SMS can be a really powerful way of engaging with your fans. If you've collected phone numbers previously or through one of your OS Landing Page flows, try using SMS Broadcasts to reach out to your fans in creative and exciting ways!
Please note, if you don't have phone numbers in your Artist Settings, reach out to your OS point of contact or email support@openstage.live to get these set up.
Top up your credit
Before you can send any SMS messages, you need to top up your account with credit. Go to Account Settings --> Billing --> Stripe Create SMS Billing Portal to set up a separate payment method, even if using the same card. This is important, as if you top up through your existing billing portal, any remaining SMS credit will automatically go towards your next monthly licence fee. Once this is set up, follow the below steps to add credit.
As a guide, click here for the current pricing by region. Navigate to the bottom of the page and see 'usage charges'. Please note, outbound SMS cost varies by country. Inbound SMS is priced at £0.0123 for all countries. Inbound calls cost £0.0246.
Setup
Once you have added credit, you can begin creating your SMS Broadcast.
Navigate to Engage --> Broadcasts.
Click New Broadcast.
Click Set Channel and choose SMS.
As a default, your audience will only include those who can receive SMS Broadcasts. You can segment this audience further - for example, by country calling code if you need a specific market. Click on Target Audience to edit the audience for this SMS Broadcast. For more on audiences, click here.
Details
Head to Details and enter your broadcast details, including name, which is just for your reference within the platform. You can also choose the start date. Please note, the text will not go live until activated, despite the chosen date and time. Your broadcast audience is summarised on the right of the page.
If in next steps you see 'Set Up Phone Numbers', this could mean one of two things:
You don't have any numbers set up. Please email support@openstage.live to do so.
You don't have the relevant number to message certain fans in your current audience segment. For example, a US/Canada number to reach fans with those country calling codes. If you only have one number set up, you can exclude or include the relevant country calling codes in the Target Audience section under 'Location' filters. This will then allow you to send your message.
Please read this important information on Initial Contact SMS costs and GDPR:
Content
Head to Content to start drafting your SMS message. You have 160 characters to work with and links use 29 of these. Links can be added below. Typically, you would be sending a Landing Page for fans to engage with or links to new merch or tickets on sale. Use {{fan_first_name}} and {{fan_last_name}} tags to pull in the names of fans that are already on record, making this more personal.
Please note, the test function is on the right of the page. Use this to see how your SMS will look before activating it by sending it to yourself or a colleague. You can reset content or start again at any point using the relevant buttons at the top right of the page, next to the 'Save' button.
SMS content section - always click Save as you make changes.
Your current SMS costs can be seen here based on the current audience segment. You can segment the audience further at any time by clicking on Target Audience. Your quote will factor in the cost of sending any mandatory GDPR messages, as mentioned above.
Sending
When you are happy with your SMS content, send yourself a test to make sure the copy and any links are correct.
When you are ready to schedule the SMS Broadcast, ensure your scheduling date and time are correct and click the green 'Activate' button in the top left-hand corner, under Details.
This message will then send at the scheduled date and time. The only exception is if the scheduled date and time has passed. If this is the case, your SMS will begin broadcasting immediately.
**Top tip: Always test your texts before pushing them live. This is particularly important if the text points fans to a Landing Page to collect more data or fan uploads. Make sure to test the entire flow so that fans don't experience any issues along the way. You don't want to spend money on texts that have incorrect links or any other problems.**
Lastly, if you want fans to receive a welcome text or an SMS based on a particular activation, you can configure an automated SMS Broadcast in Automated Broadcasts. To read more on this, click here.
Please note, you can call fans from the platform without a physical phone. However, you will need your numbers configured for calling. To do so, please reach out to your OS point of contact or support@openstage.live.
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