Adding Triggers to Keywords

Triggers are a great way to get more info across to your subscribers. We like to think of them as keywords within keywords.

Sean Griffith avatar
Written by Sean Griffith
Updated over a week ago

You probably spend a lot of time answering the same questions over and over. What are your hours? What’s your address? With triggers, you can automatically send pre-written responses to common inquiries.

Follow Along with SimpleTexting Academy

Seeing is believing. Get started with your first trigger by following along with this step-by-step video from SimpleTexting Academy.

What Are Triggers?

A keyword is a word or phrase people can text in to sign up for your messages. Think of triggers as sub-keywords. After a customer texts in your keyword, they can then text in a trigger to get additional information. Please note, triggers cannot contain spaces.

They’re great for providing extra details that people frequently ask about, such as:

  • Support phone number

  • Business address

  • Hours of operation

  • Website URL

  • Menu or list of services

SimpleTexting Tip — Create a Keyword First☝️

In order to use triggers, you need to set up a keyword first. Haven’t set up a keyword yet? We’ve got you covered. Here’s how.

Set Up Your First Trigger

Say you’re a restaurant and you want to make it super easy for people to get your menu:

1. Click Keywords on the left-hand panel. Select an existing keyword or create a new one. For this example, we’ll imagine we’re a restaurant with the keyword LetsEat.

2. Inform your subscribers about the triggers in your keyword’s auto-confirmation message.

3. Click Add Trigger.

4. Name your trigger and add your trigger message. Your trigger cannot contain spaces. Be sure to include a link to your online menu. 

5. You’re done! Here’s how your trigger works:

  • First, people text your keyword to join your list. (In this example, LetsEat.)

  • Second, they get your auto-confirmation message and see the option to reply with Menu. 

  • Finally, they text Menu and get another message with a link to your online menu.

SimpleTexting Tip  — Shorten Your URLs☝️

If you include a link in your message, use our URL shortener. This will save you characters and allow you to track who clicked your link later. Learn more.

Using Triggers within Triggers

Trigger-ception. You can include additional trigger words within your trigger messages. What if you want to give customers the option to see your catering options after they receive your menu? All you have to do is adjust your trigger message for Menu:

Then a new add trigger named Catering with a link to the catering menu. 

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