x

Can we use text messaging instead of email for Square Marketing?

Can we use text messaging for marketing instead of e-mail? Most of my customers give phone # only.

103,773 Views
Message 1 of 391
Report
1 Verified Answer
Tom
Verified Answer

Re: Can we use text messaging instead of email for Square Marketing?

📳Hello Everyone!📳

 

I'm reaching out to those who've posted to this thread as we're hosting a question & answer session with the product team for Text Message Marketing on Wednesday, February 17th.

 

Have questions about setting up or feedback on how it's going so far? Please head over to this thread and let us know: Live Q&A: Ask us anything about Text Message Marketing!

1 Best Answer
Admin

Best Answer
 
We know you've been asking for it, and we're excited to announce Text Message Marketing (SMS) in the US, which is now available as an a la carte subscription that allows you to collect customer phone numbers and send them marketing-related text messages.

You can get started by visiting Text Message Marketing on on the Square Dashboard. 

Included are automated campaigns and ‘manual blast’ campaigns, where you can offer coupons, announce sales, promote events, and more. 

 

While Text Message Marketing can be found and used within Square Marketing in Dashboard, you DO NOT need to be subscribed to Square Marketing to use Text Message Marketing.

 

Square Marketing users will likewise need to onboard to Text Message Marketing, and will be billed separately for text message use.

 

What does the Text Message Marketing do?

 

Opt-in Collection

  • Build a list of customers to text BEFORE you pay a cent for the product
  • Collect opt-ins via your point-of-sale (or via Loyalty enrollment)
  • Text customers from a phone number unique to your business. This number will also allow customers to sign up via Text to Join, and can be promoted via in-store, online, or wherever else you’d like

Manual Campaigns

  • Draft a message and send to customers, instantly*
  • Offer a coupon, or include a link to an announcement, event, or online sale (which we automatically shorten to save characters)
  • Send up to 600 characters per message, or 250 if emojis are used. This will separate out into up to 4 texts, BUT we’ll only be charging for one ‘message’ per customer per campaign.

*Note: Texts are sent in 15 minute increments, so if you draft and send a text at 2:05pm, the text would go out at 2:15. Texts can only be sent during business hours in the merchant's time zone (i.e. 9-5). After 5pm, merchants can schedule for texts that will be sent the next day.

 

Automated Campaigns

  • Automatically text a customer with a qualifying event (similar to automated email marketing)
  • General campaigns: birthday collection + birthday reward, lapsed customer. 
  • Loyalty-related campaigns like reminding about Loyalty rewards, and celebrating Loyalty anniversaries

What are the limitations?

 

Feature

Current Limitation

Texting: General

No two-way texting (You cannot yet respond to Buyers by text, Sellers will not see Buyer responses)

Texting: General

No picture message (MMS)

Opt-in: List Building

No phone number list upload 

Opt-in: Loyalty Consent Specifics

Due to the current Loyalty consent language (which permits ‘loyalty-related communication’), Loyalty sellers will be able to send automated messages to  nearly all of their Loyalty enrollees. 

Seller Use Case

Sellers who sell adult products, alcohol, tobacco, firearms, or CBD/cannabis are subject to a standard called SHAFT. This a self-regulation by mobile carriers that can block messages around these topics. 

 

What is the pricing?

Pricing is tiered pay-as-you-go: at the end of the month, a seller will be charged the tier corresponding with how many messages they sent. They will not be charged for months where they did not send any messages. We do not have established custom pricing eligibility or rates established for launch.

 

 

 

 

Howard
Beta Team Lead, Square
Join the Beta Community
Evaluate | Influence | Engage

View Best Answer >

84,199 Views
Message 388 of 391
Report
390 REPLIES 390
Square Community Moderator

Hi @Howard!

 

Did you have any insight on this feature for @Finesse and @solidgrounds77?

Ashley C
Community Moderator, Square
Sign in and click Mark as Best Answer if my reply answers your question.
6,499 Views
Message 190 of 391
Report
Beta Member

Any update on when this might be available?

6,861 Views
Message 191 of 391
Report
Square Community Moderator

Hi @samanthor! After checking with the team, they are working diligently to re-release this feature as soon as possible. 

Kassi
Community Moderator, Square
Sign in and click Mark as Best Answer if my reply answers your question.
6,910 Views
Message 192 of 391
Report

I am very frustrated about text marketing. I was told to sign up for loyalty and marketing and have been paying for it for months without ever being able to use text marketing. Now the admin posts have been saying they’re working on get it “rereleased”. How do I get a refund for the last few months. The only reason I signed up for the additional services was because I was told I have to in order to use text marketing. Who can I contact about this. This is a very shady way to get your square customers to pay more money for services we don’t actually want.

6,849 Views
Message 193 of 391
Report
Square Community Moderator

HI @MBrakey

 

I understand the frustration on this. This would be something you should contact our team directly about. You can reach out directly to Customer Success at 1-855-700-6000. Please keep in mind, you will need a customer code to get an advocate on the phone. Here is the link to get that code:  squ.re/howtocontact

Kassi
Community Moderator, Square
Sign in and click Mark as Best Answer if my reply answers your question.
6,828 Views
Message 194 of 391
Report

Has there been any progress made to text marketing?  As a small business,  texting would be beneficial as we do not collect as many email addresses. We really don't want to have to find another marketing tool, but will if square cannot provide what is needed.  We are already getting charged higher fees from square so may have to find another POS platform anyway.

6,889 Views
Message 195 of 391
Report
Admin

Hey @Moment55!

 

Thanks for following up here. This is something we're working on, but don't currently have a release date for.

 

We really appreciate your patience with this, as we understand this is an often requested feature. We will certainly post in this thread when we have an update on text messaging for Square Marketing. 

️ Isabelle | she/her
Seller Community & Super Seller Program Manager | Square, Inc.
Learn about the Super Seller program!
6,862 Views
Message 196 of 391
Report
Admin

Hello all! 

 

I am excited to announce this feature is once again available all sellers subscribed to both Square Marketing and Square Loyalty.

 

We understand we had to pause this feature to make some important updates and are excited to relaunch the feature. 

 

Feel free to start a 30-day free trial if you aren’t using Marketing and Loyalty already.

 

To enable Automated Text Message Campaigns:  

  1. Visit the Marketing tab in your online Square Dashboard.
  2. Click Create Campaign and select text message.
  3. Select from the five different Campaign types.
  4. Edit the message and coupon you wish to send.
  5. Review and then select Activate Now to enable this campaign.

 

These text campaigns will be automatically sent to all customers who meet the campaign audience criteria. You can always edit or cancel these messages via the Campaign section in the Marketing dashboard.

 

Please review our Support Center to learn more about Automated Text Message Campaigns.

 

Thank you for your patience as we made improvements to this product. 

Howard
Beta Team Lead, Square
Join the Beta Community
Evaluate | Influence | Engage
10,674 Views
Message 197 of 391
Report

Is the text option available? I went and looked while wanting to do a campaign and not seeing it as an option.  Information on if it is available would be greatly appreciated.  And how to use it even better if it is. 

thanks so much!! 

6,673 Views
Message 198 of 391
Report
Alumni

Hey @Not2bashful - Text message campaigns are available if you're subscribed to both Marketing and Loyalty. Check out Howard's best answer to learn more. 

Justin
Community Moderator, Square
Sign in and click Mark as Best Answer if my reply answers your question.
6,649 Views
Message 199 of 391
Report

I am having problems finding the text feature within the marketing tab.... do I have to sign up first before the option is available?  Also I am not finding the cost of this feature????

6,142 Views
Message 200 of 391
Report
Square Community Moderator

Hey @Reaganlora I would make sure you read Howard's post linked in Justin's response above. Also, make sure you are subscribed to both loyalty and marketing to be able to get this feature. 

 

If you're still experiencing trouble, let me know and I can do some more digging. Thanks for your time. 

AshleyK
Community Moderator, Square
Sign in and click Mark as Best Answer if my reply answers your question.
5,854 Views
Message 201 of 391
Report
Beta Member

Is it still available? I don’t see that option on mine.

6,313 Views
Message 202 of 391
Report
Square Community Moderator

Hi @samsmith! Do you have Loyalty and Marketing?

 

See Justin's answer above and Howard's best answer to learn more. 

Ashley C
Community Moderator, Square
Sign in and click Mark as Best Answer if my reply answers your question.
6,164 Views
Message 203 of 391
Report
Beta Member

No, I don’t! I see why now thanks! Why did they take away the less expensive options for lower visits. I really want to try, but I’m a hairstylist so I don’t get that many visits a month. 

6,160 Views
Message 204 of 391
Report
Square Community Moderator

@Howard Would you be able to answer this? 

Ashley C
Community Moderator, Square
Sign in and click Mark as Best Answer if my reply answers your question.
6,159 Views
Message 205 of 391
Report
Admin

@samsmith Just to confirm, did you mean the Loyalty pricing or Marketing pricing or both? 

Howard
Beta Team Lead, Square
Join the Beta Community
Evaluate | Influence | Engage
6,156 Views
Message 206 of 391
Report
Beta Member

Loyalty Pricing 

6,151 Views
Message 207 of 391
Report
Beta Member

I have signed up for both loyalty and marketing and I still don;t see the text option.

Lanora Davidson
6,000 Views
Message 208 of 391
Report

Too bad that it cost $45/mo for such little options to text out. 

It needs to be more flexible like email marketing. 

5,985 Views
Message 209 of 391
Report

I can't find the texting option described in the 2019 posting. Has it been removed?

5,952 Views
Message 210 of 391
Report