SMS Campaigns allow you to engage directly with your customers by sending text messages. Below, we’ll guide you through setting up your campaign, share SMS marketing best practices, and outline regulations for SMS marketing in various countries.
Before You Start
Your customers must explicitly opt-in to receive text messages from you.
Start by collecting opt-ins. You should collect:
First Name
Last Name
Email and/or Customer ID
SMS Phone Number (note: This is a separate field from the phone number you may already be storing. SMS messages will not be sent to the customer phone numbers you already have on file, in order to comply with privacy regulations)
SMS Subscription Status (Subscribed or Unsubscribed)
Consider collecting phone numbers and opt-in consent on your website's signup form, or by inserting a link at the footer of your emails.
Upload Subscribers
Upload your list of subscribers with the above listed fields to the Customers tab of your Artbrain account:
You can also add an SMS Phone Number or change its subscription status directly in a customer's profile, by selecting SMS Numbers under the Edit Customer menu:
Send a Campaign
Once you've begun collecting opt-ins, you can start sending SMS Campaigns!
Navigate to the Campaigns tab, and select Message:
Title your campaign, and select your Audience filters. To send to your entire audience of SMS-subscribed customers, leave all filters turned off.
Compose your message. A few things to know:
SMS messages have a limit of 320 characters
This limit does not include opt-out instructions, which are applied automatically to the end of your message.
Your messages must comply with local regulations in your country. See below for details.
After sending your message, track the campaign's performance in the Campaign Report:
SMS Marketing Regulations by Country
United States (US)
Regulatory Body: Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
Key Rules:
Obtain express written consent before sending SMS marketing messages.
Include opt-out instructions in every message.
Adhere to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).
United Kingdom (UK)
Regulatory Body: Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
Key Rules:
Comply with the UK GDPR and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR).
Obtain clear consent before sending marketing texts.
Provide an easy way to opt out.
France
Regulatory Body: Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertés (CNIL).
Key Rules:
Comply with GDPR and national privacy laws.
Obtain prior consent for marketing messages.
SMS campaigns are prohibited on Sundays, public holidays, and after 10 PM.
Ireland
Regulatory Body: Data Protection Commission (DPC).
Key Rules:
Adhere to GDPR and local electronic communications regulations.
Secure explicit consent for SMS marketing.
Include a clear opt-out option.
Canada
Regulatory Body: Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).
Key Rules:
Comply with Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL).
Obtain express or implied consent before sending messages.
Include sender identification and a functional unsubscribe mechanism.
Mexico
Regulatory Body: Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones (IFT).
Key Rules:
Ensure consent before sending promotional messages.
Respect user preferences regarding time and frequency of messages.
Provide opt-out options.
Italy
Regulatory Body: Garante per la Protezione dei Dati Personali.
Key Rules:
Follow GDPR and Italian privacy laws.
Obtain explicit consent for marketing texts.
Avoid sending messages during nighttime hours.