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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
Verified Answer

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
Join the Beta Community
Evaluate | Influence | Engage

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any updates on this thread?

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I have not been able to access the text option any suggestions?
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Message 86 of 391
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It seems odd that this is not available as Square loyalty program is based on customer's phone numbers not their email addresses. Please add this feature. 

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Square

Hi @HabitatReStore,

 

Missed this post, apologies! We'll be initally testing text-based marketing for Merchants enrolled in our Loyalty program. We appreciate your patience until we're able to release this feature.

 

Edward

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Hi Edward, any ETA on this and we would be a beta customer for you.

 

thanks

 

Fred Mayne

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Square

Not yet, but hopefully soon! I'll be sure to reach out to you about participating in the beta once we're ready. Thanks again for your patience, and hope you had a great Thanksgiving!

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👍

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What if we dont have the loyalty program and possibly wont get it. Will this sms marketing be available in a separate subscription? 

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Square

Hi @ivluna. Yes, we plan to introduce an initial test version of SMS through Square Marketing later this year that is separate from Loyalty.

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This reply was created from merging an existing thread: SMS campaigns

 

Does Square provide a feature to send SMS blasts to customers?

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Admin

Hi there @evolives! This isn't available with Square Marketing at this time  — I'm adding your post to this thread where the Product Marketing Manager, @edwardwb, shared the latest update on this feature request. Take a look! 

 

 

️ Helen
Seller Community Manager

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Message 95 of 391
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Please let me start by saying I love y'all and what you're doing so please don't take affront but... this thread is 2 years old!!!!! Are you going to integrate some sms marketing or what?????

 

Thanks for the ear. I hope that soon I get more than that 🙂

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I know right?! @krisproffitt I’ve been on this thread forever and nothing ever changes. It’s so frustrating because I like the rest of their interface but I’ve started looking elsewhere to take my business because it’s taking way too long. 

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Admin

Glad to hear that the existing features and interface are working well for you (with the exception of SMS marketing options), @krisproffitt and @MBrakey. We defiantly want to keep your business and help you grow. We'll let you know as soon as any developments come through.

️ Tom | he/him
Seller Community Manager | Square, Inc.
Find step-by-step help in our Support Center
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Message 98 of 391
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Fact: We do not get responses from using email. But as soon as I text someone, 9 times out of 10 I get an answer. Square works off of cell phone numbers. The texting ability could be done as an opt in from customers.

You have had people that kmow how to implement texting offer to assist you. There are third party services you could hire to implement and put your name on it. I have even mentioned I would pay for the capability.

You do not have to reinvent the wheel.

As a mom and pop shop, we need EVERY ability to communicate with our customers - and texting is it.

Fivestars can do it - why not Square?

It has been mentioned that beta users would be used to test the capability.

Before that, I was contacted and talked with about using texting - one year ago.

I will also beta test.

Please reply with a specific answer and time frame.

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That’s a great idea @trainman we should be told a specific timeframe of when we can expect beta testing. 

 

Also @trainman do you have a text marketing system you use? Or do you just send them manually from your phone? For the last two years since I started using square I have done it all myself but my clientele has doubled this year and it just takes to long to individually text 200 clients. What are you using?? 

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I am wondering the reason for SQ to delay this is because before we send blast SMS campaign to our customers, don't we have to ask them for permission(to receive SMS from us) first?

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you could be right.  TCPA regulations require users to opt into texting campaigns.  These rules do not apply to emails

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I feel like Text message is how we are all communicating now. Email is either strictly business or sale marketing (haha) whicjris what we are talking about, but I always open my texts but I have 12,569 unopened emails. 

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We recently switched from the FiveStars loyalty and marketing platform, to use the loyalty and marketing that Square offers.

 

Losing the ability to send SMS blasts and coupons and such is looking to be a huge blow, and we might have to go back.

 

Please, please, please bring the feature to us, either via square or mailchimp, something.

 

I see people have been asking about it for THREE YEARS. 

 

No one checks email these days. Its harder to ignore a text message.

 

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Same feature request has been in the que for 3 years now. No one reads email anymore. We're seriously considering going back to shopify, and I hate shopify, but their 3rd party apps do a great job of SMS messaging. This is quickly becoming a dealbreaker for us. 

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