Campaign Creation Step by Step

This article will walk you through creating an SMS campaign step by step.

Preparation

There are a few preparation steps that you can take before you start creating a campaign. You can do most of these actions right from the campaign creation wizard, but it's recommended that you have all the data ready in advance.

1. Create custom contact fields
2. Upload a contact list
3. Add sender ID(s)
4. Create a message template
5. Set custom domains or domain pools
6. Create URL offers
7. Add auto word groups

When you have prepared the data, click Campaigns in the main menu and then Create New Campaign.

You will see a pop-up window. Select one of the campaign types, depending on your needs:

• Outbound Only - for sending messages only
• Inbound & Outbound - for two-way conversations

Then, the Create New Campaign window will open. Expand each section one by one and fill in the necessary information.

Campaign Details

Start with entering campaign details. 

• • Campaign Name - enter a meaningful name to locate the campaign quickly.
  • Description - provide more information that will be visible when you open the campaign.
  • Tags - select from the existing tags or create new tags and apply them immediately to categorize your campaigns and quickly find the ones you need (optional).
    

NOTE

You can save the campaign as a draft on each step by clicking Finish Later. It will be added to the campaign list with the Draft status. Then you can click Edit to return to the campaign and complete its creation. 

Clicking Reset will remove all the data entered and let you start campaign creation again.

After you click Save & Next, the step will be completed and the next tab will expand. 

Send To

On this tab, choose one or several existing contact lists or segments from the dropdown or create a new list or segment right away.

The number of recipients equals the total number of contacts in selected lists or segments.

For two-way conversations, select the country where your messages will be sent and make sure the uploaded contact list contains numbers from this country only.

From

Here, select one or more existing sender IDs or add a new sender ID. In case of multiple sender IDs, set a custom or equal ratio.

Message

On the Message tab, make various settings related to the message you will be sending.

You can select a previously created message template or add a new one. Modify the message body as needed.

Tags

If you are using tags pulled from contact fields in your message template, check if all the recipients have data for all the used variables. If any data is missing, the number of recipients with missing data will be shown in red next to the tag.

To fix the recipients with missing data:

1. 1. Hover over the number of recipients who have missing data and click on the link to manage replacement options.
   2. A window pops up. You have two options:
      • Enter the text to replace the variable
      • Toggle the switch to the left, and the recipients who have missing data will be excluded from the campaign. 
        
   3. Click Apply Changes. The number of recipients with missing data will turn green.

Opt-Out and Short URLs

In Tools, set the short and opt-out URLs to be used in the message. At this point, the buttons for the tools used will be red.

Complete the settings as follows:  

1. Make sure you have configured custom domains for your URLs. 
2. Click on the button for the tool used. You will see a pop-up window for adding an opt-out or short URL. 
   
3. Select previously configured custom domains manually or choose a pool with domains.
   The system will create a unique URL for each message by adding a code with six symbols after the slash to the domain.
   

   NOTE

   1. You will be able to select domain with the Configured status only.

   2. It is recommended that you add multiple domains because they get burnt quickly. Usually providers block domains as spam if they appear in ten thousand messages.

   3. The system will display a warning if not enough domains are selected. Add more or modify global limit. 

4. Choose a domain distribution strategy while sending the messages:
   • • spread the domains evenly (default)
     • use each domain until its limit is reached, then proceed to the next one.
5. Select a previously created URL offer.
6. After filling in all the data, click ADD URL.

As soon as you complete the URL settings, the button in Tools will turn green.

Variants Ratio

If you use several text variants, set equal or custom ratios for them. For custom percentages, choose colors for displaying statistics per variant in Analytics and Insights.

Saving As a New Template

If you have made changes to your template, you can save it as a new one for future use. 

Select the corresponding checkbox and specify the new template's name and description. 

Preview

Preview how the text of the message will look on a mobile phone. You can find the preview on the right.

Test if the message will be received:

1. 1. Click TEST SMS.
   2. Fill in the fields in the window that pops up.
      
   3. Then click Send Test and wait for the message to be received.

Sending Schedule

Here, you can set the time and date when the message will be sent. 

• • Activity hours - set the hours and days when the system will send messages. Optionally, you can choose the starting and ending dates of your campaign.
  • Timezone - configure the timezone for the campaign from several available options:
    • Recipient's local time: the local timezone of each recipient depending on their country (the system will determine it based on their phone number)
    • My local time: the timezone you chose in Settings
    • Select timezone: a specific timezone that you can select from the dropdown list 
      

NOTE

We recommend using the recipient’s local time.

Some countries have regulations as to the allowed time for sending SMS messages.

If you set the sending time for your own time zone, a recipient in a different time zone can miss your message if the sending time doesn't fit into the allowed limits. 

If some contacts won’t be able to receive your message, you will be notified about it later, when you check the campaign details.

Campaign Settings

On this tab, you can provide the following settings for your campaign:

• Start campaign: Start immediately or set a future date within one year.
  
• Pause campaign: Select the checkbox if you wish to pause your campaign once or each time after a certain number of messages has been sent. 
  This allows you to review your campaign's performance and make adjustments to improve its results while the campaign is running.
   
• CTR indicators: Optionally, you can set CTR (click-through rate) indicators for this campaign that will be considered as good and bad. The system will calculate the mid CTR for you. 
  
  

Reviewing Your Campaign

After you save all the steps of your campaign, you will be redirected to the page where you can review its details and pricing.
Click the edit icon to make changes in any tab you need. When you finish reviewing the campaign, click Start Campaign. 

Click Done in the window that pops up.

The new campaign will appear at the top of My Campaigns.