The are two main ways to send a group message.
a) Using the Add Group button in the Contacts section of your menu
b) Using the Upload & Paste button in the Group Messages section of your menu
Using the Add Group button will be the most effective if you want to send a group message to the same group on a regular basis. Using the Upload & Paste button will be best for if you want to send a group message to a group of people on a one-time basis.
a) Add Group
1. Go to View Groups in the Contacts section of your menu
2. Select Add Group
3. Type the name you want to give to the group
4. Pick the contacts or group you wish to send to
5. Check the boxes confirming that a) you have permission to send messages to these contacts and b) that you understand they will receive the option to opt-out of messages
6. Compose the message you want to send
7. (Optional) Select any signatures, scheduled ending times, pre-made templates, or images you'd like to add
8. Review any suggestions our Spam Scanner recommends to help keep your message from being marked as spam
9. Confirm you're ready to send the group message
b) Upload & Paste
1. Go to Groups Messages under the Messages section of your menu
2. Select the New Group Message button
3. Select the green Upload or paste button
4. When you click Upload or Paste you’ll get two options, you can either upload any document with phone numbers that is saved to your computer or you can simply copy a list of phone numbers and paste them into the copy and paste box
5. Select import - this will only import the phone numbers, if you want to save those contact’s names, import that contact list to your address book
6. Check the boxes confirming that a) you have permission to send messages to these contacts and b) that you understand they will receive the option to opt-out of messages
7. Compose the message you want to send
8. (Optional) Select any signatures, scheduled sending times, pre-made templates, or attachments you'd like to add
9. Review any suggestions our Spam Scanner recommends to help keep your message from being marked as spam
10. Confirm you're ready to send the group message
Once you send your group message, it will send batches of 50 messages every five minutes, or about 500 messages an hour. This is to keep your text number on good terms with mobile phone carriers and ensure that your messages are delivered properly.
Every time you send a group message, we scan your message for carrier spam filter indicators, and alert you of our findings. This should help you improve delivery rates by avoiding spam filters, and increase engagement with your messages.
The SPAM Scanner in particular looks for:
- The use of ALL CAPS
- Ending a message with a URL/link
- The use of dollar signs
- Email addresses
There are other factors that carriers pay attention to, such as the length of your message and how many contacts you're sending it to, but if you pass the SPAM scanner, you should be good to go.