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

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

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

📳Hello Everyone!📳

 

I'm reaching out to those who've posted to this thread as we're hosting a question & answer session with the product team for Text Message Marketing on Wednesday, February 17th.

 

Have questions about setting up or feedback on how it's going so far? Please head over to this thread and let us know: Live Q&A: Ask us anything about Text Message Marketing!

1 Best Answer
Admin

Best Answer
 
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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Please include me in the text message beta campaign. Thanks in advance!

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What do I need to do to get signed up for this, Howard?  I’ve replied to this post 3 times. I've signed up for the free trial of marketing and loyalty. If I don't get approved for this I'm canceling my marketing and loyalty before 30 days. Text campaigns is the only reason I signed up for both. I find that email campaigns get looked over by most customers. 

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It's all good now. Thanks!

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I'm having the same problem, if I could get signed up for the beta it would be a game changer. We have thousands of customers we can reach that way. I have asked over and over about this but noonne has helped.

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Here’s what I did...

Sign up for free trial of Marketing and Loyalty. 

Set up a campaign for Marketing. 
Set up a campaign for Loyalty. 
A campaign has to be setup for each one and be live for the text message option to appear. 

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Let me know if that worked. 

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Admin

@Sidhu I am sorry for these issues. I have enabled this on your account. 

You will have the option to get started now! 

Howard
Beta Team Lead, Square
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@Howard I see the option now and tried to create a campaign, I have thousands of reachable customers in my customer list but under text it doesn't show any.

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Admin

@Sidhu I am sorry for the delay! I am enabled the feature on your account! I want to be clear, you will not be able to reach all customers within your account account right away. 

Customers must opt-in to text messagaing through Square Point of Sale or through text to Sign Up! 

Howard
Beta Team Lead, Square
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I'm only seeing the automated text campaigns. How do find where to create a manual campaign? I am signed up for both loyalty and marketing. Thanks in advance for your help.

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Just got to work. Let me check and see.

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I've been playing around with the Loyalty and Marketing and you are right. I don't see anyway to create a custom campaign. I appreciate Square adding the text feature but they have definately handcuffed it. I'm sure they have a good reason for doing this but I don't know what it is. It's basically useless for my business. I'm not doing email campaigns. If they can't get the text campaign to allow customization then I'm done with the Markeing and Loyalty. It's not worth it. Square is a huge company with a lot of resources, they need to step it up. Good grief!!!

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I agree. If they dont allow us send a basic text I will be done with them as well. It's useless otherwise.

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Admin

@thevinylhippie  Thank you for sharing your feedback! I have enabled the feature on your account. 

We are currently backfilling the customers who have signed up for Square Loyalty and you will be able to send a message and with coupon included. 

I will update you once you able to send messages. 

Howard
Beta Team Lead, Square
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I would like this feature enabled on our account as well. I only see automated texts and a coupon text. I would like to be able to do a custom message.

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Perfect!!! Thanks Howard!!! Y’all keep up the good work!!!

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Admin

@thevinylhippie @Sidhu  I have enabled the feature and sent an email with instructions on how to get started. 

Howard
Beta Team Lead, Square
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Admin

Thank you for sharing your feedback! I have enabled the feature on your account. 

We are currently backfilling the customers who have signed up for Square Loyalty and you will be able to send a message and with coupon included. 

I will update you once you able to send messages. 

Howard
Beta Team Lead, Square
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Very interested 

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Square Community Moderator

Thanks for adding your voice here in support of this feature, @HWPZEBRAHERD! Stay tuned for more updates - we hope to have some good news on this front soon.

 

Cheers!

Joe
Community Moderator, Square
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Yes.

Hi Howard

Please add me to the text messaging marketing Beta. I am assuming its available to us in Australia. Cheers. Hugh

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