New to text marketing?
No worries. Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions.
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No Credit Cards, No Contracts, No Commitments, No Kidding! Cancel or Upgrade Anytime.try it free
How Does the Free Text Marketing Plan work?
Our Free Plan is a very simple straight forward way for you to give the software a test drive, and learn text marketing techniques as well as get familiar with our software .
When you sign up we give you 100 text
credits free. ( Due to spammers mis-using the software, you must now contact us after registration with your username and email, asking for your 100 Free Text Credits, we will load the free credits in your account usually within minutes of receiving your email.)
You can then start your marketing campaigns
Try out all the "Features and Tools" available in your account
We realize this isnt something most people will jump right into, it will take some time and a little effort on your part
Thats why we will give you free credits every month so you can learn Text Marketing at your own pace
See for yourself the incredible power thats available at your fingertips.
No obligations, No credit cards, No fees, No kidding.
Just a Free opportunity to learn how you can use the incredible power of Text Message Marketing to explode your business!
When your ready and feel that you have out grown the Free Plan, you can upgrade to any paid plan at anytime, or if Text Marketing is not for you, simply cancel your account, its all up to you.
What is a text message (SMS)?
SMS stands for Short Message Service, and it is synonymous with text message, text, TXT, etc. An SMS (text message) is a short message (160 character length for our purposes including letters, numbers, spaces, symbols and punctuation), which can be sent to and from a cellular phone.
Do my contacts pay to receive text messages?
Every carrier offers different text messaging packages but most consumers either have unlimited messaging plans or plans that include large numbers of messages per month.
How many characters may I include in a text message?
A standard text message is limited to 160 characters. Characters means letters, numbers, spaces, symbols and punctuation.
How long does it take to deliver a text message?
Text messages are usually delivered to mobile phones within a few seconds to a few minutes. During peak hours, there could be a short delay.
Please note that additional delays may occur if the recipient's phone is turned off or is outside of the coverage area. When this happens,
a carrier will attempt to deliver your message for up to 72 hours.
Can you guarantee delivery of every text message that I send?
No. As text messaging is a store-and-forward technology that is dependent on carriers and their networks,
it is impossible to guarantee delivery of a text message.
Why don`t you use short code numbers?
It is easier and less expensive to set-up long codes than short codes, and these savings are passed on to our customers. Also, less restrictive opt-in policies allow you to leverage more of your customer database.
Perhaps the best reason for using a long code is marketing, you can send and receive text messages and voice calls using the same number in your Textafied account, which is perfect for branding your business. This is all explained further here
Questions About Textafied's SMS Marketing Service
Have questions about how Textafied works? Explore some common questions below.
What is the advantage of using text messaging for marketing / communications?
Text messages are a brief, effective, inexpensive means of communication. Most people carry their cellular phones
with them wherever they go, so unlike email, text messages can reach people when they are away from their desks and they have an open rate of over 90%, usually within seconds of sending!
How much do text messages cost to send using Textafied?
Text message costs are 1 credit for SMS and typically 3 credits for MMS.
Please see our Pricing page for more details.
Do you charge any fees? Am I required to sign a monthly contract?
No, we will never charge you any fees, or require you to sign a contract. When you open an account it is set to the Free plan.
Once you use up the free credits in your account, you can purchase credits to pay for the texts you wish to send. We offer a wide variety of monthly plans.
Please see our Pricing page for complete details.
How long may I save my purchased credits?
Unused purchased credits roll over to the following month but will expire 10 months after their purchase date.
Can you forward incoming texts to my email address and is it free?
Yes, this feature is available for free in your back office.
Can you forward incoming texts to my personal mobile phone?
Yes, this feature is also available for free in your back office.
Can I receive replies to the group text messages that I send?
Yes, this is another good feature of using long codes. Your replies will be delivered to your account inbox. If you'd like, you can forward your replies to your cell phone or your email
address, and even reply from your email client and our software will send it back as a text.
Can I send a single text message?
Yes. Instead of selecting a group of contacts, enter a single telephone number or contact when you compose your message.
How do I purchase credits?
If you are logged into your account, all you need to do is click one of the payment buttons under the "Credit Package"
heading then you can choose any package you want. You will be taken to our secure payment server. You will be asked to fill out a short form.
Your payment will be processed and the credits will be added to your account instantaneously. We accept credit cards through Stripe and PayPal.
Do you limit me to a certain number of text messages?
No. As long as you do not violate our Anti-Spam Policy, you may send as many text messages as you pay for.
Why did some of my contacts not receive a text I sent them?
First, please confirm that the recipient has text messaging enabled with his or her carrier.
If your recipient uses a pre-paid mobile phone service, his or her balance may be too low (assuming he or she pays for incoming text messages).
Other reasons may include (but are not limited to): a recipient's phone being out of memory, a recipient's phone being out of network, or an incorrectly typed number.
Do I pay for text messages that my recipients do not receive?
Yes. We charge you one credit every time our system sends a SMS text message on your behalf,
as we are charged every time we pass your message through our SMS gateway.
What is a Keyword?
A Keyword is a unique term (letters and/or numbers that you choose) that people can use to communicate with you.
How do Keywords work?
Consider the following scenario. You create a keyword (such as "JOIN"). You advertise your keyword anywhere ( such as on a sign, poster, newspaper, facebook, in your menu, tabletops, etc. ie: Text JOIN to 887-997-9987 to get your weekly discounts at Joes Restaurant )
Your friends and customers can then send a message containing the Keyword "JOIN" back to your long code number
(that you choose for free when you register) to automatically join your group messaging list. Our software will automatically respond to them, with a customizable message confirming that they have
joined ("opted-in" to) your group SMS list.
Can I have any Keyword I want? Are there limitations?
Yes, you create your own keywords, another positive feature of long codes is the keywords are connected to the long code of your account, unlike with short codes where there might be multiple people all wanting to use the same keyword but they cant because they are all using the same shared short code, meaning they must create different keywords. Example: with Textafieds long codes say, Joes restaurant wants to use the keyword "Free Drink", and Janets Diner wants to use the same keyword, they can do that without any problems because they will have different long code numbers registered in the software to their accounts.
So with Textafied you can create keywords of any combination of letters and numbers that you want. See more about keywords and short codes here
Are there rules for how I can promote my Keyword online or in print?
New to group MMS messaging? Check out the frequently-asked questions below.
What is MMS?
MMS stands for Multimedia Messaging Service. While SMS limits a sender to 160 characters of plain text, MMS allows for the delivery of media
files, like images, videos, and audio. which can be very effective in a marketing campaign.
What types of files can I send?
For images, you’re able to send jpeg, gif and png images, For video mpeg, mp4, quicktime, webm, 3gpp, 3gpp2, 3gpp-tt, H261, H263, H263-1998, H263-2000, H264 .
As long as your entire message is under 5MB (either with one or multiple images / videos), your images will be resized to the necessary size for delivery based on carrier specifications.
Can I receive MMS messages in my Textafied account?
Yes, you can receive MMS messages in your account. Incoming MMS messages may be received as replies or in combination with your
Keyword.
How much does it cost to send an MMS?
The cost per MMS message is typically 4 credits.
Questions About Privacy & Security
We take your privacy very seriously. We've provided the answers to a number of common privacy questions.
You also can read our Privacy Policy.
Where is my data stored? How do you protect my data?
When you create your account, we store your information on our secure database server. No one has access to your data
(your personal information or your contacts). If you would like to share the data in your account with someone else, you may choose to provide them with your login information.
Our database server is co-located at a data center that is secured via multiple perimeter access systems and fire-proof heavy-duty doors. The data center is equipped with 24x7x365 live
video surveillance and multiple level independent fire-suppression systems. The data center is staffed 24x7x365.
Who owns my data?
You own your data. We will never contact the people on your lists, nor will we do anything else with your data without
your consent.
Will you send advertisements via text messages to my contacts?
No. We will never send messages of any kind, including advertising to any of your contacts.
Is my list of contacts secure? How do you protect my privacy?
Your contacts are kept in strict confidentiality. We do not share, rent, or sell the contacts belonging to our clients
with any third parties. Data (including contacts) that you enter in your account belongs to you, and you alone.
Why do you ask me for my phone number when I register?
We require this information for security reasons. It is necessary for us to confirm that you are who you say you are,
and that the number you provide is in fact your own.
Getting Started With Textafied
Ready to open your Free Text Marketing Plan? Check out the answers to these questions – you'll be group texting in no time!
Can I use my Textafied account to send group/bulk text messages?
Yes! That is exactly what your Textafied account is for. We allow you to create and sort your contacts into lists in order
to send group/bulk messages with the click of a button.
How long does it take to get started?
Register now, and you'll be texting in less than five minutes. We provide you with 100 text message credits
and 2 voice message credits monthly, to try out the software, and learn at your own pace with no obligations, fees or risk. You are not required to provide a credit card until you decide that you would like to upgrade to a larger plan and purchase credits.
Do I need to have any technical knowledge or skills?
Not at all! Textafied`s group SMS text messaging software is designed to be simple. Our system is so intuitive that you'll be a
pro in no time. If you do run into any problems you can contact us and our friendly team will assist you. Our User Guide is available from the contact us link and you may find our Video Tutorials helpful.
What do I need to use Textafied?
All you need is a computer or Mobile device and an Internet connection. Our software is completely web-based, so there is nothing to download.
You can use a PC, a Mac, or mobile phone, Textafied will work on any system.
What is a username?
When you create your account you will be asked to choose a username. It will be your identity on our website.
You will use your username along with a password (which you set), to log into and access the website.
Do I need to know the provider of my contacts?
No. Our software will automatically determine your contacts' providers. All you need to do is add them to your list by
entering them manually or uploading a list, but if your entering contacts from an earlier time, (which have not yet opted in to your list) you MUST be sure that you have their consent to contact them.
Be Very Careful…
Here’s where some business owners get into trouble…
They assume that a previous/existing business relationship provides all the permission they need to add their clients to an SMS marketing list.
They’re wrong. see more here
Can I collect phone numbers on my website?
Yes. We provide you with the tools to create an HTML signup widget, your own Kiosk that you can display on a tablet in
your place of business and/or a web signup form that you can place on your website, Facebook page, forums, email templates, etc.
How do I upload my contacts?
You may upload your contacts in any of three formats: Excel file, CSV file, or text file.
How Does the Free Text Marketing Plan work?
Your friends and customers can then send a message containing the Keyword "JOIN" back to your long code number
(that you choose for free when you register) to automatically join your group messaging list. Our software will automatically respond to them, with a customizable message confirming that they have
joined ("opted-in" to) your group SMS list.