SMS Template Design
Q. Why do emojis take up so many character spaces? My character limit went from 160 to 70 after adding an emoji.
A. The reason for the reduction in available characters is that an emoji is actually referenced by a code of numbers and letters.
Q. Can I send an SMS campaign with a GIF?
A. Currently, SMS campaigns only support text. No gifs. However, if this is a feature you're interested in, please reach out to our support team and let them know of your interest 😊
Q. Is it possible to send photos in an SMS?
A. Currently it isn't possible to add photos in an SMS. If this is something that would benefit your store, please reach out to our support team and ask them to put through a feature request.
Q. Is it possible to include links in my SMS campaign that will link to my email campaign?
A. Currently is not possible to link to an email campaign from an SMS campaign. However, you can add links to your website.
Q. Do you shorten links using Bitly for SMS campaigns?
A. No, we do not use Bitly to shorten links for SMS.
Q. Can North American merchants use short links in SMS campaigns?
A. It is recommended that North American merchants do not use short links in their SMS campaigns.
Q. I want to send a campaign to my customers asking them to leave a review. Can I have them send this to an inbound number?
A. Currently, there isn't a way to receive inbound text messages. However, if this is a feature you're interested in, please reach out to our support team and let them know of your interest 😊
Q. For merchants based in the UAE, can SMS campaigns be sent in the store's name?
A. UAE restrictions prevent SMS from going out in the store’s name. Messages are overwritten to ensure delivery. If UAE retailers wish to customize their sender name, this article.
Q. What number will be used to send SMS campaigns to customers?
A. Different numbers are used depending on the merchant's region and time zone.
Q. I've created an Automation with both SMS and email steps. If a customer unsubscribes from say SMS and not email, will they still receive messages from the flow?
A. Customers will enter an Automation if they meet the trigger conditions. If a customer doesn't accept marketing for one type of communication, they will simply skip that step. Marsello performs a marketing check prior to the message going out (in case of opt-outs since initially entering the flow) to ensure customers receive only the messages they are after.
Q. What is the character limit for SMS?
A. The character limit for SMS is 160 characters. Please note that emojis and special characters will take up more characters.
Q. Does Marsello support MMS / Multimedia Messaging Services?
A. Currently, there isn't a feature that supports MMS. If this is a feature of interest, please reach out to our support team and let them know of your interest.
Q. Currently, my SMS messages come from a mobile number, can this be updated to a name with alpha characters?
A. Currently, there isn't a feature that will allow you to use alpha characters in lieu of a mobile number under the sender name. If this is a feature you'd like to see, please reach out to our support team and let them know.
Q. Can I design my SMS campaign so that the images are displayed side-by-side instead of vertically?
A. Currently, there isn't a feature that will allow images to be displayed side-by-side on an SMS campaign. If this is a feature you'd like to see, please reach out to our support team and let them know.
As a potential workaround, you could create a single image block which displays products side-by-side. Please note that if you are including multiple products in a single image block you will not be able to add multiple product links to the image as the block will only save one link.
SMS Customers and Segments
Q. Is it possible to create custom segments for SMS campaign purposes or do campaigns go out to all customers who accept SMS marketing only?
A. Yes, you are most welcome to create your own SMS custom segment for your campaign.
Q. What happens when a customer opts out of SMS marketing, does it redirect to an update preferences page for SMS as well? Or just unsubscribe them?
A. When a customer opts out of SMS marketing, they will be redirected to a customer portal where they can choose to opt out of marketing:
1. Loyalty notification automation
2. Marketing emails
3. SMS
Q. How often does Marsello sync SMS details and marketing status from Shopify?
A. Updates to the customers marketing status for SMS from Shopify should be instant.
Q. How can I check to see if a customer accepts both email and SMS marketing in the app?
A. Under the customer's Marsello account, check the subscription settings and see if the "unsubscribe from SMS marketing" check box is selected. If it is not, the customer is currently subscribed. It is possible for customers to accept email marketing and not SMS marketing.
Q. Does the SMS feature offer any unique short code capabilities?
A. Currently, the SMS feature does not offer unique short code capabilities. However, if this is a feature that would help your store, please reach out to our support team and they will submit a feature request on your behalf.
Q. If a husband and wife are both customers in my database but have different email addresses on their customer accounts, will they receive two SMS messages?
A. Yes, the mobile number will receive two campaigns. Marsello uses the customer's email address as the unique identifier, not the customer's mobile number.
Q. I've recently signed up for Marsello's SMS campaigns and realized that I haven't added a country code to my customer mobile numbers in my Lightspeed Retail (X-Series) customer database. Do I need to do anything to edit this?
A. If you haven't included a country code when recording your customer mobile numbers to your Lightspeed Retail (X-Series) customer database, the system will automatically add the country code based on your store's country.
Q. I have a couple of customers in my database that have provided the same mobile number but have different email addresses. Will my SMS campaign by sent to the mobile number multiple times?
A. Yes, the SMS campaign is eligible to be sent to the mobile customer each time the mobile number is referenced for a customer's account and accepts marketing. This is because Marsello uses the customer's email address as the unique identifier and not the mobile number.
Q. Is there a way to set up a reply to number for customers to respond to?
A. Currently there isn't a reply to number for customers to respond to from their marketing SMS campaigns. If this is a feature you'd like to see, please reach out to our support team and let them know.
Q. What happens if I have landline numbers instead of mobile customers on their account and send a SMS campaign to that line.
A. If your customer who accepts marketing that provided a landline number instead of a mobile and send a SMS campaign to them, the customer will not receive the campaign. SMS campaigns are only sent to valid mobile numbers.
Q. I'm looking to grow my SMS campaign audience. What are some ways I can encourage my customers to sign up for this form of communication?
A. Some ways you can encourage customers to sign up for SMS marketing include:
enabling the complete your profile earn option on the loyalty side of Marsello
add a link to a landing page form on your email campaigns
add a popup sign up form to your eCommerce store
Scheduling SMS Campaigns
Q. My timezone is in EST and I wish to send a SMS campaign to customers at 10am EST, would this be considered a safe sending time?
A. All campaigns sent in the United States are sent in PST.
Q. Can I send a test SMS campaign to myself outside of the safe sending times?
A. Yes, you can send test SMS campaigns outside of safe sending times. Please be sure to schedule to live campaign during the safe sending period.
Q. If a campaign is set up in Australia AUS (for example) and some customers within the segment are based in the UK, will the email wait until after 8 am to send the email to the customer, or will this send an email to the customer at the scheduled time, even if this is midnight for the person in the UK?
A. The email will be sent at the 8 a.m. Australian time in this scenario - we only have safe sending times for SMS which can only be sent at waking hours for the US: https://help.marsello.com/hc/en-us/articles/900004314686-SMS-Marketing-Compliance-Introduction
Q. My store is based in Hong Kong, how many credits will it cost to send an SMS campaign?
A. Merchants based on Hong Kong will be charged 2 credits per SMS sent. A complete listing of credit cost per SMS message sent by location is available in your Marsello app admin.
SMS Campaign Pricing
Q. I have 200 customers that I would like to send an SMS campaign to. It looks like this will cost 200 credits but I only have 100 credits on my account. Will the campaign be partially sent?
A. The campaign will not be sent out to customers as there aren't enough credits to cover it.
Q. When do SMS credits expire?
A. All SMS subscriptions come with a 30-day rollover period for unused SMS credits. For example, if you purchased 100 credits on June 1 and use 50 by June 30, the remaining 50 credits will remain valid until July 30.
Q. Can I add multiple SMS credit bundles to my plan?
A. Currently, merchants may have only one SMS subscription per Marsello account at a time.
Q. What currency will my SMS subscription be charged in?
A. Marsello SMS subscriptions are charged in USD.
Q. Why has my SMS automation been paused?
A. Marsello merchants using SMS are encouraged to be mindful of the total number of available credits on their SMS plans. As SMS automations are sent to customers, the corresponding number of credits will be deducted from their balance. Should a merchant's SMS credit balance dip below 0, any enabled SMS automation will be paused.
Once the SMS credit balance is replenished, you will need to manually re-enable their SMS automation.
Q. Will I receive a reminder email about any rolled-over SMS credits that are about to expire?
A. Currently, there isn't a feature that will notify merchants by email about rollover credits due to expire. However, if this is something that will benefit your store, please let our support team know and they will submit a feature request on your behalf.
Q. Where can I find out how many SMS credits I have left on my account?
A. To find out how many SMS credits you have on your account, go to Settings > Account > Billing in your Marsello app admin. From here click on the SMS add-on tab. This will pull up the number of credits you have available.
Q. Why do my SMS credits keep ending up in the negative when I send a campaign?
A. If your SMS credit balance goes negative after sending a campaign, there could be a few possible reasons:
Does your SMS campaign include any special characters or emojis?
Special characters and emojis take up more space and may be pushing your message over the character limit, resulting in higher credit usage.
Do you have any draft SMS campaigns saved?
Draft campaigns reserve SMS credits and continue to count toward your used credits.
If neither of these reasons applies, please contact our support team. They can investigate why your SMS credits are still showing as negative.
Q. I am a Lightspeed billed merchant and am using Marsello SMS. I wish to cancel my Marsello SMS plan, how can I do this?
A. To cancel your Marsello SMS plan as a Lightspeed billed merchant, open your Lightspeed dashboard and go to settings > billing > app subscriptions and select the trash icon next to the SMS app listing.
SMS and SHAFT Merchants
Q. I am a CBD merchant, can I send marketing messages via SMS?
A. Unfortunately, CBD merchants aren't able to send marketing messages via SMS. This also includes those instances where a merchant runs a store as a separate business. Carriers are becoming increasingly stricter and will pick up the CBD from your address and will block all SMS campaigns from going out regardless of CBD items not being advertised.
Q. My store sells vape products and I'd like to send an SMS campaign. Can I do that if my content doesn't include any wording around the vape?
A. Unfortunately, no. When the networks check for SHAFT content, they not only check the wording of the message but also look further into the store to see what type of content is being marketed.
Q. Do casinos and companies who promote gambling fall under the shaft retailer category?
A. Yes, these companies are considered SHAFT and are not permitted to send campaigns via Marsello.
Q. My store sells fireworks, can I send marketing messages via SMS?
A. Unfortunately, merchants selling fireworks aren't able to send marketing messages via SMS as fireworks fall under S.H.A.F.T. regulations
Q. I am not selling any SHAFT-related products, however, my SMS campaigns are being rejected. Is there any recommended guidance that I should follow to help my campaigns get delivered?
A. Some general rules to follow to help prevent your messages from being marked as spam include:
avoiding promotional language in your message such as "buy now," "limited time offer," "cash," "discount", etc.
avoid using scam-related phrases like “make money fast,” “get rich quick,” or “claim your prize”
remove any suspicious links or URLs, especially if they are shortened or from an unfamiliar domain
do not use all caps or use exclamation marks or symbols excessively
do not request personal information like passwords, bank account details, or social security numbers
avoid words or phrases related to illegal activities, drugs, or gambling
do not send messages containing phishing attempts or malware links
do not send messages including adult content or profanity
avoide sending messages from unknown or unverified numbers
do not sending the same message repeatedly to multiple recipients
Q. Does Kanna fall under S.H.A.F.T regulations?
A. Unfortunately, merchants selling Kanna aren't able to send marketing messages via SMS as Kanna fall under S.H.A.F.T. regulations
SMS Prebuilt Automation
Q. What are the new Automation under the SMS template library?
A. Marsello has over 10 prebuilt SMS Automated flows including referral program automation, loyalty automation, the Say Happy Birthday Automation and Google Review.
Q. Do you have a prebuilt automation available which will send a customer a signup form if they text us with a keyword?
A. Currently, there isn't a feature that will allow customers to text you at a set number with a keyword to receive a signup form. If this is something of interest to your store, please reach out to our support team and let them know of your interest.
TFN Verification
Q. I have just submitted my form for a TFN, how long can I expect the approval process to take?
A. The approval process for a TFN can take up to one week. When filling out the TFN application form, please ensure all required fields are completed to avoid delays in the review process.
SMS Reporting
Q. Is there a way to tell which customers did not receive their SMS campaigns due to the campaign bouncing?
A. Yes, you have access to reporting that will indicating which customers did not receive their SMS campaign due to the campaign bouncing. To view this reporting from your Marsello dashboard go to Marketing > SMS and click into the campaign you are interested in reviewing. From here click the undelivered tab to review those customers who did not receive the campaign.
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