SMS Marketing

Oncord's SMS Marketing feature allows you to send direct text messages to your customers. It can be used as a Marketing Automation, for Event Reminders and Direct SMS Marketing.

This article will explain how to set up SMS Marketing in Oncord and create your first new message.

Requirements

SMS Marketing requires Marketing feature to be enabled in your Oncord plan. Adding the feature is easy:

Navigate to Dashboard > Add Features located in the left-hand panel.
Click the "Features" option to open your Oncord feature package.
Click the "ON/OFF" button located in the Marketing package.
Click the "Enable Marketing" button in the pop-up window.
It will take a few seconds for the installation and a new module called "Marketing" will appear in the left-hand panel.

Note: Enabling the Marketing feature will add the listed cost to your monthly Oncord subscription, starting with the next billing cycle.

If you have any questions about upgrading your Oncord plan, you can contact us for assistance.

How to Enable the SMS Marketing Feature

To enable the SMS marketing feature:

Navigate to Dashboard > Settings.
Click the "Features" option to open your Oncord feature package.
In the Marketing feature, click the "ON/OFF" button located in the SMS Marketing Option.

You will notice that a new SMS tab appears under the "Marketing" heading in the left-hand sidebar.

Connecting an SMS Gateway

You must connect your own SMS gateway to send messages through Oncord. We integrate with the following:

To Connect Your SMS Gateway:

Sign up and register with one of the supported SMS gateway providers.
Complete any verification requirements (e.g., A2P 10DLC, Sender ID registration) with your chosen provider.
Navigate to Admin > Marketing > SMS Marketing in Oncord.
Follow the on-screen process to connect your SMS gateway using your provider credentials.
Test your connection by sending a test message and verifying replies and opt-outs work correctly.

Creating SMS Messages

After enabling the SMS Marketing feature, you can then get started by creating a new message.

To create a new message:

Navigate to Dashboard > Marketing > SMS.
Click the New Message button at the top of the page.
Set a sensible subject for the message, as this will be visible internally to the admin.
Choose whether this message will be sent from a Shared Number or a Custom Number/Name.
Type your message in the text box and then click the "Save and Prepare" button.
Choose which contacts will receive your message and the approximate cost will be estimated.
Once you are happy with the message configurations, click the "Send Now" button.

Note:
When you choose From Number/ Name > Use a Shared Number, reply recording and automatic opt-out are enabled for 48 hours.
When you choose From Number/ Name > Use a Custom Number/Name, automatic opt-out and reply recording are disabled.
Each SMS contains a maximum of 160 characters. The message will be split into multiple SMS when there are more than 160 characters.
The cost of SMS will be added to your next monthly Oncord bill.