SMS Marketing Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about creating, sending, and tracking SMS campaigns in Zipper. Find answers to questions about campaign creation, sending, delivery tracking, analytics, compliance, and more.

Product Capabilities and What It Can Do

Q: What can I do with SMS marketing?

A: SMS marketing allows you to:

• Create professional SMS campaigns
• Send SMS messages to your contact lists
• Track delivery status and engagement
• Manage opt-outs and maintain compliance
• Segment your audience for targeted sends
• Schedule SMS messages for optimal send times
• Test SMS messages before sending to your full list

Q: Can I send SMS messages to customers who aren't on my contact lists?

A: Yes! You can send SMS messages to:

• Specific contact lists
• Individual customers from your roster
• Customers selected manually
• Imported contact lists

You have flexibility in how you build and target your SMS audience.

Q: What SMS analytics can I track?

A: You can track:

• Delivery Status: Whether SMS messages were delivered successfully
• Carrier Status: Delivery status from carriers
• Per-Campaign Stats: Statistics for individual campaigns
• Aggregate Statistics: Organization-wide SMS metrics
• Delivery Rates: Overall delivery performance

Q: Can I schedule SMS messages to send later?

A: Yes! You can:

• Schedule SMS messages to send at specific times
• Queue SMS messages for processing
• Send test SMS messages before scheduling
• Manage scheduled sends

This helps you send SMS messages at optimal times for your audience.

Q: How do I ensure my SMS messages are delivered?

A: SMS delivery is managed through:

• Carrier Integration: Track delivery status through carrier notifications
• Delivery Tracking: Monitor delivery status for each recipient
• Status Monitoring: Track delivered, bounced, and complaint statuses
• Compliance Management: Process opt-outs and maintain compliance

These features help maintain reliable delivery and compliance.

Q: Can I segment my SMS audience?

A: Yes! You can segment by:

• Contact Lists: Send to specific lists
• Subscription Status: Filter by active/unsubscribed
• Custom Criteria: Filter contacts based on your needs
• Bulk Operations: Add or remove contacts from segments

Segmentation helps you send targeted, relevant SMS messages to specific groups.

Q: What happens when someone opts out?

A: When someone opts out:

• They're automatically removed from future sends
• Opt-out is honored across all contact lists
• Their status is updated in your system
• You can see opt-out status in contact lists

This maintains compliance and respects recipient preferences.

How to Use the Product

Getting Started

Q: What do I need before I can send SMS messages?

A: Before sending SMS messages, you should have:

• An active organization account at https://app.joinzipper.com
• Organization owner or admin permissions (you need the "manage-sms" permission)
• Twilio integration connected (for SMS sending)
• At least one contact list with recipients

You'll need to connect Twilio integration for SMS sending capabilities.

Q: How do I get started creating my first SMS campaign?

A: To create your first campaign:

1. Log in to https://app.joinzipper.com
2. Connect Twilio integration (if not already connected)
3. Click SMS in the left sidebar (or Marketing → SMS)
4. Click Create campaign button
5. Fill in campaign details:
   • Message: Enter SMS message content
   • Recipients: Select contact list or individual customers
6. Review and send (or schedule for later)

Your SMS campaign will be queued for sending.

Common Tasks

Q: How do I create an SMS campaign?

A: To create a campaign:

1. Go to SMS → Create campaign
2. Enter campaign details:
   • Message: SMS message content (160 characters per message)
   • Recipients: Choose a contact list or select individual customers
3. Review your message
4. Click Send (or Schedule for later)

The SMS campaign will be queued for processing and sending.

Q: How do I send SMS messages to a contact list?

A: To send to a contact list:

1. Go to SMS → Create campaign
2. Create your SMS message
3. In Recipients section, select Contact list
4. Choose the list you want to send to
5. Optionally filter by subscription status
6. Review and send

All active subscribers in the list will receive your SMS message.

Q: How do I track SMS campaign performance?

A: To track performance:

1. Go to SMS → select campaign
2. View Campaign stats:
   • Delivery status
   • Delivery rates
   • Carrier status
   • Aggregate statistics
3. View Recipient details to see individual delivery status

Analytics help you understand how your SMS campaigns are performing.

Q: How do I test an SMS message before sending?

A: To test an SMS message:

1. Create your SMS campaign
2. Before sending, click Send test SMS
3. Enter your phone number
4. Click Send test

You'll receive a test SMS message to verify how it looks before sending to your full list.

Q: How do I manage opt-outs?

A: Opt-outs are managed automatically:

• Recipients can opt out via reply (if configured)
• Opt-outs are processed automatically
• Opted-out contacts are removed from future sends
• You can see opt-out status in contact lists

You can also manually manage opt-out status if needed.

Configuration and Settings

Q: How do I connect Twilio for SMS sending?

A: To connect Twilio:

1. Go to Organization Management → Integrations
2. Find Twilio integration
3. Click Connect Twilio
4. Enter Twilio credentials:
   • Account SID
   • Auth Token
   • Phone number
5. Complete connection

Once connected, you can send SMS messages through Twilio.

Q: How do I create a contact list for SMS?

A: To create a contact list:

1. Go to Contact Lists (or CRM → Contact Lists)
2. Click Create list
3. Select SMS as the list type
4. Enter list name and description
5. Add contacts:
   • Import from CSV
   • Add individually
   • Add from roster
6. Save the list

Contact lists help you organize and segment your SMS audience.

Q: How do I add contacts to a list?

A: To add contacts:

1. Go to Contact Lists → select list
2. Click Add contacts
3. Choose method:
   • Import CSV: Upload CSV file with contacts
   • Add individually: Enter contact information
   • Add from roster: Select customers from your roster
4. Save contacts

Contacts will be added to your list and available for SMS sends.

Troubleshooting

Q: Why can't I send SMS messages?

A: You might not be able to send if:

• You don't have "manage-sms" permission
• Twilio integration isn't connected
• Contact list is empty
• SMS message content is invalid

Solution: Check your permissions, connect Twilio integration, ensure contact lists have recipients, and verify SMS message content is valid.

Q: Why aren't my SMS messages being delivered?

A: SMS messages might not be delivered if:

• Twilio integration isn't connected
• Recipient phone numbers are invalid
• Messages are being blocked by carriers
• Recipient has opted out

Solution: Verify Twilio connection, check phone number formats, review carrier status, and ensure recipients haven't opted out.

Q: Why do I see delivery failures in my campaign stats?

A: Delivery failures occur when:

• Phone number is invalid
• Carrier rejects the message
• Recipient has opted out
• Message content violates carrier policies

Solution: Review delivery status details, verify phone numbers, check carrier policies, and ensure compliance with SMS regulations.

Q: Why can't I create a contact list?

A: You might not be able to create lists if:

• You don't have permission to manage contact lists
• You're not logged into the correct organization

Solution: Contact your organization admin to grant contact list management permissions if needed.

Edge Cases and Advanced Usage

Q: Can I send the same SMS message to multiple lists?

A: Yes! You can:

• Create one SMS campaign
• Add multiple contact lists as recipients
• Send to all lists in one campaign

This helps you reach multiple segments with the same message.

Q: Can I schedule SMS messages to send at specific times?

A: Yes! You can:

• Schedule SMS messages to send at specific dates and times
• Queue SMS messages for processing
• Manage scheduled sends

Scheduling helps you send SMS messages at optimal times for your audience.

Q: What happens if I duplicate a campaign?

A: When you duplicate a campaign:

• A new campaign is created with the same message content
• Recipients are not copied (you select new recipients)
• You can edit the duplicate before sending
• Original campaign is unchanged

Duplication helps you reuse successful campaigns.

Q: Can I see who received my SMS messages?

A: Yes! You can:

• View individual recipient delivery status
• See who received messages successfully
• See who had delivery failures
• Track delivery status per recipient

This helps you understand which contacts are reachable.

Q: How do I handle SMS compliance?

A: To maintain compliance:

• Honor opt-out requests automatically
• Process opt-outs immediately
• Remove opted-out contacts from future sends
• Track opt-out status in contact lists
• Follow SMS marketing regulations

Maintaining compliance helps preserve your ability to send SMS messages.

Q: Can I export SMS analytics?

A: Yes! You can:

• Export campaign statistics
• Export recipient delivery data
• Export data in CSV format
• Use exported data in other tools

Exports help you analyze SMS performance and create reports.

Q: How do I maintain a clean SMS list?

A: To maintain list hygiene:

• Remove invalid phone numbers
• Honor opt-out requests
• Remove bounced contacts
• Regularly clean your lists
• Monitor delivery and opt-out rates

Clean lists improve deliverability and compliance.

Q: Can I send SMS messages to customers who haven't subscribed?

A: You can send to customers in your roster, but:

• You should respect opt-out preferences
• Maintain compliance with SMS regulations
• Use Twilio integration for reliable delivery
• Monitor delivery and opt-out rates

Best practice is to only send to customers who have opted in or are part of your customer relationship.