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  • Verify toll-free number

    Why do I need to get the Toll-Free number verified?

    From the 15th of May 2022, all toll-free numbers used to send SMS messages are required to get verified.

    This is an industry-wide change focused on consumer protection in fighting fraud, reducing spam, and ensuring that US and Canadian recipients only get the text messages they consented to receive. More on collecting SMS consent here.

    How to get a Toll-Free number?

    Please note that the SMS feature is available only for accounts with a Standard or Professional plan. So make sure you have one of the plans active before moving further.

    If you are purchasing a plan solely for the SMS feature, make sure that you are not planning to send SMS with the following content, as it is prohibited by CTIA and not allowed to be sent via Sender.net:

    • S.H.A.F.T. (Sex, Hate, Alcohol, Firearms, and Tobacco);
    • CBD, Vaping, marijuana/cannabis and any content associated with either one of these;
    • Gambling, Casino, and Bingo and any content associated with it;
    • Any High Risk Financial offers such as: loans; debt consolidation and reduction; investment opportunities; credit repair, tax relief, work from home programs.

    Here you will find more content and behaviors that are not permitted using our Toll-Free SMS service. Messages found to be associated with the following content may be blocked regardless of opt-in status:

    • Social Marketing
    • Financial services whether account notifications, marketing, collections or billing for:
      • High-risk/subprime lending/credit card companies
      • Auto loans
      • Mortgages
      • Payday loans
      • Short-term loans
      • Student loans
      • Debt consolidation/reduction/forgiveness
    • Insurance
      • Car Insurance
      • Health Insurance
    • Gift cards
    • Sweepstake’s
    • Free prizes
    • Investment opportunities
    • Lead generation
    • Recruiting
    • Commission programs
    • Credit repair
    • Tax relief
    • Illicit or illegal substances
    • Work from home
    • Get rich quick
    • UGGS and RayBan campaigns
    • Phishing
    • Fraud or scams
    • Deceptive marketing

    If none of these are included in your SMS content, continue with the following steps.

    Go to Account settings -> SMS settings and click “Add phone number”.

    Then choose the “Toll-free number” type, and select a number from the list.

    You will also be reminded of the content that is not allowed to be sent via Sender.net. Double-check if none of it applies to you. If it doesn’t, then click “Get started”.

    Your chosen toll-free number will now appear in your SMS settings list with “unverified” status.

    How to verify your Toll-Free number?

    Once you have the toll-free number added to your account, go to Account settings -> SMS settings and click “Verify” next to the number you have added.

    The next step is for you to update your website’s/store’s Terms of Service (TOS). Copy the text below and add it to your website’s TOS.

    Once you have done that, confirm it by ticking the box and clicking “Continue”.

    You will now be asked about your company information, messaging plans, and SMS consent collection process.

    IMPORTANT NOTE: Make sure that your website is up and running before filling out the verification form. If not, the toll-free number will NOT get verified, and the whole verification application process will have to be redone.

    • Number of messages you send per month – choose the average number of SMS you plan to send per month.
    • What will you use SMS for – choose the best-fitting category that reflects the content you plan to send from the drop-down bar selection.
    • Describe your case. Who are you messaging and why? – provide a general idea of the use case and customer.
    • What do your messages look like? – give an example of what your messages will look like to your recipients.

    • Upload a screenshot of your opt-in process – Add a screenshot of your workflow setup for collecting SMS consent.
    • How do your subscribers sign-up for your messages? – describe the step-by-step process a customer takes to request or agree to receive your text messages.
    • Message sent to subscribers confirming their opt-in – enter a copy of your initial confirmation message, which must include your brand name, opt-out instructions (e.g., “Reply STOP to unsubscribe”), and message rate disclaimers.
    • Automated response when subscribers text HELP – enter the automated reply sent when a user texts “HELP”, which must include support contact info (email or phone) and your brand name.
    • Privacy policy URL – provide the direct link to your official privacy policy, which should explicitly mention how subscriber data and SMS consent are managed.
    • Terms and conditions URL – provide the direct link to your website’s terms of service or dedicated SMS terms page.
    • Opt-in keywords – list the specific words customers can text to subscribe to your messaging list.
    • Additional information (optional) – include any additional relevant information for the toll-free number verification.

    Once you fill in all the required information, submit the form, and you will see the status of the phone number set to “Waiting for vendor”.

    Once the toll-free number is verified, you will receive a notification; the status in SMS settings will change to “Verified”. This means you can start sending SMS to your subscribers.

    If you got stuck on a specific task or can’t find a way to execute a particular job, contact our support team via LiveChat or [email protected] – we’re here to help 24/7.

  • Collect SMS consent

    What is SMS consent? Why is it important?

    There are stricter requirements on what SMS consent means because it is more regulated than other marketing channels such as email:

    • SMS consent must be received from new subscribers and those that already agreed to receive your content via email. 
    • Please note that consent cannot be forced or made to look as required, which might result in fines or compliance issues.
    • New subscribers can provide both email and SMS consent in the same form, you simply must use a separate opt-in button or check-box for SMS.
    • Make sure to use disclosure language whenever you collect SMS consent, whether that is at the checkout, form or an email campaign.

    Consent for SMS Marketing in the EU

    To send SMS marketing in the EU, you must comply with the rules set out in the GDPR.

    GDPR

    GDPR compliant consent forms must include:

    • The type of data being collected, in this case, phone number.
    • How data will be used – what the subscriber will be opting-in for.
    • Details of the privacy policy.
    • How to easily opt out from receiving marketing SMS.

    Consent for SMS Marketing in the USA

    To send SMS marketing in the USA, you must comply with the rules set out in the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and CAN-SPAM Act. It is important to remember that in addition to these federal regulations, there may be additional rules and requirements from state to state.

    TCPA

    The TCPA introduces a few rules that apply to SMS marketing:

    • Marketing SMS must include the identity of the sending business and contact information, including the number used to send the SMS.
    • Marketers cannot send marketing messages to consumers before 8 am or after 9 pm local time without their express consent.

    CAN-SPAM Act

    According to the CAN-SPAM Act :

    • You cannot send someone a marketing SMS without their express consent, even if you already have their contact details. Consent must be obtained separately for each contact method.
    • Consent is not  considered valid if the subscriber has not received a clear explanation of what kind of messages they agree to receive and their frequency.
    • All marketing SMS must be clearly identified as advertising.
    • Every marketing SMS must contain clear instructions on how to stop receiving future SMS.

    Make sure that you abide by the set regulations in the EU and the USA, and give the subscribers an option to unsubscribe whenever they want by inserting an unsubscribe link in your SMS campaigns. More on that here.

    How to collect SMS consent?

    There are several ways to collect SMS consent, and you should use at least one once you start SMS marketing. Others can be left for later or used only sporadically.

    Pop-up and embedded forms

    Using embedded or pop-up forms is a great way to collect email and SMS consent. It makes it easy for your website visitors to sign up, no matter if they are new or existing subscribers. More on creating subscription forms here.

    At Checkout

    You can also collect SMS consent via your ecommerce store by placing a checkbox at the checkout. It is the smoothest way for your customers to sign up. Check out Sender’s integrations with several ecommerce websites for more information:

    1. Shopify
    2. WooCommerce

    Via email

    If you already have a list of subscribers that have agreed to receive your content via email, you can use that to send them an email with a link to an embedded form to sign up for SMS as well. You should especially do that with your most engaged audiences. Click here to identify your most active subscribers.

    FAQ

    What if I already have my subscriber’s phone number, does it count as having consent for SMS?

    No. In addition to having your subscriber’s phone number, you must also receive their explicit consent to receive your marketing text messages.

    What if I already have consent for sending emails, can it also count as SMS consent?

    No. SMS consent must be received separately from email marketing consent.

    Can single opt-in button or checkbox be used for both SMS and email?

    No. This would put you at risk at falling out of compliance. You should always use separate button or checkbox for SMS consent.

    Is is enough for SMS marketing to have a general “agree to marketing” button or checkbox?

    No. Having a “agree to marketing” button or checkbox is not sufficient for SMS in most countries.

    Where should I put the disclosure language in a form?

    The best placing for the disclosure language would be above the SMS consent button or checkbox.

    That’s it!

    If you got stuck on a specific task or can’t find a way to execute a particular job, contact our support team via LiveChat or [email protected] – we’re here to help 24/7.

  • Keep subscriber list clean

    The main reason to keep your list clean is to maintain good deliverability and make sure that your campaigns reach your subscribers’ inboxes. Storing your unengaged subscribers also uses up your plan limits, therefore regularly cleaning up your subscriber list saves you money as well.

    How to filter out the unengaged subscribers?

    You should firstly identify what would you consider an unengaged subscriber as this highly depends on your campaign sending frequency. 

    If you send a campaign less than 4 times a month or during particular seasons you should filter out those subscribers that did not open any of your campaigns for the past year.

    If you send a campaign at least 4 times a month, filter out the ones that did not open a campaign for the past 6 months.

    Start by going to Subscribers  and click “Advanced filter”.

    By using the Advanced filter, set the conditions to match those of unengaged subscribers as explained previously.

    After that click “Save as a new segment” and name it accordingly.

    You can also focus on the subscribers that did not open AND did not click any link, which is another important indicator of recipients’ engagement. You should stay within the time frames as previously explained.

    After that click “Save as new segment” and name it accordingly.

    What to do with the unengaged subscribers?

    After identifying your inactive audience and putting them into a separate segment, you can either delete or unsubscribe them. You should choose one of these options, as keeping them in your list and in “Active” status will cause you to waste your Active subscriber plan limits.

    Unsubscribing the unengaged subscriber list allows you to still maintain the contact details of your unengaged audience but will not let you email them and their presence in your list will not use up your subscription plan limits.

    Deleting the unengaged subscribers will remove their information from the system. 

    That’s it!

    If you got stuck on a specific task or can’t find a way to execute a particular job, contact our support team via LiveChat or [email protected] – we’re here to help 24/7.

  • Add image alt text

    Once you insert an image, click on it, and on the right side you see Image settings and the option to add alternative text (Alt text).

    If you got stuck on a specific task or can’t find a way to execute a particular job, contact our support team via LiveChat or [email protected] – we’re here to help 24/7.

  • Check email template width

    The width of the email template is 640px.

    That’s it!

    If you got stuck on a specific task or can’t find a way to execute a particular job, contact our support team via LiveChat or [email protected] – we’re here to help 24/7.

  • Remove subscribers

    Whether you want to remove one, multiple, or all subscribers, that can be easily achieved by going to Subscribers, ticking the box next to an email address, or selecting all subscribers at once. 

    Once you select all the subscribers you want to remove, click “Actions” and “Delete”.

    That’s it!

    If you got stuck on a specific task or can’t find a way to execute a particular job, contact our support team via LiveChat or [email protected] – we’re here to help 24/7.

  • Duplicate an email campaign

    To create a copy of a campaign, go to Email campaign, click the arrow next to the campaign in question and select “Duplicate”. An exact copy of a selected campaign has been created.

    If you got stuck on a specific task or can’t find a way to execute a particular job, contact our support team via LiveChat or [email protected] – we’re here to help 24/7.

  • Change subscriber email address

    There is no direct way to change the email address of a subscriber within a system. You will have to upload the new email address as a new subscriber. 

    If you want to maintain additional subscriber data and change only the email address, you need to export the subscriber, change the email address in the exported file and reupload it into the system.

    Please note that this action will not preserve subscriber actions within your past campaigns, only the information that has been provided alongside their email address or/and phone number.

    If you got stuck on a specific task or can’t find a way to execute a particular job, contact our support team via LiveChat or [email protected] – we’re here to help 24/7.

  • Set up birthday/anniversary automation

    Setting up a celebratory email can be a great way to surprise and congratulate a customer on their birthday or another occasion. The setup takes little time.

    Firstly, go to Subscribers -> Fields and create a date type field for Birthday.

    Secondly, go to Automations -> Create new workflow -> Create from scratch and choose the “Anniversary of a date” trigger.

    Name your workflow accordingly and click Create.

    Fill in the trigger setup and choose the Custom Field you created initially. This trigger will check the set field every day at the set time, and if the date is today, the automation will start.

    Enable the “Repeat workflow” if you want the same subscriber to receive their birthday celebration email more than once (every year).

    After setting the trigger, you can add any additional steps, e.g. a congratulatory email to be sent. It can include a message with personalization and a discount code or some other perk to surprise the recipient.

    Do not forget to activate the automation workflow! 

    Once everything is set up, you can import your subscribers’ birthdays data or other anniversaries into the created field, and the automation will do its magic! Here is what the email might look in subscriber’s inbox:

    If you got stuck on a specific task or can’t find a way to execute a particular job, contact our support team via LiveChat or [email protected] – we’re here to help 24/7.

  • Add background image

    A background image can be added to the whole campaign or to a particular section.

    To add a background image to the whole campaign, click “Template settings” icon. Click “Change” and choose an image that you want.

    To add a background image to a section of the campaign, click on the section that you want to add the image to. On the right side, you will see the ” Background image option in the “Section settings” section. Click “Change” and choose an image that you want.

    If you are stuck on a specific task or can’t find a way to execute a particular job, contact our support team via LiveChat or [email protected] – we’re here to help 24/7.