message content.
To add versions, see the next section: |
Step 2a: Add Version
Click Add Conditions.
Under Version Conditions, click Add Condition.
Name your version at the top by replacing "Untitled Version Condition." This will be referenced throughout your campaign configurations, so name it in a way that helps you identify the version.
Choose a condition type:
Date Condition
If using a date condition, add a date filter(s).
User Segment
If using a user segment, add a segment filter(s).
User Segment Reference
If using a segment reference, click load segment to select a segment.
If you need to add additional conditions to this version, click Add Condition.
When finished with this version, click Save in the top right corner.
Once you click Save, you'll be returned to your Campaign, where you can disable, edit, duplicate, or delete the version you just created. Additionally, you can add another version by clicking Add Conditions.
Step 3: Configure SMS
If you only selected SMS (and not email) as a channel under communication settings, your next step will be to complete the Configure SMS section. If you select both, you can complete them in any order, but Configure Email will appear first, then Configure SMS. For this tutorial, we will cover SMS and then link the article for the email configuration in Step 4.
Using the personalization feature with version conditions lets you customize various aspects of your SMS, including the outbound phone number and text for each version. Simply select the version you want to modify from the version drop-down in the respective field. This ensures your recipients receive the most relevant and personalized message possible.
Outbound Phone Number: Select the phone number or a short code. This is the number recipients will see on their phones. Short Code is recommended for bulk messages.
SMS Text: Add the text of your message.
To add an emoji or token, use the emoji icon or "Add Token" button. Tokens personalize messages by inserting the first or last name of the recipient. For example, "[user:first_name]" will replace the recipient’s first name when they receive the message.
Notes on SMS MessagesURLs: URLs can be added to SMS messages.
Because URLs can be very long, we use a URL shortener when sending links via SMS. This shortened link also allows us to track link clicks from SMS messages, which would not be possible otherwise.
When including links in your SMS messages, you must include the protocol (https://) with the link.
Character Count: SMS messages are limited to 1600 characters. However, best practice is to keep messages much shorter than that. We recommend 160 characters for the best technical and end-user experience.
VoIP Numbers: Element451 cannot send SMS to contacts using VoIP numbers. Ensure contact records include valid mobile numbers for successful message delivery.
Unsubscribe Prompt: By law, all bulk SMS messages are required to provide instructions on unsubscribing from future messages. A default prompt is provided; however, if you choose, you can edit the prompt. Note: Your prompt should include the word UNSUBSCRIBE or STOP. Learn more about SMS opt-in and opt-out.
Attachment: To attach an optional image, audio, or other media file to the text, click Select File. Choose a file from the media manager or upload a new one. If you choose to add an image or attachment, read the notes below:
Notes on Using Multimedia in SMSThe media part of your message will only be delivered to US (+1) numbers.
Some mobile operating systems automatically crop the preview image. Therefore, when attaching images to text messages, we recommend the following aspect ratios: 1:1, 9:16, and 4:3.
The total size limit of an MMS is 5MB. This includes both the media attachment (image, audio, etc.) and the text content. Carriers will not deliver larger messages.
Preview: The gray box on the right will display a preview of your text message.
Step 4: Configure Email
If you selected Email as a channel under communication settings and you haven't completed the Configure Email section yet, you can do that now. Visit the Create a Campaign: Email article for a step-by-step guide on the configuration of this section.
Step 7: Test Your Campaign + Preview Versions
Once you're finished creating your Campaign, we suggest testing your message and previewing your versions (if you opted to use personalized versions).
Step 8: Send/Save Your Campaign
One-time Campaigns
Option 1 - Send Immediately: click Send
Option 2 - Schedule to Send Later: click Schedule the Send
Option 3 - Exit and Return Later: click Save
Ongoing Campaigns
Ongoing campaigns do not have the option to send or schedule because they must be sent using a Workflow or Rule. Your only option is to click Save.
Step 9: View Campaign Analytics
You can use the in-app analytics to see how your email messages perform.
To view analytics, navigate to Engagement > Campaigns > Analytics. On this screen, you’ll see a list of communications and all their analytics.
Video Guide on Sending Bulk Messages to All Profile Types