Solved: Re: Can we use text messaging instead of email for... - Page 8

onceandagain216 · ‎04-26-2016

Can we use text messaging for marketing instead of e-mail? Most of my customers give phone # only.

Howard · ‎12-02-2020

We know you've been asking for it, and we're excited to announce Text Message Marketing (SMS) in the US, which is now available as an a la carte subscription that allows you to collect customer phone numbers and send them marketing-related text messages.

You can get started by visiting Text Message Marketing on on the Square Dashboard.

Included are automated campaigns and ‘manual blast’ campaigns, where you can offer coupons, announce sales, promote events, and more.

While Text Message Marketing can be found and used within Square Marketing in Dashboard, you DO NOT need to be subscribed to Square Marketing to use Text Message Marketing.

Square Marketing users will likewise need to onboard to Text Message Marketing, and will be billed separately for text message use.

What does the Text Message Marketing do?

Opt-in Collection

Build a list of customers to text BEFORE you pay a cent for the product
Collect opt-ins via your point-of-sale (or via Loyalty enrollment)
Text customers from a phone number unique to your business. This number will also allow customers to sign up via Text to Join, and can be promoted via in-store, online, or wherever else you’d like

Manual Campaigns

Draft a message and send to customers, instantly*
Offer a coupon, or include a link to an announcement, event, or online sale (which we automatically shorten to save characters)
Send up to 600 characters per message, or 250 if emojis are used. This will separate out into up to 4 texts, BUT we’ll only be charging for one ‘message’ per customer per campaign.

*Note: Texts are sent in 15 minute increments, so if you draft and send a text at 2:05pm, the text would go out at 2:15. Texts can only be sent during business hours in the merchant's time zone (i.e. 9-5). After 5pm, merchants can schedule for texts that will be sent the next day.

Automated Campaigns

Automatically text a customer with a qualifying event (similar to automated email marketing)
General campaigns: birthday collection + birthday reward, lapsed customer.
Loyalty-related campaigns like reminding about Loyalty rewards, and celebrating Loyalty anniversaries

What are the limitations?

Feature	Current Limitation
Texting: General	No two-way texting (You cannot yet respond to Buyers by text, Sellers will not see Buyer responses)
Texting: General	No picture message (MMS)
Opt-in: List Building	No phone number list upload
Opt-in: Loyalty Consent Specifics	Due to the current Loyalty consent language (which permits ‘loyalty-related communication’), Loyalty sellers will be able to send automated messages to nearly all of their Loyalty enrollees.
Seller Use Case	Sellers who sell adult products, alcohol, tobacco, firearms, or CBD/cannabis are subject to a standard called SHAFT. This a self-regulation by mobile carriers that can block messages around these topics.

What is the pricing?

Pricing is tiered pay-as-you-go: at the end of the month, a seller will be charged the tier corresponding with how many messages they sent. They will not be charged for months where they did not send any messages. We do not have established custom pricing eligibility or rates established for launch.

Howard
Beta Team Lead, Square
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tstoddard84 · ‎06-26-2019

Please add me!

HealthFactory · ‎06-26-2019

Interested in text marketing!

TSeven · ‎06-27-2019

I am interested in text marketing beta testing

ExquisitelyD · ‎07-05-2019

Hi we would like to test out the SMS feature.

Dfauci · ‎11-10-2019

What is the status on text vs. Email

mream · ‎05-20-2019

Me too!

Howard · ‎05-29-2019

Hello all!

I have exciting news! Automated Text Message Campaigns are ready to test!

If you have opted in, you can now send automated campaigns to existing Loyalty customers. With these campaigns, you will be able to automatically reengage your customers to drive them to come back to your business.

To enable Automated Text Message Campaigns:

Visit the Marketing tab in your online Square Dashboard.
Click Create Campaign and select text message.
Select from the five different Campaign types.
Edit the message and coupon you wish to send.
Review and then select Activate Now to enable this campaign.

These text campaigns will be automatically sent to all customers who meet the campaign audience criteria. You can always edit or cancel these messages via the Campaign section in the Marketing dashboard.

Note: To use this feature, you must be subscribed to both Square Marketing and Square Loyalty. Feel free to start a 30-day free trial if you aren’t using Marketing and Loyalty already.

Please review our Support Center to learn more about Automated Text Message Campaigns.

By using this feature and providing us feedback, you can directly influence and improve the Square Loyalty and Square Marketing products. So please share your reactions and input.

If you have not opted into this beta already, reply immediately below this post and leave a comment to let me know if you're interested. I’ll enable it for your account by confirming with a like on your post.

Cheers,

Howard, Square Beta Team

Howard
Beta Team Lead, Square
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10KBrewing · ‎05-29-2019

Hello Howard,

I have been waiting 4 years to migrate our exisiting SMS reward system to square. Sign me up and I will take it for a spin!

JohnPugh · ‎06-03-2019

Maybe I'm missing something, but we set up a text message to be sent and it never went out. There are also major, major holes in this SMS beta. You can't just create a text with whatever message sent whenever. It's got to be some pre-canned trigger. on This is a major reason we're planning to switch to shopify after being with Square for 7 years. Right now we pay $120 for Square retail ( our shop + mobile one for sporatic off-site events, + $35 for marketing (per location when active) + $50 for Loyality. That's over $200 / month, and the SMS service is non-existent as far as we can tell. That's not even including a website with any associated apps. That's rediculous.

Switching to shopify is going to be a complete headache, but we should be able to replace website AND POS system AND have everything sync correctly (customer data + orders + inventory) for about what we're paying just for square right now. Multiple locations and devices are no extra charge either. Blah blah blah.

AND have a functional SMS system for marketing, cart abandonment, etc.

Square needs to pick up their game, pronto.

Howard · ‎06-03-2019

@JohnPugh Thank you for sharing your feedback and I am understand your frusteration with not being able to send out blast SMS camapigns, we understand that this time this feature is not avaiable within the beta. During the beta planned to limit to automated campaigns, but to expand this to blast campaigns in the future.

Thank you also for scheduling a call with us this week. We are open to hearing your feedback and thank you for setting aside that time.

Howard
Beta Team Lead, Square
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JohnPugh · ‎06-03-2019

For those wondering the half-assed rollout of this SMS system consists ONLY of automated triggers:

1) Birthday spam

2) Bringing back lapsed customers (that you have ZERO control of when messages are sent)

3) Remind about rewards (again - you have ZERO control of when messages are sent)

4) remind about their points (again - you have ZERO control of when messages are sent)

5) loyality anniversary - who actually cares about that? No one.

We STILL have ZERO ability to communicate with Loyality customers, to which we have the pleasure of paying a premium for. Customers sign up with their cell phone numbers directly into square right at the point of sale. This is rediculous.

Howard · ‎06-05-2019

@JohnPugh I understand your frusteration that currently this feature doesn't allow you to send blast messages to your loyalty customers. I know you want to be able to target your customer with a curated message and control when you choose to send. We have heard these requests from other sellers during this beta and we are working towards to buidling a solution that has this functionality. That being said, this is the first iteration of this feature and we were transparent of the functionality during this beta program. I know it's furstrating when certain expectations are not met, but I hope we can all be respectful for those working on this project.

Howard
Beta Team Lead, Square
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10KBrewing · ‎06-05-2019

Hello Howard,

I responded to your post and signed up for Marketing and Loyalty trials but I still do not have access to SMS.

Howard · ‎06-05-2019

@10KBrewing Thank you for your interest and we have you on the list! We are working to backfill customer data after the high volume of requests and should have you enabled next week! Sorry for any confusion.

Howard
Beta Team Lead, Square
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10KBrewing · ‎06-05-2019

Will my trials be extended?

Howard · ‎06-06-2019

I will work with our team to expand this.

Howard
Beta Team Lead, Square
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tahesanelson · ‎06-07-2019

~~hello if we havent opt in for the text message campaign how can we opt in , i would to use the text messaging feature.~~

Nyumbarista · ‎06-08-2019

Hey!

We are a small coffee shop/bakery and would love to use this feature for our loyalty customers and marketing strategies. Is there anything else we'd need to do in order to opt in? We are already a part of the marketing and loyalty fields in square.

Best regards,

Canaan,

TotalityOK · ‎06-10-2019

I am interested in opting in for the Text Message marketing. Could you please activate this feature for my account? Thanks! @Howard

Howard · ‎06-11-2019

@TotalityOK @Nyumbarista @10KBrewing

We have enabled this on your account.

To enable Automated Text Message Campaigns:

Visit the Marketing tab in your online Square Dashboard.
Click Create Campaign and select text message.
Select from the five different Campaign types.
Edit the message and coupon you wish to send.
Review and then select Activate Now to enable this campaign.

These text campaigns will be automatically sent to all customers who meet the campaign audience criteria. You can always edit or cancel these messages via the Campaign section in the Marketing dashboard.

Note: To use this feature, you must be subscribed to both Square Marketing and Square Loyalty. Feel free to start a 30-day free trial if you aren’t using Marketing and Loyalty already.

Please review our Support Center to learn more about Automated Text Message Campaigns.

Howard
Beta Team Lead, Square
Join the Beta Community
Evaluate | Influence | Engage

10KBrewing · ‎06-11-2019

Thank you Howard.

Will the ability to send custom one-time campaigns be available at launch? (I.E. a one-time coupon that is available from June 1st to June 14th) Is there a timeline for that?

It would also be very helpful if the campaign parameters were adjustable. Example, the lapsed customer campaign. "(customer had visited at least 3 times in 6 months) but have not returned in at least 6 weeks"

I would like to be able to adjust the parameters to say "but have not returned in at least 12 weeks"

Otherwise, I am very excited for this!

Can we use text messaging instead of email for Square Marketing?

Re: Can we use text messaging instead of email for Square Marketing?