SMS is a marketing channel in Act-On for sending short text messages to opted-in recipients. You compose messages, choose recipients from a Marketing List or Segment, and Act-On checks every number against your SMS Opt-In List before sending. This page is the starting point for everything SMS - concepts, setup, sending, reporting, and troubleshooting.
Who does this: Marketing ops, demand gen, and campaign managers; Act-On Administrators handle SMS Settings and credit purchasing
Time needed: 30-60 minutes for initial setup (credits, opt-in list, cell phone field); ongoing work is day-to-day campaign execution
Why this matters: SMS has open rates that email can only dream of, and for time-sensitive messages (appointment reminders, event day-of updates, transactional confirmations) it is often the right channel. It also has stricter rules than email - opt-in is mandatory, regulations vary by country, and carrier filtering is unforgiving. Getting the fundamentals right up front keeps your messages landing and your account in good standing.
In plain English: It is email, but shorter, text-only, opt-in-only, and charged per message in Credits. You need a number to send from, a list of numbers that agreed to receive messages, and a message under 160 characters. Everything else is details.
Availability: SMS is an add-on package with an additional cost. Contact your Account Manager for pricing. Sending internationally (outside the US and Canada) is an optional setting Administrators enable separately.
The three-step quick start
To send your first SMS, you need three things in place:
- SMS Credits. Contact your Account Manager to purchase. Credits reset on the 1st of each month and do not roll over.
- An SMS Opt-In List. Every number you send to must appear on this list. Start one by adding SMS Opt-In to a Form, or upload opt-ins you already have.
- A Marketing List with a Cell Phone field. Act-On matches the numbers in your Marketing List against the Opt-In List. The list field holding the number must be mapped to the system Contact's Cell Phone usage. See How to Identify the Cell Phone field on your Marketing List.
For a longer walkthrough that covers each of these in one place, see Getting Started with SMS.
Quick Reference (Advanced Users) - Click to Expand
- Credit: 1 credit = 1 message up to 160 characters. Messages over 160 characters use more than one credit. International sends use a per-country multiplier.
- Opt-In List: the numbers Act-On is allowed to send to. Not a targeting list - you select Marketing Lists or Segments for recipients, and the Opt-In List filters them.
- Opt-Out List: numbers that replied STOP. Opting out of SMS is separate from Email Opt-Outs.
- Reply keywords: STOP opts out, START opts back in, HELP returns instructions. Covered in About Act-On SMS.
- Fatigue Rules and Allowed SMS Hours: set by Administrators in SMS > Settings. Enforced on send.
- Link Shortener: use it if you want click tracking. External shorteners (Bitly, TinyURL) break tracking and increase the chance of carrier filtering.
Concepts and setup
- About Act-On SMS: what SMS is, how Credits work, Recipients, Opt-In and Opt-Out Lists, reply keywords, purchase.
- Getting Started with SMS: end-to-end walkthrough for first-time setup.
- SMS Phone Number Types: toll-free, 10DLC, short code, and alphanumeric sender ID, with approval timelines.
- SMS Settings: Administrator controls for hours, fatigue rules, international sending, and number type.
Build your opt-in list
- Build Your SMS Opt-In List: overview of the three ways in, plus the one-time first-opt-in send for new accounts.
- Add SMS Opt-In to a Form: the drag-and-drop Form section with disclaimer and reCAPTCHA.
- Add SMS Opt-Ins from a Marketing List or External Data Source: import opt-ins you already have.
Create, send, and automate
- How to Create an SMS Message: the Message Composer, Recipients, character count, concatenation.
- How to Send an SMS Message: validation, send now, schedule, cancel.
- How to Use SMS Personalization: merge fields with max length and fallback text.
- How to Use the SMS Link Shortener and Tracker: the only way to get click tracking in SMS.
- Customize and Send SMS Welcome Messages: the auto-confirmation sent when someone new opts in.
- Send SMS from an Automated Program: SMS as a step in a journey.
Lists and segments
- How to Identify the Cell Phone field on your Marketing List: the prerequisite for any list you want to send SMS to.
- How to Create List Segments with SMS criteria: segment on opt-in status, SMS behaviour, and country.
Reporting, FAQs, and international
- The SMS Report: metrics, charts, and the per-recipient breakdown, including why messages fail.
- SMS FAQs: the common questions on sending, reporting, opt-ins, segmentation, and automations.
- International SMS - Credits by Country: per-country credit multipliers.