SMS Marketing Powered by Emma Overview

SMS Marketing Powered by Emma gives your business a fast, direct way to quickly reach your clients. With SMS open rates typically above 90% and most texts read within minutes, text messaging delivers the kind of immediate connection that email alone can't match.

Combine SMS Marketing with your Email Marketing efforts, and you’ve got a multi-channel strategy powered by the client data you’re already collecting in Meevo. Emma and Meevo make it easy to grow your SMS list the right way, capturing phone numbers and the consent you need to stay compliant.

 

How do clients opt into SMS Marketing?

Before you can legally send SMS marketing messages, clients must explicitly give permission as required under laws like the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).

Meevo and Emma provide tools to help you collect and manage that consent, but you are ultimately responsible for complying with all applicable laws. See SMS Marketing Consent: Opt-Ins and Opt-Outs for complete details.

 

Do contacts need to be opted into email communications in order to receive SMS Marketing?

No! Email and SMS opt-ins are independent, so a contact does not need to be opted in to one to be able to opt into the other. Similarly, a client can opt out of one communication method independently of the other. 

 

Can I send characters and images in marketing texts?

The short answer is yes, but it's important to understand how characters and images could affect your consumption of SMS credits.

When sending a text message, each message segment uses one SMS credit. The number of characters per segment depends on the type of characters used.

  • If your message uses only GSM-7 characters (standard letters, numbers, and symbols), each segment allows up to 160 characters. For example, a message with 235 GSM-7 characters will use 2 segments/credits per recipient.
  • If your message includes any non-GSM-7 characters, such as emojis or certain symbols, it must use Unicode encoding, which reduces the segment limit to 70 characters. That same 235-character message with an emoji would then use 4 segments/credits.

Note: Some non-GSM-7 characters, especially emojis, can count as multiple characters. For instance, one emoji might count as 3 characters and another as 7, depending on how it's encoded. This behavior is determined by SMS encoding standards and is not something we can control. Also note that including images in a message significantly increases credit usage, as they require multiple credits on their own.

 

Where can I see my SMS Marketing text usage?

The text allotment information you see in Emma is not a true representation of your SMS Marketing text plan. To view your SMS Marketing usage and plan limits, go to the Plan/Subscription area of the MeevoXchange.

Note: The MSG01 report does not account for Emma SMS Marketing text usage.

 

Optional "SMS Marketing Powered by Emma" package plans 

SMS Marketing Powered by Emma is an optional add-on that offers monthly plans, with flexible credit tiers to suit your business needs. 

  • Credits are billed monthly and do not roll over.
  • If you exceed your monthly credit limit (or if you're paying à la carte), overage charges apply at $0.015 per credit.
  • Marketing SMS messages typically use one credit, but longer messages or messages that include images may consume multiple credits.

Available monthly plans

  • Your business can choose to purchase a monthly SMS package or pay as you go with à la carte pricing.
  • Available packages include 1000, 2500, 5000, 10000, 25000, and 50000 credits/month.

How to enroll in an SMS package plan

  • Single-location businesses: Visit the MeevoXchange to browse and purchase an SMS Marketing plan.
  • Multi-location businesses: Please contact your Customer Success Manager (CSM) for assistance with enrollment.