Keyword-based opt-in is the most popular (and compliance-friendly) method for collecting contacts’ information and building a robust list of clients, leads, customers, or others who are interested in receiving your SMS marketing and communications messages.
But perhaps you already have a list of contacts who've opted in to your messaging. If that's the case, SimpleTexting makes it easy for you to import them.
Follow Along with SimpleTexting Academy
Prefer going over this information a little more visually? Learn how to import contacts by following along with this step-by-step video from SimpleTexting Academy.
SimpleTexting Tip — Consent☝️
Compliance and consent are extremely important when adding contacts. If you ever have any doubts, reach out to our customer support team by clicking the question mark at the top of your screen and selecting Chat with support.
Importing Contacts
1. Click Contacts on the left-hand side of your screen, then Lists.
2. Click New list and give the list a name. In this example, we’ll name ours “Employees." Click Create list.
3. If you want to add a contact manually, click the down arrow next to Add contacts and select Manually add contact.
In order to add a contact, you must have their phone number. The rest of the info is optional.
4. If you have an existing file of consenting contacts, in a CSV or Excel spreadsheet, click on the Add contacts button. Then click Choose a file or just drag and drop the file you want to upload.
On the pop-up that opens, you may see a warning sign that says "You can import [X] new contacts. Need to import more? It's easy, just hit 'Increase allowance.' Learn more about our import guidelines here."
Just make sure to hit "Increase allowance" and we will process your request to increase your contact limit.
5. Make you set up your file with a header row so that you can easily map the fields. Download the following CSV File to see a sample of how your contacts should be structured.
When importing contacts, you can choose to add more than just a phone number. We’ve created custom fields for you to use, and you can include your own by scrolling down and clicking Add a new custom field.
6. Choose the list you’d like to add the contacts to. In this example, we'll select the Employees list.
7. Check the boxes next to Confirm contact import and I agree to SimpleTexting's Terms and Conditions.
8. Click Import, and you’re done!
SimpleTexting Tip — Custom Fields ☝️
It’s a good idea to import all applicable data fields during the mapping process—even if you don’t plan to use all of them. That’s because these fields can be used later to personalize your mass text messages for each individual subscriber. More on that here.
Your First Message to Newly Imported Contacts
When you send a campaign to your newly imported contacts, they'll receive a free compliance message along with your text. This is a complimentary message that's required by law. It tells your contacts who's messaging them, how often they can expect to receive texts and how they can unsubscribe. Learn more here.
Understanding Express Consent
Our terms and conditions require that you have obtained express consent from your contacts to communicate with them via text messaging for marketing purposes. If you have any questions about obtaining and documenting consent, please consult our informational guide about SMS marketing compliance.