Welcome to SMS Lead Nurturing!

Hello and welcome! This guide will walk you through the first steps of using TalkWiz's SMS Lead Nurturing feature. We're excited to help you boost engagement and conversions with the power of SMS. Let's dive in.

What is SMS Lead Nurturing?

The SMS Lead Nurturing feature in TalkWiz allows you to automatically engage with your leads via text message. It's designed to keep your prospects interested and move them through the sales funnel with timely, relevant messages.

Key Benefits for Your Business

• Automation: Set up campaigns once and let them run automatically, saving you time and effort.
• Personalization: Send personalized messages based on lead behavior and information, increasing engagement.
• Lead Conversion: Nurture leads effectively, guiding them towards becoming loyal customers.

Lead Management Workflow

SMS Lead Nurturing integrates seamlessly with your existing lead management in TalkWiz. It helps you stay connected with leads who might otherwise slip through the cracks, ensuring no opportunity is missed.

Navigating to the Feature

To get started, follow these simple steps:

1. Log into your TalkWiz account.
2. Click on Leads in the main menu.
3. Select Nurturing Campaigns from the dropdown menu.

Creating a New Campaign

Ready to create your first campaign? Here's how:

1. On the Nurturing Campaigns page, click the Create New Campaign button.
2. A new campaign setup page will open.

Campaign Settings Explained

Let's go over each setting to ensure your campaign is set up for success.

• Name: Give your campaign a clear, descriptive name.

  • Tip: Use a naming convention that helps you identify the campaign's purpose, such as "New Client Onboarding SMS" or "Product Interest Follow-Up."

• Start/End Dates: Set the dates for when your campaign should start and end. You can schedule campaigns to launch in the future or run indefinitely until manually paused.

• Status Options:

  • Draft: Your campaign is still being created and is not live.
  • Active: Your campaign is running and sending messages.
  • Paused: Your campaign is temporarily stopped and no messages are being sent.
  • Completed: Your campaign has finished running.

• Inactivity Threshold: This setting determines how long a lead can be inactive before they are removed from the campaign.

  • Recommendation: Set the inactivity threshold between 7-14 days. This ensures your messages remain relevant and timely without overwhelming leads.

Step Creation Process

Adding Steps to a Campaign

1. Navigate to your desired Nurturing Campaign.
2. Click Add New Step.
3. Select the trigger type (Time-based or Event-based).
4. Configure the trigger settings.
5. Write your message using templates and personalization.

Ordering and Reordering Steps

• Steps are executed sequentially.
• Drag and drop steps to change their order.
• Review the step list to ensure the flow is logical.

Testing Steps Before Activation

• Use the Test Step option to send a test message to yourself.
• Verify message content, personalization, and timing.
• Make necessary adjustments before activating the campaign.

Time-based Triggers

Configuring Delay Days

Set the number of days or hours to wait before a step is triggered.

Best Practices for Timing Between Messages

Examples of Effective Delay Sequences

• Welcome Message: Day 0
• Value Proposition: Day 2
• Offer/Discount: Day 5
• Final Reminder: Day 7

Event-based Triggers

Detailed Explanation of Each Event Type *See Webhooks Setup for more details

Configuration Requirements

• Each event type requires specific configuration in the event_data field.
• The system validates that the required data is present before saving the step.
• Events are processed in real-time as they occur in the system.

When to Use Each Trigger Type (with examples)

• Form Completion: Use for immediate confirmation and delivery of promised content (e.g., "Thanks for downloading the ebook!")
• Page Visit: Use to engage with leads showing specific interest (e.g., "See our latest deals on the product you viewed.")
• Message Opened/Clicked: Use for targeted follow-up (e.g., "Did you have any questions about the deal?")
• Status Change: Use to tailor messages to the lead's progress in the funnel (e.g., "We're excited you're now a VIP member!")
• Tag Added: Use for segmented messaging based on interests (e.g., "Since you're interested in X, check out this event.")
• Conversation Completed/Inactive: Use for feedback or next steps (e.g., "Thanks for chatting with us, any feedback?")
• Lead Categorized: Use to deliver category-specific info (e.g., "Welcome, [Category Name] Lead! Here's your specific offer.")

How to Configure Event-Specific Data

Each event type may require additional data configuration such as:

• Form ID for Form Completion
• URL for Page Visit
• Link ID for Message Clicked
• Specific Status, Tag, or Category value

Message Template Creation

Available Personalization Placeholders

• {{first_name}}
• {{last_name}}
• {{company_name}}
• {{custom_field_1}}

Message Length Best Practices for SMS

• Character Limits: Standard SMS messages have a 160-character limit for messages using GSM-7 encoding (basic Latin alphabet) or 70 characters for Unicode (messages with emojis or special characters).
• Message Segmentation: The system automatically splits longer messages into multiple segments. Messages over these limits will be sent as multiple SMS segments, and each segment is billed as a separate message. Recipients will typically see these as a single message on modern phones.
• Length Recommendations:
  • Aim for 120-140 characters when possible to ensure your message fits in a single segment.
  • For messages with links, remember that link shortening is applied automatically but still budget 22-30 characters for URLs.
  • The system will display a character count and segment estimate as you compose your message.
• Content Best Practices:
  • Start with the most important information.
  • Use clear, direct language without abbreviations that might confuse recipients.
  • Include a specific call-to-action that's easy to follow via SMS (reply, click, call).
  • Remember that opt-out instructions ("Reply STOP to unsubscribe") are automatically added and count toward your character limit.

Including Opt-Out Instructions

• Legal Requirement: Every SMS message sent through the system must include opt-out instructions to comply with telecommunications regulations (e.g., TCPA in the US).
• Standard Opt-Out Language: The system automatically appends "Reply STOP to unsubscribe" to messages that don't already include opt-out instructions. You don't need to manually add this to every template.
• Custom Opt-Out Instructions: You can customize the opt-out language in your templates, but it must clearly indicate how recipients can opt out (e.g., "Text STOP to end these messages").
• Opt-Out Processing: When a lead replies with "STOP" (case-insensitive), the system automatically marks them as opted-out, removes them from all active campaigns, and prevents them from receiving future automated messages. A one-time confirmation message will also be sent as required by carriers.
• Best Practice: It's good practice to mention opt-out instructions early in your campaign sequence to build trust with your leads.

Example Templates for Different Scenarios

• Welcome: "Hi {{first_name}}! Welcome to [Company Name]. Reply STOP to unsubscribe."
• Offer: "Hi {{first_name}}, enjoy 20% off with code SAVE20 at [Link]. Reply STOP to unsubscribe."
• Follow-Up: "Hi {{first_name}}, any questions about our offer? Reply YES or NO. Reply STOP to unsubscribe."
• Reminder: "Hi {{first_name}}, don't miss out! [Link] Reply STOP to unsubscribe."
• Event Invite: "Hi {{first_name}}, join our webinar on [Date] at [Link]. Reply STOP to unsubscribe."

Lead Management

Methods for Adding Leads to Campaigns

• Individual Selection: Manually select specific leads from your lead list to add to a campaign.
• Bulk Addition: Add multiple leads simultaneously by selecting them from your lead list.
• "Select All" Functionality: Quickly add all leads in the current filtered view to a campaign. The system will automatically add only leads that aren't already in an active campaign and have not opted out of messaging.

Note: The system enforces a "one active campaign per lead" rule. A lead cannot be in multiple active campaigns simultaneously.

Lead Categories and Their Use in Nurturing

• Interested in Pricing: Send targeted messages with pricing details and offers.
• Appointment Made/Pending: Send reminders and preparation details.
• Requested Information: Provide the requested information promptly and follow up.
• Hot/Warm/Cold Lead Classifications: Adjust message frequency and content based on lead temperature.

Monitoring Lead Progress Through Campaigns

Track each lead's progress through the campaign steps in the lead management dashboard to identify where leads are getting stuck or disengaging.

Understanding Lead Statuses

• Active: The lead is actively receiving messages.
• Completed: The lead has finished all steps in the campaign.
• Opted-Out: The lead has unsubscribed.

Campaign Management

Daily/Weekly Management Tasks

• Check daily for new opt-outs.
• Review weekly campaign performance metrics.
• Update campaign steps or messaging based on performance data.

How to Activate, Pause, and Complete Campaigns

• Activate: Set the campaign status to "Active" to start sending messages.
• Pause: Set the campaign status to "Paused" to temporarily stop sending messages.
• Complete: Set the campaign status to "Completed" to end the campaign.

Using the "Execute Now" Feature

Use the Execute Now feature to immediately send the next step message to selected leads, useful for time-sensitive information.

Handling Lead Responses

When a lead responds to a nurturing message, the system automatically:

• Marks the lead as active and updates their last_active_at timestamp.
• Completes their campaign journey, preventing further automated messages.
• Routes their response to your conversation inbox for personal follow-up.

To continue the conversation manually:

• Use the conversation view to send personalized replies.
• Add notes about the lead's interests.
• Update their status or category based on the conversation.

For leads who request to opt out via non-standard phrases, you can manually mark them as opted-out.

Monitoring Campaign Metrics and Performance

Review key metrics to optimize your campaigns.

Troubleshooting

Common Issues and Solutions

What to Do If Messages Aren't Being Sent

• Verify the campaign status is Active.
• Check that lead statuses are not Opted-Out or Completed.
• Confirm phone numbers are valid and properly formatted.
• Review integration settings to ensure connectivity.

Handling Lead Opt-Outs

• The system automatically handles "STOP" replies.
• Manually unsubscribe leads who request it in other ways.

Resolving Timing Issues

• Review delay settings for each step.
• Ensure time zones are correctly configured.
• Test triggers with sample leads to confirm timing.