An SMS campaign in iSend sends the same message to one or more contact groups. You create it from the Campaigns menu in six steps: name, sender, recipient groups, message, cost check and send. Before sending, the platform shows how many recipients will receive the message, how many credits will be consumed and how the message will look on the phone. For a few numbers without a list there is quick send, and for sending from your own system there is the API.
Before you start
You need three things: an active Sender ID or the trial's "TEST iSend", a contact group with recipients who have given consent, and a credit balance. If your contacts are still in Excel, see contact import first.
The six steps
- New campaign. In the Campaigns menu click New SMS campaign. Give it a name you will recognize in the reports, for example "October offer". The recipient does not see it.
- Sender. Choose a Sender ID from the list of active ones. This is what appears as the sender on the phone.
- Recipient groups. Click Add groups and choose one or more. The platform immediately shows three numbers: how many contacts are valid, how many have opted out with STOP and how many have no declared consent. The last two categories do not receive the campaign. The same contact in two groups receives the message once.
- Message. Write the text or choose a saved template. Below the field the counter shows the characters, the encoding and how many parts it will be sent in. A Greek message fits 155 characters in one part, including the STOP line that is added automatically. The article on characters per SMS explains the limits. With the personalization fields you put each recipient's name into the text.
- Cost and preview. The cost box shows recipients, credits per recipient and total. The Mobile preview button shows the message as it will appear, with the sender and the STOP line. If you want it to go out later, open scheduling. Otherwise it goes out immediately.
- Send. Click Send. The campaign enters processing and in the Campaigns menu you see its progress. Delivery statuses per recipient appear in Reports within a few minutes.
Send your first campaign to a group with your own mobile number and one or two colleagues. This way you see the result before your customers do.
What to check before you click send
- The sender is the right one, if you have more than one Sender ID.
- The counter shows one part. If it shows two, cut text. The cost doubles.
- The link in the message opens and is short. Links stay as you wrote them, the rest of the text goes out in uppercase.
- The time is appropriate. A marketing message at 23:00 annoys and brings opt-outs.
- The number of valid recipients is what you expected. If it is much lower, the group has contacts without declared consent.
Quick send to a few numbers
For one message to one or a few numbers without creating a group, the Quick send menu accepts the numbers pasted, separated by commas or one per line, the sender and the message. It also asks for the recipients' consent source, like contact import does. Numbers are written with the country code, for example 306912345678. Useful for an update to a specific customer or for testing a text.
Sending through the API
If the message has to go out from your own system, such as booking software or an ERP, the same send is done with one call to the platform's API:
POST https://sms.isend.gr/api/http/sms/send
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN
Content-Type: application/json
{"recipient":"306912345678","sender_id":"MyShop","message":"ORDER 1042 SHIPPED TODAY"}
Multiple recipients are separated by commas in the same field. The article on the API key and the first SMS has all the fields, the response and an example in PHP.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to send a campaign?
Messages are delivered to the network within a few minutes of sending, depending on the number of recipients. Delivery statuses are filled in Reports as confirmations arrive from the networks. A campaign to switched-off devices may show "Sent" for hours.
Can I stop a campaign that has started?
Yes, from the Campaigns menu with the pause button. Messages that have already been delivered to the network cannot be recalled. Those that have not gone out remain pending until you resume or delete the campaign.
Why did some contacts not receive the campaign?
Before sending, the platform skips those who opted out with STOP, those on the blocklist and those without declared consent. These numbers are not charged. In Reports they appear with the corresponding label, so you know the reason.