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Send SMS Messages to Your Registrants

Learn how to create, send and manage your sms text messages

Written by Maddy
Updated this week

In today’s fast-paced world, reaching your audience quickly and effectively is more important than ever. SMS text messaging boasts 5x more engagement than email, making it one of the most powerful tools for connecting with your audience. Whether you’re looking to update registrants or drive action, text messaging ensures your message gets seen.

We’ve developed a built-in SMS platform that allows you to send targeted messages to your registrants and contacts with just a few steps. This guide will show you how to create, schedule, and send SMS messages to your registrants and contacts, as well as manage your messages and set up keyword auto-responses for common questions.

Example Use Cases

  • Announce new events

  • Offer special discounts

  • Send limited-time promotions and specials

  • Distribute important information before and during the event

  • Communication and follow up with your registrants after the event

Note: Currently, text messaging is available for businesses that are based in the US and Canada.

It can take about upwards of two weeks for your account to be approved to send your first SMS message. If you would like to learn how to sign up for an SMS plan, click here.

Jump To...

Create Your First Text Message

  • Hover over the Text Messaging tab in the top menu bar

  • Select the Text Message Blasts tab from the dropdown menu

  • Click Create Campaign

  • Add a Campaign Name for your text message. This is for internal and reporting purposes only

  • Set who you would like the text to send to
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    • Past Registrants - This allows you to send texts to past registrants on your RegFox page(s)

    • Contacts: This option allows you to send texts to all contacts in your account or to a targeted group of contacts that have been assigned a specific contact tag. To text contacts with a particular tag, choose Contacts, then select Contact Tags. From there, pick the tag(s) you’d like to send your message to. Click here to learn more about how to use our Contact Tagging feature!

Note: If you send your text message to multiple contact tags, you can control how recipients are selected.

  • Match All: This option sends the text message only to contacts who have all of the selected tags

  • Match Any: This option sends the text message to contacts who have at least one of the selected tags


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  • If you use the Past Registrants option and send the text to a single page, add a Filter(s) to only send your text to specific people
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    • Registration Option - Only send your text to people who selected a specific registration option

    • Order Date - Only send your text to people who registered for your event between specific dates. You can filter by Date Range or target registrants based on whether they registered before or after a specific time.

Pro Tip: You can apply multiple filters to a single text message to send texts to only the people who meet all the criteria you specify.

For example, let's say you only want to send a message to people who selected the VIP registration option and registered before February 1. By adding a Registration Option and Order Date filter to your text message, you can ensure that your message goes to that exact group of registrants.

Note: The filtering option goes away when you send a text message to multiple pages. Filters are only available when you select one page per text message.

FAQs

Can I import phone numbers into my text?

Currently, the best way to import phone numbers into the system is by using the Import Contacts feature, and opting those numbers into SMS communication. During the import, you can assign an SMS tag to the contacts, allowing you to easily send text messages to anyone with that tag. Click here to learn more about our Import Contacts feature.

Pro Tip: To import contacts into RegFox, each contact must include an email address.

Note: Before opting in phone numbers into SMS communication, make sure that these contacts have consented to receive texts from your event.

Schedule and Send Your Text Message

  • Choose when to send your text

    • Select Send Immediately to send the first text immediately

    • Select Pick a Date/Time to schedule the text to send on a future date and time

  • In the Message field, enter the content of your text message. As you type, a sample text message on the right will update in real time to show you a preview

  • Click Add Variable to add the recipient's first name, last name, or full name to the text message. Click here to learn more about adding variables to your text message

  • Click Send a Test Message if you would like to a test message to a phone number of your choice

  • Click Send Campaign or Schedule Campaign

Note: The text message editor has a 320-character limit. This total includes the account name, opt-out language, and any content you enter. Messages longer than 160 characters are billed as two messages (if a charge applies on your plan).

FAQs

How do my registrants know the messages are from me?

On the first text message you send, our system includes the name of your account at the top of the message as it’s listed in your Organization Details. Here is how to view and update this account name if desired:

  • From the top menu bar, hover over the Gear icon in the top right corner

  • Select Organization Details from the dropdown

  • Click Edit Settings

  • View or adjust the Company Name as desired

  • Click Save

Why is my RegFox Organization name showing up on the text message?

According to the new carrier guidelines, the first message sent to any number must include the sender's name.

RegFox will not include this account name in subsequent messages. If you want to update your organization's name, you can do so in the Organization Details. Any future messages will reflect the updated name. Here is how to view and update this account name if desired:

  • From the top menu bar, hover over the Gear icon in the top right corner

  • Select Organization Details from the dropdown

  • Click Edit Settings

  • View or adjust the Company Name as desired

  • Click Save

How does my text message's character count affect billing?

Text message charges (if applicable) are based on character count. A single message includes up to 160 characters. Messages between 161 and 320 characters are billed as two messages. The total character count includes your message content, organization (account) name, and required opt-out language.

Note: The organization name and opt-out language are only included in the first text message sent to each recipient. Because this text is not included in follow-up messages, they do not count toward the character total for subsequent texts to that same recipient.

Can I Send a Page Link in my SMS messages? Will this count towards the character limit? Does the text message auto link the page link, or do I need to paste this link in the text message?

Yes, you can send a page link in your SMS messages. To send a page link, we recommend pasting your link into the message itself. This link will count towards the character limit on your messages. If you would like to shorten your link, we recommend using a link shortener site to reduce the number of characters.

If a registrant has registered for multiple events, will they receive multiple text messages if I send a text to multiple RegFox pages?

Our text messaging feature will only send one text message per phone number. So if someone registers for multiple events on your account, our system will only send them one message per text you send. It will not send duplicate text messages.

Can I send emoji's in my text message?

No, emojis are not supported right now in the text messaging feature.

Is there a limit to how many recipients I can send an SMS Message to?

Yes, SMS Text Message Campaigns can send up to 30,000 recipients per campaign.

Add a Recipient's First Name, Last Name, or Full Name to the Text Message

You can personalize your text messages by dynamically inserting a recipient’s first name, last name, or full name using text message variables. This allows each message to feel more direct and engaging. RegFox also gives you the option to add custom fallback text in case a contact does not have a name associated with their phone number so your message reads naturally for all recipients.

  • When creating your text message, click Add Variable above the message field

  • Select the variable you want to add to your text message. You can add the first name, last name, or full name to the text

  • Add fallback (default) text that will appear if the recipient does not have a name associated with their phone number. To do this, enter the text you want to appear inside the quotation marks in the default: "" field. If left blank (the default setting), nothing will be inserted when a contact does not have a name on file

Pro Tip: You can use the Variable Preview options above the sample message to see how your message will appear. This feature can be used to preview how your text will look when a name variable is added.

  • Click Sample to preview how the text message appears when a contact has a name. If your message includes a variable, this option inserts a sample name into the text

  • Click Fallback to preview how the text message appears when no name is available. This uses the default text you added for the variable

Note: The text message editor has a 320-character limit. This limit includes the account name, opt-out language, and any content you manually enter including variables placeholders (such as {{ first_name | default: "" }}). This character count is based on the variable text itself, not the recipient's actual name.

When the message is sent, variables are replaced with real data. Because actual values may be longer or shorter than the placeholder text, the final delivered character count of each message may vary.

Manage Your Text Messages

Note: While a text in the sequence has a status of Scheduled, you can view, copy, edit, send a test and delete the message.

But once a text message is sent, you are no longer able to send a test, make edits or stop it from sending. You can only copy and view the text message. When a text has sent, you can then see how many recipients were sent the message, and what time the text was sent.

Warning: Deleting a text message cannot be undone. So proceed with caution.

  • Hover over the Text Messaging tab in the top menu bar

  • Select the Text Message Blasts tab from the dropdown menu

  • Find the Text Message you would like to manage, and click any of the following icons:

    • The duplicate icon allows you to copy a previous message to send again

    • The pencil icon allows you to edit the text

    • The eye icon allows you to view the text

    • The phone icon allows you to send a test message to a number of your choice

    • The trash can icon allows you to delete the text

Pro Tip: You can search for your text in the Search bar or filter your texts by the Page, Status, or Date!

Add Keyword Auto-Responders

Keyword Auto-Responders are a great way to give standardized answers for questions your registrants might have about your event. For example, prompt your registrants to respond with the word "event" to automatically receive a text response with the latest details for an upcoming event you are hosting.

  • From the Pages screen, click Text Messaging from the top menu bar

  • Click Keywords on the left-hand side of the screen

  • Click Create Keyword

  • Enter the Keyword that your registrants can text in to your number

  • Enter the Response Message you'd like to auto-send back to the person after they text the keyword

  • Enter the Hint - If your registrants text-in the word help, it will give them a list of the keywords and the associated hint or description of what the keyword will get them

Keyword FAQs

Can I create multiple text message keywords?

Yes, you can create multiple SMS text message keywords.

If someone replies to a text message I send, can I reply back?

Right now, the SMS feature supports one-way broadcast messaging to your registrants, along with keyword-based replies. We recommend setting up keyword replies to answer common questions that your registrants may have. The ability to reply to text messages in conversation format may be considered for future updates.

If someone texts us without using a keyword, is there a standard message that would be sent to them?

If a text is sent without code word, the text does not go anywhere, and the registrant does not receive a response.

General FAQs

How does a subscriber opt out?

The first text message a registrant receives includes instructions to reply with STOP to opt out, following industry standards. When they do so, their number is added to a carrier-managed do-not-send list. If a registrant opts out by mistake or wishes to receive messages again, they can reply with the keyword START to resume. When a registrant opts out, they opt out of all future messaging from that number, not just that registration page.

Can a registrant opt in to receiving text messages after submitting their registration?

Yes, registrants can opt in to receive text messages after submitting their registration by logging into the Registrant Account Center, and opt in from there. This article walks through how registrants can use the Registrant Account Center.

Can I see who has opted into text messaging? Will this show any contacts who choose to later opt out through texting STOP?

To see who has opted into text messaging, we recommend downloading a Contact export. This report will show which registrants opted in upon registering and any registrants who opted in to text messaging through the Registrant Account Center. If a registrant later chooses to opt out through texting STOP, the Contacts import will not update with this information.

  • From the Pages screen, click the Contacts tab in the top menu bar

  • Click Download Contacts

What user permissions do I need to send Text Messages?

A user must be an Admin to send out text messages. Any account owner and Admin can send Text Messages.

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