Send SMS Message
OVERVIEW
Send outbound SMS messages. Best used as reminders for appointments/consults and notices to office personnel regarding specific points in a funnel.
INTEGRATIONS NEEDED FOR SEND SMS MESSAGE
You are currently viewing this content for ActiveCampaign.
Click here to switch your platform.
Getting Started with Send SMS Message
IMPORTANT. We highly recommend you watch this video to learn how to set up your first Send SMS tool. Because this tool will have you work with ActiveCampaign and Twilio, it's helpful to watch this video so you can see exactly how our tools are implemented.
Send SMS Message Configuration Options
click image to enlarge
In this section, you will find the options for building your Send SMS Message tool. Follow along in your PlusThis app, or by viewing the numbered step in the screenshots.
1
Who do you want to send a text message to?
Select in the drop-down if you would like to send the SMS message to the contact that triggers this tool, or a specific phone number.
2
Which contact phone field should we use for sending the message?
Select the field where you have the mobile numbers stored for your contacts
3
If a country code is not part of the number, use this country code:
Select the appropriate country code where your contacts are located.
4
Which method would you like to use to deliver this message?
Choose which method you would like to use to send the message. You can either select a phone number that you own in Twilio, or select a Co-Pilot Messaging service (advanced users) if you have one configured inside of Twilio.
5
Which phone number do you want to send the SMS from?
Select the Twilio phone number you would like to use to send the messages with. If you do not own a number in Twilio, you can click the + symbol on the right side of the drop-down to quickly purchase a random phone number.
6
What should the message be?
Type the contents of the message that you would like to send. You can utilize merge fields in the message by selecting them in the selector on the right-hand side of the message creation box.
7
Include the following media (MMS)
If you would like to include multimedia in the message, you can do so by entering the direct URL to the media in the field. Ensure you check the pricing and availability for multimedia messages for your country, as the pricing and availability may vary.
8
If this number has opted out of receiving text messages, apply this tag:
In the drop-down, select the tag that you would like applied when the phone number opts out of receiving text messages.
9
If this is an invalid mobile number, apply this tag:
In the drop-down, select the tag that you would like applied if the phone number is an invalid mobile number.
click image to enlarge
click image to enlarge
10
Tool Name
Enter a name for your tool in this field. The name is solely for use inside of PlusThis, and will not be visible to customers.
"Need to Know" Items for Send SMS Message
When linking your media to send via text message, it is important to keep an eye on your media's file size.
If you are attaching an image, Twilio will handle adjusting the file size of the image before attaching it to your message.
However, media that is not a static image (videos, animated gif, etc.) will have file size limitations based off of the recipient's phone carrier. We estimate max file sizes, for these types of media, is around 500kb. You can check with individual carriers for exact limitations. However, we recommend you keep all non-image media under 500kb to ensure your media successfully sent to all on your list.
1. This Tool makes use of your Twilio account. PlusThis does not bill an additional per message charge. Twilio's message pricing varies per location, from less than a cent (e.g. Canada/USA) to 6 cents (e.g. Australia/Brazil), refer to Twilio for up-to-date pricing information.
2. You are responsible for managing your customers' expectations around content and how frequently you will be communicating with them via SMS.
3. You should include an opt-out message (e.g. "Text STOP to stop") in your SMS to customers. Twilio blacklists users who abuse SMS communications on their platform.
4. Please refer to Twilio for information about message sending limits.
2. You are responsible for managing your customers' expectations around content and how frequently you will be communicating with them via SMS.
3. You should include an opt-out message (e.g. "Text STOP to stop") in your SMS to customers. Twilio blacklists users who abuse SMS communications on their platform.
4. Please refer to Twilio for information about message sending limits.
If you are expecting your customers to respond to your messages at all, you have two options for how to handle these responses.
1) To have the message forwarded to a personal phone number, ensure that you configure the Twilio settings for what to do by default if someone calls or texts your phone number. To configure these default settings:
- Click on your name on the upper right hand corner of the PlusThis application
- Click on Manage Account
- Click on Account Integrations (on the left side of the page)
- Click "Manage" next to the Twilio integration
- Configure the desired action under the appropriate phone number and hit save.
2) To receive an SMS message without responding or having the response forwarded to a personal number, follow the Twilio instructions here.
1) To have the message forwarded to a personal phone number, ensure that you configure the Twilio settings for what to do by default if someone calls or texts your phone number. To configure these default settings:
- Click on your name on the upper right hand corner of the PlusThis application
- Click on Manage Account
- Click on Account Integrations (on the left side of the page)
- Click "Manage" next to the Twilio integration
- Configure the desired action under the appropriate phone number and hit save.
2) To receive an SMS message without responding or having the response forwarded to a personal number, follow the Twilio instructions here.
FAQs / Tips
Implementation Types
Webhook
Run your tool virtually anywhere in your automation using a Webhook element.
1
Copy the Webhook URL from PlusThis.
2
Open the automation that you’d like to add the webhook to. The webhook can be placed virtually anywhere in your automation.
3
Click the Plus where you would like to add the webhook. Choose ‘Conditions and Workflow’ from the left hand menu. From there, choose Webhook from the list.
4
Paste the PlusThis Webhook in the pop up and click save.
click image to enlarge
