Overview:: Emarsys SMS - Overview – Emarsys

Emarsys SMS helps you create, automate and deliver text messages from within your Emarsys account. With this additional channel you can reach more of your customer base wherever they are in the world, at any time, even when they are offline.

Please note that as of July, 2023, the SMS API documentation is available in our unified developer portal, at dev.emarsys.com.

If you are interested in learning more about Emarsys SMS, please enter your details to request a demonstration.

Why is it so special?

Unlike other providers, Emarsys SMS has Smart Mobile Filtering which will make sure that you are not sending your campaign to invalid numbers, known hard bounces and opted-out contacts. This will reduce your costs.
Emarsys supports 2-way messaging, making it possible for customers to reply to your SMS campaigns with arbitrary keywords, which can trigger automation center programs. There are predefined use cases for keywords, like handling registration and unsubscription.
Contacts can opt-out either using 2-way messaging (replying the ‘STOP’ keyword) or by clicking a shortened unsubscribe URL the platform generates for them.
With no integration effort, it can be set up instantly in your Emarsys account and will immediately be available for use with all your existing segments and programs.
It can be combined with your other channels, so you can easily set up SMS fallback scenarios for marketing programs, create complex business logics and get full reporting in one integrated platform.
A unified personalization experience and capabilities across all channels allows you to be consistent in the way you communicate with your customers.

Have a look at a brief and portable summary of this channel along with some relevant customer testimonies.

Before performing SMS communications and marketing, it is your responsibility to understand and adhere to the industry and legal requirements of your destination countries or regions.

A short code is a requirement for sending SMS messages to the USA. For information read the SMS inbound numbers article, contact Emarsys Support to start the process or align with your provider of choice, which could take up to 6 weeks to complete.

All SMS messages sent using Emarsys must include the following:

Your SMS marketing messages must include a single opt-out process that immediately discontinues sales and marketing SMS messages to a subscriber. For more information, see Managing opt-outs (unsubscribes).

Before you start with SMS

Use Cases and Examples

Product documentation

Tutorial video

SMS - Creating SMS Campaigns

Further reading

As a quick reminder, here is the onboarding video about SMS Campaigns:

What is Emarsys SMS?

Emarsys SMS is a strong, separate channel in the Emarsys universe. It automates sending of SMS text messages directly to your customers’ mobiles, triggered by individual interactions with your brand. SMS messages fall into one of the following categories:

Transactional SMS Messages

No opt-in information is required as these messages contain static information, e.g. system notifications, password retrievals, other important updates and ignore opt-out features. For more information and use cases, see Transactional SMS Messages.

Commercial/Marketing SMS Messages

A contact has explicitly requested to receive recurring updates from you by opting in, and needs to be provided with a simple and easy way to stop receiving these messages i.e. opt-out. The unsubscribe option using our unique short link is the perfect solution for such messages. For more information and use cases, see Commercial/Marketing SMS Messages.

As with email, you cannot use phone numbers who have opted-in for one purpose (e.g. system updates) to send them other types of content (e.g. marketing content); you need to have explicit permission (opt-in) for each type of content.

How does it work?

After creating your messages in the Emarsys SMS editor, you can launch batch SMS campaigns or add them as transactional messages to existing or new Automation Center programs. The messages are delivered either using the provider of Emarsys (legacy method) or by the provider the customer has entered in contract with.

Why should I be using this feature?

Studies show that customers are 35x more likely to open SMS messages than emails. 90% of text messages are read within three minutes. You can take advantage of this channel to provide immediate information such as offers or on-event notifications. SMS messages also connect you directly to your subscribers without the need for an Internet connection or smartphone, enabling you to interact with them at any time and in any location.