SMS essentials¶
Utilizing SMS outreach in communication strategies can help companies expand their market reach, especially in some countries, where emails might not be very common, or even used at all.
SotaERP’s SMS Marketing application can also help boost conversion rates around valuable actions, such as event registrations, free trials, purchases, etc., since text and mobile-based marketing channels typically yield higher CTOR and CTR outcomes.
SMS marketing dashboard¶
When the application is opened, SotaERP displays the main SMS Marketing dashboard, which showcases the various SMS mailings that have been created, along with pertinent information and data related to that specific message.
The Kanban view is the default SotaERP uses when the application is opened, which provides an organized display of the SMS mailings that have been created, and what their current status is at the moment.
Note
An SMS mailing can have one of the following statuses: Draft, In Queue, Sending, or Sent.
In the upper right corner of the main SMS Marketing dashboard, there are a few different view options to choose from. Each one provides a unique take on the same SMS information.
The List view provides the same useful data related to SMS mailings, but in a more traditional list layout.
The Calendar view provides a simple calendar, making it easy to see when SMS mailings are going to be sent (or have been sent). If a future date is clicked, SotaERP reveals a blank SMS template that, when completed, will be scheduled to be sent on that specific future date.
Lastly, the Graph view visualizes that same SMS-related data in series of graphs and charts. SotaERP also provides various ways to sort and group the data for more detailed analysis.
Create SMS messages¶
To start, click Create on the main SMS Marketing dashboard, and SotaERP reveals a blank SMS template form, which can be configured in a number of different ways.
First, give the mailing a Subject, which describes what the mailing is about.
Next, in the Recipients field, choose to whom this SMS will be sent. By default, SotaERP has Mailing List selected. If this is the desired Recipients field option, specify which mailing list SotaERP should send this SMS to in the Select Mailing List field.
Note
To create (or edit) a mailing list, go to . There, SotaERP displays all previously created mailing lists, along with various types of data related to that specific list (e.g. number of contacts, mailings, recipients, etc.).
To learn more about mailing lists and contacts, check out Mailing lists and blacklists
To reveal all the possible options in the Recipients field, click the field to see all the choices SotaERP makes available.
When another field (other than Mailing List) is selected, the option to specify that chosen field even further becomes available — either with a default recipient filter equation that appears automatically (which can be customized to fit any business need), or, if no default recipient filter equation is present, an Add Filter button will appear.
Clicking the Add Filter button, reveals fully customizable domain rule fields, which can be configured similar to an equation. You can create multiple recipient rules, if necessary.
Then, SotaERP will only send the SMS to recipients who fit into whatever criteria is configured in those fields. Multiple rules can be added.
Example
If Contact is chosen, all of the Contacts records in the SotaERP database (vendors, customers, etc.) will receive the SMS, by default — unless more specific recipient rules are entered.
For instance, the message below will only be sent to contacts in the database that are located in
the United States (e.g. Country > Country Name equals United States), and they haven’t
blacklisted themselves from any mailings (e.g. Blacklist > is > not set).
Writing SMS messages¶
Enter the content of the SMS in the text field, found in the SMS Content tab. Links and emojis can also be included. Beneath the text field, SotaERP displays how many characters are used in the message, along with how many SMS mailings it will take to deliver the complete message.
Tip
To check the price of sending an SMS for a country, click on the Information icon.
Note
Credits must be purchased from SotaERP in order to take advantage of the SMS Marketing app; SMS messages will not be sent without credits.
See also
Track links used in SMS messages¶
When links are used in SMS messages, SotaERP automatically generates link trackers to gather analytical data and metrics related to those specific links, which can be found by going to .
Adjust SMS settings¶
Under the Settings tab of the SMS template, there is an option to Include opt-out link. If activated, the recipient is able to unsubscribe from the mailing list, thus avoiding all future mailings.
An employee can be designated as the Responsible in the Tracking section of the Settings tab, as well.
Send SMS messages¶
Once a mailing is created, choose when SotaERP should deliver the message from the following options:
Send: sends the message immediately. Consider using this option if the recipient list is highly refined, or in cases that involve fast approaching deadlines, such as a “flash sale.”
Schedule: choose a day (and time) for SotaERP to send the mailing. This is typically the best option for mailings related to a specific event. Such a method can also be used to promote a limited-time offer, or to help plan a company’s content strategy in advance.
Test: allows for an SMS to be sent to one or multiple numbers for test purposes. Remember to use a comma between phone numbers if multiple numbers are used as recipients.
Visualize reports¶
On the Reporting page (accessible via the option in the header menu), there are options to apply different combinations of Filters and Measures to view metrics in a number of different layouts (e.g. Graph, List, and Cohort views.)
Each Reporting metric view option allows for more extensive performance analysis of SMS mailings.
For example, while in the default Graph view, SMS data is visualized as different graphs and charts, which can be sorted and grouped in various ways (e.g. Measures drop down menu).
