Can I have a free trial?
Yes, click here. You will see a simple form that you need to fill up. We will then be in touch and provide you with your username and password. You will be given 10 free outbound messages to experience service.

Your Test Account you allow you to use your Company name/Brand as the Sender ID, or you can try out a Two-Way campaign using PromoTexter's default test number.


How can I get a permanent account and start sending bulk text messages?
Please email us at marketing@promotexter.com to open up an account and to discuss your business requirements.


How much does it cost?
After the free trial, the cost depends on how many messages you want to send and to which destinations, but our pricing is competitive. Please click here to view PromoTexter's Quick Start Package Pricing.

If you plan to send more than EUR1,000 worth of messages per month, please contact us for a tailored pricing proposal.


Do I have to buy in advance?
Yes, it's works on a Pay As You Go basis wherein you have to credit your Account before you can send messages. But first you will need a permanent Account. Please email us at marketing@promotexter.com to open up an Account.


How do I send SMS Messages?
It's very easy. We will provide you with a Username and Password. Log in to your TextBlaster Account on the PromoTexter homepage (www.promotexter.com). If you have credit, you can send messages (if you have a Trial Account, you can send 10 free messages).
On the TextBlaster main page, you can choose either the 'Quick Send' option (to send an immediate SMS to one of more people), or the 'New Campaign' option (to set up a 1-Way or 2-Way SMS marketing campaign).

Quick Send: Enter the mobile number of the recipient(s), write a short message text and click 'Send'.

Campaign: Just select and fill in the required fields and schedule the campaign. This procedure is a simple step-by-step process. There are help features along the way. If you need further assistance, please contact Technical Support.


Can multiple people use TextBlaster in our company?
Yes. Multiple users can be assigned to one Account. One person from your company should be designated as the Main User. The Main User has full access, campaign creation, approval and launch rights. All other users are Sub Users. The sub-user has access and campaign creation rights, For example, the Main User may be the Marketing Director, and the Sub Users may be the Brand Managers.
As a standard, we assign up to 3 distinct Sub User log-in ID's, which the Main user can create in 'My Account'. Each Sub User ID supports multiple sessions meaning each ID can be shared within a department and can be logged in at the same time.


How do I control what mobile campaigns are activated?
PromoTexter has a unique approval feature which allows the Main User to approve all campaigns before they go live. This avoids Sub Users inadvertently running a campaign before it has been approved internally.


What number will appear to the recipient?
You can select the sender number or name from the Sender ID drop-down menu in the TextBlaster New Campaign page. The Sender ID indicates who the SMS is from. For 1-Way broadcast campaigns, the Sender ID may be Alphabetic, Numeric or Alphanumeric.
For 2-Way campaigns, it must be Numeric so the recipient can reply.

IMPORTANT. PLEASE READ:
Numeric Sender ID:
Max 16 digits.
May be your TextBack number or local Short Code.
For international campaigns, Country Code is required (eg 44123456789). 

Alphabetic Sender ID:
Max 11 letters.
Roman Alphabet (A,B,C, a,b,c) is allowed (eg Your Brand).
Symbols and spaces are not allowed.

AlphaNumeric Sender ID:
Max 11 digits.
ID can only start with a letter (eg ABC123).

Please note some Operators restrict international inbound Alphabetic Sender ID's (such as Telkomsel in Indonesia, Maxis in Malayisa and most US Operators) in which case we strongly recommend using a Numeric Sender ID.

Every Sender ID must be pre-registered with PromoTexter. This procedure protects you as a Client from third parties attempting to infringe your Trademarks through the PromoTexter service. To request a new Sender ID first sign-in-in and then go to 'My Account'.

We strongly recommend you test any new Sender ID in advance of running a Campaign to ensure it works. Failure to deliver due to non-compliance with these rules will result in loss of credits so please pay careful attention.


Can recipients reply by SMS to my messages?
Yes. 2-way messaging allows the recipient to reply to your message, and you will receive the reply message in your TextBlaster SMS 'Inbox' or within the campaign results under 'List Campaign' on www.promotexter.com. From Inbox you can yourself reply to a SMS message. It is thus important to regularly check your SMS Inbox for received messages.


What is the difference between 1-way messaging and 2-way messaging?
1-way messaging is a SMS broadcast that does not require a user reply, while 2-way messaging allows the user to reply via your own dedicated number.
For 1-way messaging, sending of alphanumeric SENDER ID is supported but not on 2-way messaging. 2-way messaging only supports numeric SENDER ID.


Can I set up an automated response when the recipient replies?
Yes you can do this from the TextBlaster '2 Way Campaign' / 'New campaign' page.


Where can I send messages to?
PromoTexter offers global SMS delivery. Please click here to view PromoTexter's network coverage.


Can I create a Phonebook or a Contact/Recipient List?
Yes, you can. Select The Phonebook option in the TextBlaster Menu. Here you can Add or Edit an individual Contact, Add or Edit a Group list, or upload/import contacts from file. There is no limit to the number of contacts to be uploaded.


Can I send messages in Chinese, Arabic, Korean, Russian etc?
Yes. TextBlaster allows you to select 'Unicode' message format when creating a campaign. Please note each SMS is restricted to 70 characters in Unicode. The Sender ID cannot be in Unicode.


Can I send mobile content?
Yes. TextBlaster is perfect for sending text-based content such as Information updates, as well as binary content (such as ringtones and picture messages). If you wish to send colour wallpapers, polyphonic ringtones, truetones, MP3 or java applications and games, then you can send a url link via SMS (or a WAP Push) which the user can click to download the content. We can host this content for you.


Can I charge for content?
Yes we can make this service available to you for selected destinations. Please contact us for more details.


Can I offer subscription services?
Yes. PromoTexter builds Text Triggers and SMS applications for your customers to activate mobile subscription services, such as regular information alerts (eg daily new headlines, daily sales reports, weekly credit balances, weekly Top 10 hit music, monthly baby care tips, periodic flight promotions etc. For further details please email s at marketing@promotexter.com.


How can I have my own Mobile Internet site?
PromoTexter can build your WAP site, either a permanent site or a promotional to support marketing campaigns. A WAP site is a perfect way to bring new product information or a promotional offer to your customers.


Can I send SMS messages to networks based on CDMA, TDMA, etc?
Only operators that are able to receive SMS from a GSM network are supported. All supported Operators are listed in our Coverage List. (links to download Coverage list)


I tested and successfully sent an SMS to an Operator not on your list. Why is that?
Sometimes new operators are being tested by us or by our partners before the list is updated. Please advise us of any instances. There are also incidents when Operators block international messages, especially if they suspect spam. Unfortunately PromoTexter can accept no responsibility in the event that this happens as it is due to the actions of the Network Operator.


How do I contact you if I found a problem with your web site or I'm having problems sending short messages?
To report a bug or for technical assistance, please contact Technical Support.
If you have an Account and have an urgent technical issue, please log into your Account
and select "My Account" where you can send an SMS to our Tech Hotline.


Is it possible to send more than 160 characters?
The international standard number of characters (Roman Alphanumeric A,B,C,1,2,3) of a SMS message is limited to 160 characters. Unicode (Chinese, Korean, Arabic etc) SMS messages are limited to 70 characters.

PromoTexter, however, allows you to broadcast concatenated messages. If the message is more than 160 characters, for example 180 characters, the application will attach 1/2 and 2/2 at the start of each respective message.

You can send up to 3 message parts at once, but it is worth noting shorter messages tend to be more effective in terms of call-to-action.


Do the SMS messages always arrive at their destination?
The majority of SMS messages are delivered to the mobile phone of the recipient without problems and almost instantly.

However certain problems beyond our direct control can occur. Unsuccessful delivery, or delayed delivery, may be due to the Network Operator or the mobile handset.

TextBlaster will specify the status of sent messages as follows:

SENT. This means the SMS message has been triggered from the TextBlaster platform;

IN TRANSIT. This means delivery to the handset is still pending and the system is retrying delivery. This may be due to one of the following reasons:
o the Operator's SMS centre may be temporarily out of service
o the Operator's network may be congested
o the mobile phone can be switched off
o the inbox of the recipient can be full

SUCCESSFUL. The SMS has successfully been delivered to the handset;

FAILED. This means delivery to the handset has failed. This may be due to one of the following reasons:
o the mobile number is no longer active (operators frequently take 'dead' numbers out of circulation for 6 months before reissuing it)
o with international SMS the foreign operator can block incoming messages without notice (although this is usually only if they suspect spam)
o the mobile phone may be broken
o the mobile phone may have been stolen and the SIM card blocked


To minimize the problem of sending SMS messages to numbers which are no longer in circulation, we offer a Mobile Number Validation service designed to check the validity of a mobile number, to ensure it is still a 'live' number. (links to Mobile communities / Mobile Number Validation page)

Please note: We strongly suggest the Mobile Number Validation service is used at least twice a year to keep your mobile database as clean as possible.


How do I know if the SMS messages were delivered?
PromoTexter keeps you informed of the Delivery status in the Campaign report under 'List Campaign'. Ordinarily the operators will provide Delivery Notifications or Delivery Reports (DR) which confirms the Status. Sometimes the DR may be pending from the operator (IN TRANSIT) or may not arrive in which case we mark the delivery status as FAILED.


If delivery fails, will you try to send again?
PromoTexter's service includes free retries, every 6 hours, for 24 hours.


How long does it take for my message to arrive?
Messages usually arrive within a few seconds of clicking the Send button. Of course if you are sending bulk messages, they will be queued. Usual sending speed will be 8-10sms/second. Whilst we have the capability to delver at much higher rates, this is usually avoided as the receiving Operator may detect this as 'flooding' (high volumes of unsolicited messages landing in a very short time frame), and block the campaign.