How to Create an SMS Campaign

Learn how to create and send SMS campaigns to your contact lists or individual customers. SMS campaigns help you communicate directly with customers via text messages.

Before You Begin

• You must be logged in to your account at https://app.joinzipper.com
• You need permission to manage SMS (typically organization owners and admins have this permission)
• Twilio integration connected (required for SMS sending)
• At least one contact list with recipients (or individual customers to send to)

Steps

Step 1: Navigate to SMS

1. Log in to your account at https://app.joinzipper.com/auth/login
2. From the dashboard, click SMS in the left sidebar (or Marketing → SMS)
3. You'll see your SMS campaigns

Step 2: Open Create Campaign

1. On the SMS page, look for the Create campaign button
2. Click the button
3. You'll be taken to the campaign creation page

What happens next: The campaign creation form will open.

Step 3: Enter Campaign Message

1. Message: Enter your SMS message content (required)
   • Keep messages concise (160 characters per message)
   • Messages longer than 160 characters are split into multiple messages
   • Make it clear and actionable
   • Example: "Reminder: Your appointment is tomorrow at 2pm. Reply STOP to opt out."

Note: SMS messages are limited to 160 characters per message. Longer messages are split automatically.

Step 4: Select Recipients

1. In the Recipients section, choose who to send to:

   Option 1 - Send to Contact List:

   • Select Contact list option
   • Choose the list you want to send to from the dropdown
   • Optionally filter by subscription status (active, unsubscribed, etc.)
   • All active subscribers in the list will receive your SMS

   Option 2 - Send to Individual Customers:

   • Select Individual customers option
   • Choose customers from your roster
   • Select multiple customers if needed

Note: You can send to multiple contact lists or combine lists and individual customers.

Step 5: (Optional) Test Your SMS

1. Before sending to your full list, test your SMS:
   • Click Send test SMS button
   • Enter your phone number
   • Click Send test
2. Check your phone to see how the SMS looks
3. Review message content and formatting
4. Make adjustments if needed

Recommendation: Always test SMS messages before sending to ensure they look correct.

Step 6: Review and Send

1. Review all your campaign details:
   • Message content is clear and correct
   • Recipients are selected correctly
   • Test SMS looks good
2. Choose when to send:
   • Send now: SMS messages will be queued for immediate sending
   • Schedule: Set a specific date and time to send later
3. Click Send (or Schedule if scheduling for later)
   • The button will show a loading state while processing
   • You'll see a confirmation when complete

What happens next: Your SMS campaign will be:

• Queued for processing and sending
• Sent to all selected recipients
• Tracked for delivery status and engagement
• Available in your campaign list for analytics

Tracking Campaign Performance

After sending, you can track performance:

1. Go to SMS → select your campaign
2. View Campaign stats:
   • Delivery status: Whether SMS messages were delivered successfully
   • Delivery rates: Overall delivery performance
   • Carrier status: Delivery status from carriers
3. View Recipient details to see individual delivery status
4. Export analytics data if needed

Tips

• Keep messages concise (under 160 characters when possible)
• Test SMS messages before sending to catch errors
• Use clear calls-to-action in your messages
• Segment your audience for targeted sends
• Track delivery performance to improve future campaigns
• Respect opt-out requests to maintain compliance
• Include opt-out instructions (e.g., "Reply STOP to opt out")

Troubleshooting

Problem: I don't see the "Create campaign" button Solution: Make sure you have permission to manage SMS. Only organization owners and admins can create campaigns. Contact your organization owner if you need access.

Problem: I can't send SMS messages Solution: Check that:

• Twilio integration is connected (required for SMS sending)
• Contact list has recipients (or you've selected individual customers)
• Message content is valid
• You have permission to manage SMS

Solution: Connect Twilio integration by going to Organization Management → Integrations → Twilio.

Problem: SMS messages aren't being delivered Solution: Check that:

• Twilio integration is connected and active
• Recipient phone numbers are valid
• SMS sending isn't failing (check delivery status)
• Recipients haven't opted out

Solution: Review delivery tracking, verify Twilio setup, and ensure recipients have valid phone numbers.

Problem: I don't see delivery tracking Solution: Note that:

• Delivery tracking requires Twilio integration
• Carrier status may take time to update
• Some carriers may not provide detailed status
• Check delivery status in campaign analytics

Solution: Verify Twilio integration is connected. Check campaign analytics for delivery status.

Problem: I can't create a contact list Solution: Check that:

• You have permission to manage contact lists
• You're logged into the correct organization

Solution: Contact your organization admin to verify permissions.