With FEA Create, you can send SMS messages to your customers. Keep in mind that you'll be charged both for sending messages and receiving any replies from customers. Steps on how to set this up can be found here.
Since each text message you send is split into small chunks called "segments," understanding how this works will help you manage your messaging costs.
What are segments?
Remember the old Nokia phones? When typing a message, you might have noticed a counter going down from 160, with a number "1" next to it. When you went over 160 characters, that "1" would change to "2." This meant your single message was actually being split into two separate messages – or two "segments."
Surprisingly, this hasn't changed much since then. Text messages are still sent in chunks of 160 characters. Each chunk is one segment, and you pay for each segment.
But there is now so much more in text messages compared to back then.
There are two main reasons your message might use more segments than you think:
Special Characters and Emojis - When you use regular letters, numbers, and basic punctuation, you can fit 160 characters in one segment. But when you use emojis, certain accented letters (like á or í), or other special characters, you can only fit 70 characters per segment. This is because these special characters need more digital space to be sent.
Message Assembly Information - When sending a long message that needs multiple segments, some space is needed to tell phones how to put these segments back together in the right order. This takes up a bit of room, leaving you with:
153 characters for regular text
67 characters for messages with emojis or special characters
Common Mistakes to Watch Out For
Two things that often surprise people:
"Smart" quotes (like " and ") - These fancy quotation marks that word processors automatically insert count as special characters
Invisible differences in spaces - Sometimes when you copy and paste text, it brings along special kinds of spaces that count as special characters
Tips for Keeping Your Messages in Fewer Segments:
Use basic punctuation marks instead of fancy ones
Avoid emojis if you need to keep the message short
Type messages directly rather than copying and pasting when possible
So, how much does it cost?
On average, $10 will send around 900 basic segments. This of course is tricky as it has a number of factors such as:
The phone number location
Where the customer is based and their mobile phone carrier
Message length
Receiving responses from customers (you'll be charged for incoming messages too)
Adding emojis, links or special characters
Using gifs, images or videos
For example:
A short message like "Your appointment is tomorrow at 2pm" uses one segment
A longer message with emojis like "🎉 Happy Birthday! We're giving you a special 20% discount on your next purchase. Visit our store this week to claim it! 🎁" uses multiple segments
SMS Marketing Use Cases
It can be expensive to send SMS messages and often leads to charges of hundreds of dollars.
We recommend the best way using SMS marketing in FEA Create is to use it for the following reasons:
Holiday and birthday messages
Appointment/event reminders
Post event survey requests
By keeping things simple, SMS marketing can be an effective tool for your business.