Sending a Text (SMS) Campaign

A text campaign lets you reach your patient list fast, whether you need to fill last-minute openings, share a seasonal promotion, or send a quick practice announcement. This article walks you through building and sending a text campaign from start to finish.

Before You Start

Text campaigns go out from your practice's dedicated texting number. Make sure that number is active before sending your first campaign. If you have not set it up yet, visit Setting Up Your Texting and Calling Number to get started. You will also want to confirm that the contacts you plan to reach have SMS consent on file. See Staying Compliant: Opt-Outs and Consent for guidance on keeping your list clean and compliant.

Opening the Marketing Tab

1. From your dashboard, click Marketing in the left menu.
2. Select Campaigns from the submenu.
3. Click the blue Create Campaign button in the upper right corner.
4. When prompted to choose a channel, select SMS.

Building Your Text Message

Keep your message short and direct. Most patients read texts within a few minutes, so plain language works best.

1. Give your campaign a name in the Campaign Name field. This is internal only and patients will not see it.
2. Type your message in the Message box. Aim for one to two short sentences. A good text tells patients what you are offering and what to do next.
3. Use the Personalization dropdown to insert merge fields like the patient's first name. A quick "Hi [First Name]" at the start can improve response rates without adding much length.
4. If you want to include a link (for example, to your online booking page), paste it into the message body. The platform will shorten it automatically.

Choosing Who Gets the Message

1. Under Send To, click Select Audience.
2. Choose from your existing contact lists, or filter by tag, status, or other criteria to build a targeted group. For example, you can target patients tagged "Whitening Inquiry" or filter by last visit date to reach patients due for a recall.
3. Review the estimated recipient count shown on screen before moving forward. If it looks off, revisit your filters in Building Smart Lists and Filters.

Setting the Send Time

1. Under Schedule, choose whether to Send Now or Schedule for Later.
2. If scheduling, pick the date and time from the calendar. Texts sent between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. in your patients' local time zone tend to perform well. Early morning or late evening sends often feel intrusive.
3. Review the time zone shown on screen and confirm it matches your practice location.

Reviewing and Sending

1. Click Review Campaign to see a summary of your message, audience size, and scheduled time.
2. Send yourself a test message by clicking Send Test and entering your own mobile number. Read it on your phone before going live so you can catch any awkward wording or broken links.
3. When everything looks good, click Send Campaign (or Schedule Campaign if you set a future time).

Checking Your Results

After your campaign goes out, open the Marketing tab and find the campaign in your list. Click its name to see delivery stats including how many messages were sent, delivered, and how many patients replied. If you get replies, they will land in your Conversations inbox where your front desk can respond directly.

Next Steps

Text campaigns pair well with a follow-up email for patients who did not respond. Learn how in Sending an Email Campaign. If your goal is to win back patients who have not been in for a while, the Reactivating Old Patients guide walks through a purpose-built workflow for exactly that.