1. Introducing Keywords

Creating and sending messages is easy with the SimpleTexting application. You just create a keyword, type a message, and send!

The purpose of creating a keyword is to build a list of customers’ cellphone numbers. A list of phone numbers is created automatically when a customer texts the keyword to the phone number 555888 (called a “short code”). The customer is said to be “opting in” or “subscribing” to the list. For example, a marketer might solicit subscribers to a list by adding the following to displays in the client’s location, to traditional advertisements, and more:
 

Text Pizza to 555888 for great deals from Lou’s Pizza!
 

The customer texts “Pizza” to 555888 and they’re on the list.

Now let’s get started by creating a keyword.
 

Creating a Keyword

Step 1. Open the SimpleTexting application and sign in.
Step 2. Click the “Keywords” tab.
Step 3. From the links just below the tabs, select “Add a Keyword.”
 

You will go the the “Add a Keyword” page:

Step 4. Type a name in the “Keyword” field. Do not use spaces, punctuation, or symbols. A keyword can be no more than 20 characters. As you type, you’ll see a message above the field telling you whether the keyword is available.
Step 5. If the keyword is available, click the “Continue” button. You will go to the “Configure Keyword” page.
 

Step 6. On the “Configure Keyword” page, type a name in the “Group” field. A group name identifies the opt-in cellphone list. You use it to select the list when you send a message.

Step 7. In the “Auto confirmations message” box, type a message no longer than 145 characters and spaces that will be sent automatically to customers who opt in.

Step 8. In “Forward Opt-ins via email,” you have the option of entering your email to receive a notification for every person who opts-in by texting your keyword to 555888.

Step 9. Click the “Save” button.
 

Creating and Sending a Text Message

Once you have distributed your opt-in keyword around town—on flyers, QR codes, Web pages, traditional advertising—and have collected a group of contacts, you’re ready to send the first message for the business. Let’s see how easy it is to do.

Step 1. Open the SimpleTexting application and sign in.
Step 2. Click the “Messaging” tab. You will see the “New Messages” page.

Step 3. In the “Select Your Groups” area, click the checkbox next to the group you created when you created the keyword.

Step 4. Enter a name for the message in the “Message Name” field, so you can track it on the “Message Activity” page.

Step 5. Your next step will be to enter the text of the message in the “Message Body” field. Start by clicking %%keyword%% in the “Custom Fields” table. Notice that the variable %%keyword%% is now in the “Message Body” field.
 

Note: The character-count line below the text box tells you how many of the 160 characters allowed in the message you have used. When you entered %%keyword%%, the number was reduced by the number of characters in the keyword.
 

Step 6. In the “Message Body” field, type a colon and a space after %%keyword%%.

Note: As a best practice the first word of your text message should be the keyword followed by a colon, which is followed by a space. This tells the receiver which business has sent the message. For example, a customer might see this:
 

LennysPizza: Come in today! Show this text message and receive 10% off!!!
 

Step 7. After the colon and space, type a message.
Step 8. In the Custom Fields table, click %%optOutText%%. This variable creates a line of text that gives the customer a way to opt out of the message service.

Now your message might look like this in the “Message Body” field:

%%keyword%%: Come in today! Show this text message and receive 10% off!
%%optOutText%%
 

Note: It is best practice to include the opt-out text, so that you do not anger a business’s customers who might remain customers even if they opt out of receiving messages. Notice that the opt-out text will consume some of your 160 allowed characters.
 

Step 9. In the “Message Date & Time” options at the bottom of the screen, click “Immediate” if you want to send the message now. Or change the date and time to send the message later.
Step 10. Click the “Continue” button.
Step 11. On the next page, either click the “Edit Message” button to change the text or click the “Confirm” button to send the message.
 

Other Nifty Things You Can Do

With the SimpleTexting application, it’s super easy to track your message activity and manage your keywords and opt-in group lists. You can also manage individual contacts - send them messages, remove them from lists, and mark them as spam. If your client gives you a list of phone numbers, you can manually enter them, either one at a time or from a CSV file as a group. For details on all the other things you can do with the SimpleTexting application, visit our resource rich Support Center.