Best Practices for Sending Campaigns
What to do and not to do when sending a Campaign
Introduction
Texting is a highly personal form of communication! You're reaching out to someone on their phone, which often lives in their pocket. It's a very effective method for just that reason, but it requires a careful approach to maximize benefits and minimize annoyance.
When composing a Campaign, there are a number of tools has to make the message more personal. We also offer a number of tips when it comes to composing your message.
General Texting Tips
- Have a Greeting - You wouldn’t email a stranger without at least saying “Hi,” so why text someone without it?
- Personalize It - allows you to add in a name merge function that will address each Contact in your Broadcast by their first name!
- Introduce Yourself - People like to know who is contacting them and from where. Make it personal instead of just signing off with your name.
- Drive a Textable Response - Asking someone to email from a text doesn’t make sense. Instead, ask them if they are interested or available. The same applies to asking for a call. One of the reasons texting has become so popular is that people have become more averse to phone calls. You’ll be surprised at how far you can take a conversation and gauge interest with a candidate simply by texting!
- Don’t Look Like a Promotion/Spam - Place yourself in your contact’s shoes: what kind of message would you respond to? One that appears generic and impersonal, OR one that addresses you by name and asks for a direct response?
- Send Concise Messages - Keep your messaging short, simple, and to the point. This helps get the message across more clearly without unnecessary clutter.
- Keep it Real - Always remember that you are a real person sending a real message to another real person. You are working on building relationships and rapport with your contacts!
Examples of Good Verbiage
- Hi {{contact.first_name}}, this is John from ABC Staffing. We have a great RN position in Tulsa. Start date is 3/1. Interested in applying?
- Hi {{contact.first_name}}, I need Med/Surg nurses in Holland, Michigan paying $49/hr. Available to chat? John w/ ABC Staffing
What to Avoid
Phone providers use dynamic spam filters to flag numbers that they determine to be engaging in spam messaging behavior. A number can then be blocked by the carriers, which prevents messages from delivering for an unspecified amount of time. There aren’t any hard and fast rules that will cause your number to get blocked but we do have a few recommendations to help avert number blocks. We suggest that you avoid using the following:
- Recycled Content - Sending the exact same message in several back to back Campaigns or consistently over a long period of time.
- Special Characters - The overuse of special characters such as $%@&!?.
- Excessive Capitalization - Sending messages with words in ALL CAPS.
- Phone Numbers - The number that you are texting from will appear on your contact’s phone when they receive your message. If your number is different than your office/desk line, calls will be forwarded to you.
- URLs or Email Addresses - URLs and email addresses can be sent in individual texts but they should not be included in Campaigns.
*Do not try to go around the Campaign tool and send several individual messages with the same content.
Message Quality Indicator
We also offer a Message Quality indicator that takes into account the best practices and general texting tips that we have outlined!
If your Campaign message is following best practices and has a low risk of looking like spam, the Message Quality will be green.
We will let you know if your message is not following best practices and give you the specific reason why it is likely to get blocked.
Campaign Limitations
- Campaigns are limited to 500 Contacts.
- You can send out up to 500 Campaign messages per day.
Upgrades are available for High Volume texting. Reach out to your Sales Representative or email sales@textus.com for more information.