SMS Sequences

OVERVIEW

Configure a conversation style SMS sequence to take place upon receiving a keyword, or via triggering it from your Ontraport application.  

INTEGRATIONS NEEDED FOR SMS SEQUENCES

Ontraport

Twilio

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SMS Sequences Configuration Options

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In this section, you will find the options for building your SMS Sequences tool. Follow along in your PlusThis app, or by viewing the numbered step in the screenshots.

1

How would you like to start this SMS Sequence?

The option you choose to begin this SMS Sequence will provide different options for configuration. Follow the link for which option you choose.
- If you choose "Both via text of keyword or by using "Send a Webhook" in a Campaign"
- If you choose "Only via "Send a Webhook" in an Ontraport Campaign"

"Both via text of keyword or by using "Send a Webhook" in a Campaign"

1

Which Twilio phone number would you like to use?

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. 
2

Where should we store the requester's mobile number?

In the drop-down, select the field where you would like to store the mobile number.
3

Keyword that starts this sequence

Enter a Keyword that you would like to kick off this SMS Sequence. This allows you to accomplish things like, when "BLUE" is texted to your Twilio number, this sequence begins. (ie. Text to Opt-In) 
4

Collect Email Address first.

By default, this box will be checked as this is the recommended option to help reduce duplicate contacts in your Ontraport application.  
- If you keep this box checked, continue set up instructions here.
- If you un-check this box, continue to set up instructions here.  

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"Only via "Send a Webhook" in an Ontraport Campaign"

1

Which Twilio phone number would you like to use?

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. 
2

Which contact phone number should we send the messages to?

Send which field you would like to use the phone number from.  
3

Next Step in Set-Up

Request Email Address (Step #1) Set Up

1

Message to send

You will see a pre-populated message asking for the email address. Feel free to change the wording as you would like, however, the message should ask for the email address.  
You can utilize merge fields in the message by selecting them in the selector on the right-hand side of the message creation box.  
2

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.
3

Save the response to this field

This will be pre-populated to the Email field. If you would like to store the email address that the message response includes in a different field, select that field in the drop-down.

If you do not have a field created already, you will need to go into your Ontraport account to create the field, and then come back to PlusThis and create this tool.
4

What should happen next?

After a response is received, you can select which message should be sent next.
- "The Next Message (the one below this)"
- "Let Me Decide (configure conditions)"
- "Don't Send Anything (finish)" 

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Remove collect email address first step

1

Remove (button)

Our tool pre-creates the Request Email Address step. Since you are not collecting the email address first, go ahead and click the "Remove" button to get rid of this step. 
2

Add Sequence Step Message

To begin setting up your SMS Sequence, you will need to add a sequence step to configure. Click the "Add Sequence Step Message" button to do so and continue here. 

Message # (set up)

If you haven't already clicked the "Add Sequence Step Message" button, do so to populate an empty Message Step for configuration. 

1

Message Name

PlusThis allows you to title each Message Step which will help with moving to the proper step by using the sequence map on the right side of the page. 
2

Message to send

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.  
3

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.
4

Save the response to this field

This will be pre-populated to the Email field. If you would like to store the email address that the message response includes in a different field, select that field in the drop-down.

If you do not have a field created already, you will need to go into your Ontraport account to create the field, and then come back to PlusThis and create this tool.
5

What should happen next? - Which message should be sent next?

After a response is received, you can select which message should be sent next.
- "The Next Message (the one below this)"
- "Let Me Decide (configure conditions)"
- "Don't Send Anything (finish)" 

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"Let Me Decide" Set Up

1

Add Condition

After a response has been received, the conditions you create will be evaluated from top to bottom. When a response matches a condition, the appropriate message is sent. Upon clicking "Add Condition" you have several options for conditions to create:
- If the response "Equal/Contains" this...
- If the response is "Less/Greater Than" this...
- If the response is "Between" this... 
2

Apply this tag if the response meets none of the criteria, or none are configured

In the drop-down, select which tag you would like applied to the contact if they don't meet any criteria you set up, or you didn't set any criteria up.  
3

If none of the criteria are met, which sequence should be sent next?

In the drop-down, select which SMS Sequence step you would like to send if the response doesn't meet any conditions/criteria you set up directly above this step. If you do not have any other sequences currently set up, click the + symbol on the right-hand side of the selector to create a new sequence step. 
4

What to do next?

There are two paths you can take after configuring the condition.
- You can add another sequence step
- If you are done with your sequence steps, you can finish configuring the tool. 

Condition: Equals / Contains Set Up

1

If the response EQUALS ANY of the following words/phrases:

Enter the words/phrases that, if present in the response, will trigger the tag being applied and the specific sequence message being sent.  
* Note * this is not case sensitive. You can use asterisks (*) for a "contains" comparison. (ie, inputting *yes* in the above field will match a response that says "Hi, yes please. " 
2

Which tag should be applied when this condition is met?

In the drop-down, select which tag you would like applied to the contact if the response meets this condition.  
3

Which Sequence Message should be sent next when this condition is met?

In the drop-down, select which SMS Sequence step you would like to send if the response meets this condition.  If you do not have any other sequences currently set up, click the + symbol on the right-hand side of the selector to create a new sequence step. 
4

What to do next?

There are two paths you can take after configuring the condition.
- You can add another sequence step
- If you are done with your sequence steps, you can finish configuring the tool. 

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Condition: Less / Greater Than Set Up

1

If the response is

Select the inequality that you would like this condition to utilize. 
2

Where will the value come from?

In this drop-down, you can select either:
- Static value (then type a value in the field below)
- field value (then select the field in the drop-down below)
3

Which tag should be applied when this condition is met?

In the drop-down, select which tag you would like applied to the contact if the response meets this condition.  
4

Which Sequence Message should be sent next when this condition is met?

In the drop-down, select which SMS Sequence step you would like to send if the response meets this condition.  If you do not have any other sequences currently set up, click the + symbol on the right-hand side of the selector to create a new sequence step. 
5

What to do next?

There are two paths you can take after configuring the condition.
- You can add another sequence step
- If you are done with your sequence steps, you can finish configuring the tool. 

Condition: Between Set Up

1

If the response is...

Select the first inequality that you would like this condition to utilize. 
2

Where will the value come from?

In this drop-down, you can select either:
- Static value (then type a value in the field below)
- field value (then select the field in the drop-down below)
3

and the response is...

Select the second inequality that you would like this condition to utilize. 
4

Where will the value come from?

In this drop-down, you can select either:
- Static value (then type a value in the field below)
- field value (then select the field in the drop-down below)
5

Which tag should be applied when this condition is met?

In the drop-down, select which tag you would like applied to the contact if the response meets this condition.  
6

Which Sequence Message should be sent next when this condition is met?

In the drop-down, select which SMS Sequence step you would like to send if the response meets this condition.  If you do not have any other sequences currently set up, click the + symbol on the right-hand side of the selector to create a new sequence step. 
7

What to do next?

There are two paths you can take after configuring the condition.
- You can add another sequence step
- If you are done with your sequence steps, you can finish configuring the tool. 

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Additional Options

1

Create a Note on the contact record with this conversation

By default, this check-box is unchecked. If you would like to create a note on the contact record with the SMS Sequence interaction, check this box.  
2

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.  
3

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.  
Last

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. 

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"Need to Know" Items for SMS Sequences

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.

In order to prevent customers from getting stuck in the SMS Sequence, ensure that you have at least one sequence step marked as "Don't Send Anything (finish)" under the "What should happen next?" section. You can have have multiple finish points marked in your tool, depending on your use case. 

PlusThis only creates one note per contact per SMS Sequence tool. If a contact comes through the same SMS Sequence in the future, the note will be added to, but a new note will not be created. 

When using a Twilio Messaging service with SMS Sequences, the "Sticky Sender" feature (under Sender Pool > Sender Selection Settings) should be enabled. This will prevent the recipient from receiving sequence messages from different senders for each step. Area Code Geomatch should also be enabled so that your recipients receive and reply to messages from local numbers.

FAQs / Tips

Implementation Types

Keyword

Kick off your SMS Sequence by having your contacts texting a keyword to your Twilio number.

1
IMPORTANT: If you are using this tool to opt in contacts, we strongly suggest collecting the email address first in the first message to prevent against creating duplicate contacts in your app.
2
To trigger this sequence, have the contact text in the keyword to the Twilio Phone number configured in the tool.
3
IMPORTANT: If the contact does not finish an SMS Sequence, and tries to trigger another one, it will not work. The contact will be stuck in the sequence for 24 hours, unless if it is finished properly.

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Webhook

Kick off your SMS Sequence by running your contacts through a Trigger Webhook action.

1
Decide where in your campaign you want to trigger this Tool. It can be part of virtually any Campaign Sequence.
2
Copy the Webhook URL from PlusThis.
3
Open your Ontraport Campaign. Click on ‘What happens next’, then choose ‘Send a webhook’ under the ‘Advanced’ tab.
4
Click on the ‘Send a Webhook’ action in the campaign, then paste the PlusThis URL in the ‘Add the destination URL’ area on the left hand side, then click ‘Done’.
5
You also have the option to choose which SMS Sequence step you’d like to start with. This is useful if you’d like to use the same tool that has a keyword opt in.

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