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The SMS get started checklist

A quick-start guide to getting ready to send SMS.

Laura Russell avatar
Written by Laura Russell
Updated this week

Dotdigital offers a number of options to manage SMS sending, opt-ins and consent, and unsubscribes.

The specific options available to you depends on the region in which you want to send.

If the region you want to send in isn’t listed, contact your Customer Success representative who can guide you through set up for your chosen countries.


Understand the regulations

Rules and regulations around sending marketing and transactional SMS messages vary based on location. It’s very important that you understand the requirements before you start sending.

I'm sending to:


Set up a sender ID

To send SMS, you need at least one phone number or from name to send from. Different regions have unique restrictions on the type of sender ID that you can use.

For sending in the UK, the US and Canada, or Australia, you can purchase a number directly in Dotdigital.

In-app number purchase is limited to toll-free numbers for the US and Canada, and Virtual mobile numbers (VMN) for Australia.

To purchase other sender ID types, or to purchase sender IDs for other regions, contact your Customer Success representative.


Choose a billing method

The type and frequency of messages you want to send might mean that one billing method is more cost-effective for you than another.

You can pay for SMS sends through:


Build your contact list and gather consent

To build a useable and compliant SMS contact list, you must ensure that your contacts have a straightforward way to sign up to your SMS marketing, which clearly describes what kind of messages they’re agreeing to receive.


Set up your opt-out method

Depending on your sending region, you need to either purchase a number that can receive inbound messages, as described in the above Set up a Sender ID step, or include an unsubscribe link in your messages, to allow your contacts to opt out of your SMS marketing.


Create and test SMS campaigns

With only 160 characters to play with for a single SMS segment, crafting concise but engaging content for your messages is key.


Send broadcast SMS

Send your SMS marketing messages to your lists, segments or marketing preference groups.


Explore SMS automation

You can send automated SMS messages through programs, or you can create auto-responders either for all inbound messages, or linked to specific trigger words.


Review SMS reporting

Monitor the impact of your SMS messaging and plan your future marketing efforts.

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