How to Set Up SMS Marketing in Retainful

1. Navigate to SMS settings

To get started:

• Go to your Retainful Dashboard.

• Navigate to Settings → SMS.

• Click on the ‘Get Started’ button.

This will initiate the setup process for enabling SMS in your account.

2. Enter Your Business Information

You'll be prompted to provide accurate and verifiable business details, such as:

• Business Name

• Business Address

• Contact Information

• Website URL

3. Upload Proof of Customer Consent

To comply with SMS marketing regulations, we require proof that your customers have opted in to receive promotional text messages.

• A clear screenshot of your signup form or checkout page showing a visible checkbox or consent message where customers agree to receive SMS.

• A Privacy Policy on your website that explicitly states how the customer’s phone number will be used, specifically that it may be used for marketing via SMS.

• You can upload images or documents in common formats (PNG, JPG, PDF).

4. Submit and Await Approval

After reviewing all details:

• Click Submit to send your application for review.

• Our compliance team will manually verify your request.

• You will receive a notification once the application is approved or if any changes are needed.

5. Quiet hours and Daily sending limit

Once your SMS setup is approved, your SMS dashboard will display:

1. Phone Number - The registered phone number will be displayed here.

To ensure compliance with SMS marketing regulations and provide a high-quality customer experience, Retainful supports two essential features: daily sending limits and quiet hours

1. Quiet Hours

   • Quiet hours prevent marketing messages from being sent during inappropriate times in a recipient's local timezone.

   • Messages sent outside this window will automatically be queued and delivered later.

   • For example:

     • In the US, SMS messages must typically be sent between 8 am and 9 pm local time, with stricter state-level rules in places like Florida or Washington.

     • By default, Retainful sends SMS only from 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM based on the recipient's time zone.

2. Daily Sending limit

   • The daily sending limit allows you to restrict the maximum number of SMS messages sent to each customer per day.

   • By default, this is set to 3 SMS per day, but you can adjust this limit based on your marketing needs.

   • This helps prevent subscriber fatigue and maintains better engagement rates.

3. Timezone Awareness

   • Both features work based on the recipient's timezone, so there's no need to manually adjust settings if your audience is global.

   • Messages are delivered according to the local time of each recipient, ensuring compliance across markets.

7. Add SMS to Automation Workflows

To include SMS messages within your automations:

1. Go to the Automation section in your Retainful dashboard.

1. Open or create a workflow (e.g., Abandoned Cart, Welcome Series, Order Follow-up).

1. Click on the ‘+’ (Add Block) icon in the workflow editor.

1. Select the ‘SMS’ block from the options.

1. Enter your message content in the SMS block editor.

Additional Features:

1. Insert Dynamic Coupon Codes: Send personalized, time-limited coupon codes to boost conversions.

1. Customize Opt-out Instructions: Add a note like “Reply STOP to unsubscribe” to comply with opt-out regulations.