Choose from Templates
Description
If a text message body has been saved as a template, it can be selected here and will populate the Message Text field. This template can then be edited before sending. Templates are used when sending predefined text messages, such as for notifications or alerts, where the wording may need to be specific or repeated quite often.
Details
Click the Choose from templates button above the message text box to display the popup. This will show all the available saved templates. Hover the mouse over each template to see if it is available for this campaign.
- Availability Indicators:
- A green Choose this ✓ will appear on the left-hand side of the template if it is available.
- A red Not available x will appear on the left-hand side of the template if it is not available. Templates would be unavailable for a campaign if it contains smart tags but no smart tags have been created for this message.
Previewing and Selecting Templates
To preview a full message template, click the eye symbol (👁) to the right of that template. The popup will then display the entire template.
Click the Choose button to populate the Message text field with this template.
Message Text
The Message text field will contain the body or content of the message that will be sent to all the contacts in the campaign.
Message Length and Special Characters
A standard SMS message length is made up of 160 characters. Longer messages require multiple messages to be grouped together and sent as 2 to 3 messages, using 2 to 3 credits depending on the message size. For example:
- A 1-160 character message uses 1 credit.
- A message using 161-320 characters uses 2 credits.
- A message using 321-480 characters uses 3 credits.
These values are correct for English plain text characters. Special characters (for example, €, £, $) may use more than one character space.
For more information on Message Length and Special Characters, please see this document.