This is pretty simple to do:
1) Hit the Engage menu, hover the mouse pointer over SMS, and click Create.
2) Choose the contact list you want to send your text to (make sure you've already imported your contacts' mobile numbers into it).
3) Click From scratch or start from a Template and enter a title for your campaign (don't worry, it won't be shown to your contacts).
4) You'll be taken to the SMS editor. Start by choosing your sender (ie, the number or name that your contacts will see on their mobile screen letting them know who texted them). Click the "+" button to add a sender in case you've got none yet.
5) Type in your SMS text. If you need some extra length, you can increase the number of SMS parts under Fit into how many SMS?. If your text requires accents and special chars, toggle Extended GSM or Unicode encoding.
To view your SMS on a real mobile device, click Test delivery (upper right corner of the SMS preview), enter the number you want to use for testing (you can add more than one) and hit Deliver test.
That's all there is to it! If you're happy with the tests, just send it out to your contacts using the "Next" button and following the steps provided :)
In certain countries, my brand name doesn't show up as the SMS sender. Why is this?
It depends on the network operator's promo text regulations. If you're texting numbers from other countries, some operators may replace your sender with their own fixed number.
I'm using merge codes. Will this make my SMS exceed the char limit?
It depends. Suppose your text is 4 chars left and you've introed it with "Hi !fname". E-goi will auto-replace !fname with your contacts' first name. This means, say, Bo will get an SMS with "Hi Bo" - his text won't be over the limit as he's got a short name. However, Veronica will see "Hi Veronica" on her SMS but the text will push past the char limit and become truncated at the end :(
To prevent this, leave some wiggle room in your SMS copy. For the above example, bringing the char count down a few chars would ensure virtually any first name would fit into the SMS. If you can't reduce it, use the Fit into how many SMS? option to increase the number of SMS parts in your message.
I can't reduce my SMS char count! How do I make sure it isn't truncated?
Use the Fit into how many SMS? option to split it into parts. For example, if you set it as a two-part SMS, you can type in twice as much copy. This means you'll actually be concatenating two SMS as one (your contacts will see your message as a single extra-long SMS).
You can extend your message along a maximum of seven parts. Each will be charged separately (ie, a seven-part message will cost you seven SMS).
Are the Extended GSM and Unicode options compatible with all network operators?
Extended GSM will display all chars from standard GSM plus the ones below:
|^€{}[~]\
It may not be compatible with networks from all countries though.
Unicode renders all characters from any language (including Chinese, Arabic and emojis!). Keep in mind your SMS will be shorter in length and some networks don't accept Unicode texts. Take a look at what may not work!
So be sure to test your Extended GSM or Unicode texts on all networks you're going to send your message to! If you find issues, consider going for a Smart SMS (use a small intro leading to a webpage with the full text, including pics and videos) or a push notification (which supports all chars of any language).