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Bulk SMS

Sender IDs, campaigns, two-way inbox and opt-outs.

1. Get your sender IDs

A sender ID is the name your SMS comes from, like ADA FASHION. Nigerian networks register two kinds separately, so you need two different names:

KindUsed forReaches Do-Not-Disturb numbers?
TransactionalOTPs, receipts, order and delivery updates, alerts. No offers.Yes
PromotionalOffers, sales and news to people who opted in. Must include how to opt out.No
  1. Read the guide in SMS › Sender IDs › How to apply: name rules, sample messages for your type of business and a complete example.
  2. Apply once: company details, both names with sample messages, the signatory, and a signature you draw on screen. Upload your CAC certificate and, ideally, the signatory's ID.
  3. We prepare the paperwork: signed letters for MTN, Airtel, Glo and 9mobile and the networks' sheets. You can download and check them.
  4. We check and submit within one working day. Approval usually takes 1 to 3 weeks; you're notified and emailed at each step.
In Nigeria a sender ID is 3 to 11 letters (spaces allowed), with no numbers or symbols. Write numbers as letters, e.g. 9jaRealty becomes NJA REALTY.

2. Send a campaign

  1. Go to SMS › Compose and name the campaign.
  2. Choose recipients: contact groups, pasted numbers, or Load numbers from a file. Local numbers are read using your default country.
  3. Write the message. Personalise with {{first_name}} and other fields. The counter shows characters and SMS pages (160 characters, or 70 with emojis).
  4. Marketing message? Tick it for offers. Only your promotional sender IDs are then offered, and an opt-out line is added. Leave it off for receipts and alerts, which use your transactional sender.
  5. Check the cost and send, or schedule it. Respect quiet hours holds messages until morning in your time zone.

Delivery and refunds

Each campaign shows recipients, delivered, waiting for a report, failed and cost. Common reasons a message isn't delivered: the number is on Do-Not-Disturb (promotional), the phone is off or the number is wrong, or the sender ID isn't approved on that network yet. Messages the network rejects are refunded automatically.

Two-way inbox

Replies appear in SMS › Inbox as conversations, combining what you sent and what they replied, and you get a notification. Reply right from the conversation.

People can only reply when your message came from a phone number or a two-way short code. Letter sender IDs (like SocialBoost) can't receive replies, so add “Call or WhatsApp 080…” where you want answers.

Opt-outs

  • Anyone who replies STOP is opted out for your account automatically; START opts them back in.
  • Add numbers to SMS › Opt-outs yourself when someone asks by phone or email.
  • Opted-out people are skipped by every campaign and can't be messaged from the inbox.

Settings

SMS › Settings: default country for local numbers, quiet hours and time zone, and whether to track link clicks by default (links are shortened so you can see who clicked).

Sending from your own app? See the SMS API.

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