SMS Marketing - FAQs
About Texts.com
Q. Who is Texts.com?
We are a Vancouver-based provider of International SMS and Text Messaging services, providing an alternative to expensive carrier-specific text messaging plans. In addition to our international text messaging services, we also provide SMS Marketing Services and help companies plan and execute effective SMS Marketing campaigns.
Q. How do I contact Texts.com?
You can either Click Here to Request More Information or you can Contact Us through one of the methods described on our Contact Us page. From within your Texts.com account, you can also select the “Contact Us” from the top menu within any of your web applications.
Q. Where can I find the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy for Texts.com?
You can read our full Privacy Policy here. You can read our Terms and Conditions here. There will always be links to these documents at the bottom of every page on the Texts.com website. You are encouraged to read over these documents in their entirety.
Shared Short Code Services
Q. Will my short code work in more than one country?
No. The services that Texts.com provides are country specific. In other words, you would need a separate shared short code for Canada and one for the United States.
Q. Where can I learn more about Short Codes?
We have prepared some more information on short codes. Click here to read about short codes.
Q. What is better: a shared short code or a designated common short code?
While it would be great if you could obtain your own short code, this is not always feasible due to costs and the timeliness of getting campaigns up and running. Obtaining a short code (e.g. a vanity short code) may take upwards of 12 weeks and cost between $15,000 and $30,000 per year. Click here to read about short codes.
Q. What are some of the downsides to using a shared short code?
Using a shared short code is kind of like using a common phone number. In some instances, a user who uses a short code for malicious marketing purposes (SMS Spam), may affect your ability to send messages through certain carriers. This is one of the reasons why we are vigilant about maintaining a "Zero Spam" policy. It is also why we screen every applicant who is applying for our SMS Marketing services.
Also, if a subscriber to your campaign has also subscribed to a different vendor's campaign who happens to use the same short code, it is possible that an unsubscribe request from one offer will unsubscribe the user from all services on the same short code. As a small business, it is up to you to weigh the risks of using a shared service, versus the cost and time-to-market of your own service. A shared short code is not for everyone, but it is a cost effective way to quickly get set up with SMS marketing.
Call-to-Subscribe Beta Program
Q. Who can apply to the Beta program?
Anyone can apply to our Beta program. However, do note: that we are only taking a limited number of users onto the service at this point. We will send you an email should you be accepted into our beta program.
Q. How long will the Beta program last?
We are unable to provide this information at this time. As soon as we are comfortable in knowing that we have the majority of kinks out of the system, we will release it publicly. The technology solution that we are introducing to the North American markets is still new. We cannot warrant that the technology will ever come out of Beta [though we would be very disappointed
if this were the case].
Q. I have submitted my name for the Beta program, can you help us lease a shared short code while we are waiting?
Absolutely. Click here to learn more about our Shared Short Code Service, and we will help you get set up with mobile marketing using a short code.
The Call-to-Subscribe Service
Q. Can you describe how the technology operates?
The Call-to-Subscribe service uses patented technology from Australia’s REDTXT Messaging Services to deliver the functionality. When signing up for the Texts.com Call-to-Subscribe service, a business is assigned a campaign-specific phone number. When an interested party wants to subscribe to an SMS offer, they call this assigned phone number from a mobile phone. Our technology automatically subscribes the in-bound mobile phone to the messaging campaign, storing the person’s mobile phone number and opt-in status within your subscriber database. The subscriber is prompted to enter their carrier when calling (e.g., "Press 1 for Verizon"). All replies are sent using our shared short code, ensuring that we comply with all North American regulations for mobile marketing.
Q. How long has this technology been in use?
This technology was developed in Australia and has been used in sophisticated messaging and marketing campaigns by some of the world’s largest companies. Texts.com is the first company to introduce the technology to North America. We are presently classifying the technology as “working beta”, meaning that the technology if fully functional, but we are slowly deploying the
service into select markets as our testing progresses.
Q. Can I use a toll-free phone number?
No. Not at this time. Cell phones when calling a toll-free phone number use what is called a “Pseudo ANI (Automatic Number Identification)”. This means that if your subscribers were to opt in using a service that masks their phone number, there is no way to authenticate their phone number (and thus we cannot opt-in the subscriber). As a result, all Call-to-Subscribe phone numbers are local phone numbers
Q. How does a user subscribe (opt-in)?
Subscribing to a mobile marketing campaign is much simpler than subscribing via short code. While we can equip you with a short code as well, we believe that many local and small businesses will find the Call-to-Subscribe service more user-friendly than short codes. It is also more affordable. To subscribe, a user simply calls a phone number provided by the business. The user is then opted-in to the SMS marketing campaign attached to that phone number.
Q. How does a user unsubscribe (opt-out)?
To unsubscribe from a mobile marketing campaign, a subscriber calls the initiating Call-to-Subscribe phone number from their opted-in cell phone. All messages sent through our SMS Marketing platform include the mandatory characters “To stop msgs call {X-XXX-XXX-XXXX}”. Note this opt-out message uses your total allotted characters per text message.
Q. How long can a text message be?
Q. Is there a limit to the size of message that I can send via the service.
Yes. For most phones and networks, 160 characters is the standard size of one SMS text message (including spaces and punctuation marks). When you are composing your message, we provide you with a character count that shows you how long your message is (including the mandatory opt-out message). If you go past this limit, Texts.com prevents you from sending your message.
Do note: Unicode messages, including those messages written in Chinese or Korean, are limited to 70 characters.
Q. Does Texts.com allow me to send SMS text messages in other languages... such as Chinese, Korean, Arabic, or Swedish?
Yes, Texts.com supports the Unicode standard. However, please be aware of the following:
The recipient’s phone to must be able to read Unicode (not all phones do).
When you send a text message in Unicode, your message can be a maximum of 70 characters. If you go over 70 characters, your message will be split into two (or more) SMS messages.
Q. Can I customize the voice message that a person hears when they subscribe?
Yes. A business can pre-record two messages per campaign: the initial subscription message and an unsubscribe message.
Q. Can I customize the sending of an initial subscription message when a person first subscribes?
Yes. You can set up the system to send a welcome and goodbye message when someone opts-in or opts-out of the service. Do note that each message transmission costs you one credit should you elect to send them. However, we recommend that you do send such a message as it instantly strengthens the bond between yourself and your customer and improves the effectiveness of future
messages.
Pricing
Q. How much does either the Call-to-Subscribe or Shared Short Code service cost?
For a complete price breakdown, read about our pricing here. A business can set up their first campaign for as little as
$35/month on an annual plan.
Q. What is an SMS Credit and an SMS Transaction?
An SMS Credit is equal to a single SMS transaction. An SMS transaction is equal to one outbound or in-bound SMS transaction. If you set up an auto-responder for initial subscribers, this auto-reply message will also count as a single transaction.
Q. Does it cost anything for my subscribers to view my message?
While Texts.com does not charge recipients of your SMS Marketing messages, most mobile carriers charge recipients an in-bound messaging fee. A typical fee ranges from $0.10 to $0.20 per message received. Many frequent texters have message plans that provide them with a bulk or unlimited number of in-bound messages. Every carrier and user is different. Consequently, we advise every client to notify their subscribers that messaging charges may apply for in-bound messages.
Q. How can I pay for my transaction?
Texts.com accepts payment via PayPal
only. PayPal enables any individual with an email address to securely, easily and quickly send and receive payments online. We have chosen to use PayPal to take advantage of their advanced proprietary fraud prevention systems. This ensures that we can provide you with a safe, trusted, global, real-time payment solution. For a full list of PayPal’s terms and conditions, click here. For PayPal’s supported country list, please click here.
Q. How long does it take for my purchase to be processed?
One of the reasons for us choosing PayPal as our payment engine is that your account will be updated immediately. Sign up, purchase credits, send a text message. It should be that simple.
Q. What is the refund policy?
For users on a month-to-month SMS Marketing subscription, there are no refunds granted. For users, on an annual subscription, refunds can be granted pro-rated to the end of the present month of the month in question. Charges will be calculated as though you were using our monthly services up to that point.
Q. Do I have to pay tax on my message purchases?
For the majority of our users, you will not have to pay any taxes. For Canadian customers, you will be required to pay GST on your message purchases (5%). For residents of the province of British Columbia, you are required to pay a provincial sales tax (7%).