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Text Marketing Start Guide - Cloud

Follow these steps to set up and manage text marketing campaigns to connect with clients and grow your business.

Written by Thalia Perez

๐Ÿ“ Overview

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for setting up and managing Text Marketing. It covers everything from signing up for the service to creating and sending marketing campaigns. Youโ€™ll also learn how to manage customer opt-ins, ensuring you can effectively engage clients through targeted text messaging that drives communication and business growth.
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โ›” Disclaimer:

The following feature goes through a verification process through our partners at Twilio. Until this process is completed and customers opt-in for text messages, you will not be able to send text marketing messages.

For any questions, feel free to chat with our support team or email us at [email protected]


๐Ÿš€ Get Started

Easily set up text marketing for your business by adding Messaging Service to your account. This enables you to send all types of appointment correspondence to your clients by both e-mail and text message.

๐Ÿ› ๏ธ Set-up E-mail & Text Reminders

Click the arrow to learn how to set up email and text reminders

โš ๏ธ Please Note:

The Twilio registration process is steps 1-5 below, you can continue through steps 6-8 but you will not be able to send text messages until your business is verified.

  1. Select More, then Settings at the top of the cloud software website.

  2. Choose E-mail And Texting, then Reminders And Notifications on the left.

  3. Click the get started button to begin the sign-up process.

  4. Add all your business information in the Enter Company Information window. Pay attention to the fields with the

    symbol. The Business Name will be the sender shown on your clients' e-mails and the Primary E-mail in the address that will receive e-mail replies.

  5. Click Save Company Info when finished.

  6. You will be taken to the Appointment Notifications screen, choose which message types you would like your clients to receive by toggling between tabs. Notice that text confirmations and cancellations are off by default. Simply move the slider to On if you wish to turn it on for any message type.

  7. Clicking On for the Confirmation will add a "reply C to confirm" at the end of your reminder. Your client may respond C back to you and you will see this appointment confirmed on your appointment book.

  8. Clicking On for the Cancellations will add a "reply X to cancel" at the end of your reminder.

    • It's recommended to turn on the notifications for employees when an appointment is cancelled as that will allow them to be notified if a client responds with X to cancel.

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๐Ÿ”‘ Prompt Clients to Opt-In for Text Marketing

To comply with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), customers must opt-in to receive text marketing campaigns. You can prompt customers to opt-in in one of two ways: by sending an email campaign or by sending a text message directly through their client profile.

๐Ÿ“ง Sending an Opt-In E-mail

Click the arrow to learn how to send an opt-in email to clients

  1. Login to your DaySmart cloud software.

  2. Go to More and select Marketing.

  3. In the bottom right corner, select the plus sign to begin creating your campaign.
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  4. For the campaign type, select Text Marketing Opt-In and press Continue.
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  5. You will now be able to edit the email template that will be sent to customers. You can adjust the text as needed, but do not remove the line for <Text Marketing Number> as the software will fill this in automatically with the phone number associated with your account for text marketing

  6. Press Continue in the bottom right once you have finished editing the template.
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  7. You can adjust the filter criteria that will be used to select which clients will receive the message to opt-in to text marketing campaigns. Press Continue once finished.
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  8. You can now review the settings for your text marketing campaign along with seeing the number of clients that will receive the text message campaign.

  9. Press Start Campaign in the bottom right to have to software begin sending out your campaign.


๐Ÿ’ฌ Sending a Opt-In Text Message

Click the arrow to learn how to send an opt-in text message to a client

โš ๏ธ Please Note:

This method of having your clients opt in to text messages will have to be sent to each client individually and will count against the number of text messages included in your text marketing package.

  1. Select Clients at the top of the screen.

  2. Click on the client you wish to send the Opt-in text message.

  3. Select the Personal Info tab.

  4. Select Send Opt-In Text.

    • Please note you will only see this option specifically after having a data conversion from another software.

โ›” Disclaimer:

If a client has opted out in the past, the above options will not allow the client to be opted in. The client MUST text the messaging number associated with your account using the words "START" or "SUBSCRIBE" in order to be opted in again.


๐Ÿ“ฒ Send a Text Marketing Campaign

Now that you have set up your campaign members and received their approval to receive texts, you're ready to start building messaging campaigns!

Click the arrow to learn how to create and send a text marketing campaign

โš ๏ธ Please Note:
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The estimates shown when preparing to send a marketing campaign are based on the number of characters in the placeholders, and the actual number of texts may be higher upon sending. To calculate a more accurate estimate, we recommend replacing the placeholders with the actual verbiage to be used where possible.

  • For example, instead of using a [company name] placeholder, type out your company name instead.

  1. Navigate to the Marketing tab.

  2. In the top right, select Text Marketing.

  3. In the bottom right corner, select the + sign to begin creating your campaign.

  4. You can select one of our already created recurring campaigns or build your own campaign. Select Continue.

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  5. Select one of the pre-designed templates or create a brand new template.

  6. Enter a Campaign Name for the template. The customer will not see this name.

  7. In the body of the message, enter the message that you wish to send to your customer. Note that if your message is over 160 characters that each message sent to your clients will count as 2 messages against your allotted number of text messages each month.

  8. Once you are finished creating the message that will be sent to your clients, press Continue.

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  9. Select either All Clients, Filter by Clients, or Filter by Pets. Selected clients will let you use various filter options to narrow down which customers in your list will receive the text marketing campaign.

    • If you chose the option for Selected Clients or Selected Pets, you will now be able to select your various filter options. Simply check the box next to the filter option you wish to use and select the desired option from the drop-down window or enter the number of days as it applied.

    • Clicking Customize Recipients after filtering will allow you to individually select or de-select clients to send it to.

  10. Press Continue.

  11. Review your campaign. You can select Send a Test Message to send yourself the text message before you send it to all of your customers.

  12. Once you are satisfied with the campaign settings, press Schedule to Send.

  13. Select the Date and Time you wish this campaign to send to your customers.

    • Marketing messages are not sent instantly at the scheduled time. Instead, campaigns are queued and delivered in batches once per hour after their scheduled time. This means your messages may go out anytime within the scheduled hour.

    • When you create a recurring campaign, it will begin sending automatically 24 hours after setup.

  14. Press Schedule.

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๐Ÿ“Š Text Usage and Billing

To view your text usage and billing details, log in to the Account Management page.

๐Ÿ’ณ Billing

Once signed in, you can select Bill Details on the "Overview" page or click the Billing tab to view your Payment Details

๐Ÿ“ˆ Text Usage

Once signed in, scroll down to view the "Services" section. Click Manage on "Text Marketing" to view the service breakdown.

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โ€‹โ“ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Find answers to common questions or additional details that may not be covered in the main instructions.

Click the arrow to view frequently asked questions

What is Twilio and why does my account need to be verified?

Click the arrow to view the answer

Twilio is our third-party messaging partner that powers text marketing. Before you can send any text marketing messages, your business must go through a verification process with Twilio to ensure compliance with messaging regulations. You will not be able to send campaigns until this is complete.

What is the TCPA and why do clients need to opt in?

Click the arrow to view the answer

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) is a federal law that requires businesses to obtain explicit consent from individuals before sending them marketing text messages. Clients must opt in before you can include them in any text marketing campaigns.

What happens if a client opts out of text marketing?

Click the arrow to view the answer

If a client opts out, they cannot be re-opted in through the software. They must text the messaging number associated with your account using the words START or SUBSCRIBE to opt back in on their own.

How many texts does my plan include each month?

Click the arrow to view the answer

You can view your current text usage and plan details by logging in to the Account Management page and clicking Manage next to Text Marketing in the Services section.

Why did my campaign send more texts than estimated?

Click the arrow to view the answer

Campaign estimates are based on the number of characters in the placeholders used in your message. Since placeholders may be shorter than the actual content substituted in, the final send count can be higher. To get a more accurate estimate, replace placeholders with your actual content when composing your message.

Can I cancel a campaign after it has started sending?

Click the arrow to view the answer

You can cancel a campaign, but any messages that are already queued will still be sent. Canceling only prevents new messages from being added to the queue โ€” it does not stop messages that are already in progress.

When will my scheduled campaign send?

Click the arrow to view the answer

Campaigns are not sent instantly at the scheduled time. They are queued and delivered in batches once per hour after the scheduled time, so your messages may go out anytime within that hour. Recurring campaigns begin sending automatically 24 hours after setup.

Is Text Marketing included with my subscription?

Click the arrow to view the answer

It depends on your plan. Text Marketing is included with Deluxe Growth, Premium, and Premium Growth plans. If you're on a Basic or Deluxe plan, Text Marketing is either not available or can be added as a paid add-on.
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To check your current plan and whether Text Marketing is active on your account, log into Account Management and review your subscription details. If you'd like to add or upgrade, please contact our support team for assistance.

What's the difference between Text Marketing and appointment reminders/2-way texting?

Click the arrow to view the answer

These are separate messaging services that come from different phone numbers:

  • Appointment reminders and 2-way texting handle automated appointment confirmations, cancellations, and direct client communication.

  • Text Marketing is used to send promotional campaigns and announcements to opted-in clients.

Can I send a one-time mass text without a Text Marketing subscription?

Click the arrow to view the answer

No. Sending a mass text to clients (whether it's a one-time announcement or a recurring campaign) requires Text Marketing to be active on your account. This is either included with your plan or available as an add-on. Each text sent counts toward your monthly allotment, and messages over 160 characters count as 2 texts per recipient. There is no free mass text option.

Will activating Text Marketing increase my bill?

Click the arrow to view the answer

If Text Marketing is already included with your plan, there is no additional charge to use it. If you're on a plan that does not include marketing and add it as an add-on, it will increase your monthly subscription cost.

Additionally, regardless of your plan, if you send texts beyond your monthly allotment, you may see SMS overage charges on your invoice. To review your plan details and usage, log into Account Management and check the Services section.

How do I check my text usage and remaining allotment?

Click the arrow to view the answer

Log into Account Management, scroll to the Services section, and click Manage next to Text Marketing. This will show your usage breakdown, including how many messages you've sent and how many remain for the current billing period.

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