Set Up an SMS Marketing Program in the US

To get started with Mailchimp’s SMS Marketing in the United States, submit an application for your business. After you’re approved, create your first text message and send to subscribed SMS contacts in the US.

In this article, you’ll learn how to set up your US SMS Marketing program.

Before you start

Here are some things to know before you begin this process.

• This article covers the setup process of SMS Marketing in the US. To learn more about how SMS Marketing works, check out About SMS Marketing with Mailchimp.
• SMS Marketing is available as an add-on for customers with the Essentials plan or higher.
• You must be an account Owner, Admin, or Manager to set up an SMS Marketing program. Learn more about the different user levels in Mailchimp.
• At this time, you can only send text messages to subscribed SMS contacts from the country that’s associated with your SMS Marketing program. For example, if your SMS Marketing program’s sending country is the US, you can send text messages to subscribed US SMS contacts.

Submit your US SMS Marketing application

To send marketing text messages with Mailchimp, you need to submit an application and get approved.

The US SMS Marketing application has 9 steps:

1. SMS Experience
2. Sending Country
3. Phone Number
4. Business Info
5. Sender Info
6. Use Cases
7. Privacy Policy
8. Terms & Conditions
9. Credit Subscription

To submit a US SMS Marketing application, follow these steps.

SMS Experience, Sending Country, Phone Number, Business Info, Sender Info, and Use Cases

1. Click SMS.
   
2. Click Start registration.
3. On the SMS Experience step, click the option that best matches your SMS experience level, then click Next. If you don’t want to answer this question, click Skip.
4. On the Sending Country step, click United States, then click Next. If your application is approved, you can send text messages to subscribed SMS contacts who are in the same country as your sending country.
5. On the Phone Number step, click Next to move forward with the auto-generated phone number. To choose a different phone number, click Pick a different area code. The phone number you choose is the one your subscribed SMS contacts will receive your text messages from. If you close out of your application before you complete it, Mailchimp will hold the SMS phone number that you selected for 30 days.
6. On the Business Info step, enter your information into the fields. Where possible, we pre-fill information from your Mailchimp account. In the Website field, add a direct link to your website and not a redirected URL. To learn more about the disallowed use cases for SMS Marketing programs, check out About SMS Marketing with Mailchimp.
7. Click Next, then enter the rest of your business information into the fields. Use the CP-575 letter for your business to fill in the Legal business name and Tax ID (EIN) fields. This is the letter you receive after you apply for an Employee Identification Number (EIN) with the IRS. A social security number (SSN) can't be used in place of an EIN.
8. When you’re ready, click Next.
9. On the Sender Info step, enter your information into the fields. If you have more than 1 audience, choose the one you want to work with from the Select an audience drop-down. If you have a single audience, your audience will be automatically selected. At this time, Mailchimp’s SMS Marketing allows you to set up your program with a single audience.
10. When you’re ready, click Next.
11. On the Use Cases step, check the box next to the option that best describes how you plan to use SMS. If you check the Donations (501c3 only) box, the Direct donation link field is required, and your SMS Marketing program may be eligible for a 15% discount. To start the discount approval process, contact our Support team.
12. If you want to send abandoned cart text messages to your SMS contacts, click Yes in the Are you interested in sending abandoned cart text messages? section. If you click Yes, we’ll enable double opt-in for the audience you select since this is required to send abandoned cart text messages. If you click No, you’ll need to contact our Support team to set this up later.
13. When you’re ready, click Next.

Nice job! Next, complete the Privacy Policy, Terms & Conditions, and Credit Subscription steps.

Privacy Policy

A privacy policy describes how a business collects, uses, and manages personal information. An online privacy policy that is specific to SMS marketing is required for your application.

There are 2 options to complete the Privacy Policy step. Choose Not yet, I need help creating one if you need to create a new SMS privacy policy with the Mailchimp template. Choose Yes, I have a privacy policy if you already have an SMS privacy policy published online that you want to link to your application.

With the Mailchimp template

Use the Mailchimp template to help you create your SMS privacy policy if you don’t already have one.

To create an SMS privacy policy with the Mailchimp template, follow these steps.

1. On the Privacy Policy step, click Not yet, I need help creating one, then click Next.
2. Review the legal disclaimer, then click I agree.
3. Review the privacy policy, fill in the highlighted information, and make any changes you need. To delete the template content, click Clear template.
4. When you’re ready, click Next.

With a URL

If you already have a privacy policy published online, make sure it mentions SMS, then add the URL to your application. If your privacy policy doesn't mention SMS when you submit your application, it may remain in a pending state.

To add a link to your existing SMS privacy policy, follow these steps.

1. On the Privacy Policy step, click Yes, I have a privacy policy.
2. Enter the URL into the Link to SMS privacy policy field.
3. When you’re ready, click Next.

Terms & Conditions

Terms and conditions describe how your business plans to use SMS. Online terms and conditions that are specific to SMS marketing are required for your application.

There are 2 options to complete the Terms & Conditions step. Choose Not yet, I need help creating them if you need to create new SMS terms and conditions with the Mailchimp template. Choose Yes, I have terms and conditions if you already have SMS terms and conditions published online that you want to link to your application.

With the Mailchimp template

Use the Mailchimp template to help you create your SMS terms and conditions if you don’t already have them.

To create SMS terms and conditions with the Mailchimp template, follow these steps.

1. On the Terms & Conditions step, click Not yet, I need help creating them, then click Next.
2. Review the legal disclaimer, then click I agree.
3. Review the terms and conditions, fill in the highlighted information, and make any changes you need. To delete the template content, click Clear template.
4. When you’re ready, click Next.

With a URL

If you already have terms and conditions published online, make sure they mention SMS, then add the URL to link them to your application. If your terms and conditions don't mention SMS when you submit your application, it may remain in a pending state.

To add a link to your existing SMS terms and conditions, follow these steps.

1. On the Terms & Conditions step, click Yes, I have terms and conditions.
2. Enter the URL into the Link to SMS terms and conditions field. For compliance reasons, you need to add a link to your SMS privacy policy in your SMS terms and conditions. If you use the Mailchimp template to create your SMS privacy policy, we generate this link for you to copy. If you use the Mailchimp template to create your SMS terms and conditions, a link to your privacy policy is automatically added.
3. When you’re ready, click Next.

Credit Subscription

Before you submit your application, set up your monthly SMS credit subscription. You don’t pay for SMS credits until your application is approved.

Here are a few things to keep in mind.

• SMS credits are required to send text messages.
• SMS credit costs are calculated according to your SMS Marketing program’s sending country.
• For US programs, a text message costs an average of 1-3 credits to send.
• Your first SMS credit subscription purchase will be prorated based on the number of days left in your billing cycle.
• The payment method on file for your Mailchimp account is automatically used to purchase your monthly SMS credit subscription.
• Your Mailchimp account’s payment method and currency on the Billing information page is reflected on the Credit Subscription step.
• Your SMS credit subscription renews each month at the same time as your marketing plan.
• You can change your monthly SMS subscription or payment information at any time.

To set up your monthly SMS credit subscription, follow these steps.

1. On the Credit Subscription step, click the How many SMS subscribers do you have? drop-down, then select the range that corresponds with your SMS audience size. After you select a range, a suggested number of SMS credits appears in the We think you’ll need: section.
2. If you don’t yet have an audience of subscribed SMS contacts, select I’m just getting started. To learn more about how Mailchimp suggests an SMS credit subscription for you, check out About SMS Marketing Credits.
3. If you’re satisfied with the suggested amount of SMS credits, click Select and submit to set up your monthly SMS credit subscription and submit your application. The credit option you select will be automatically set up as your monthly SMS credit subscription.
4. If you want to select a different number of SMS credits, click Change amount.
5. In the Change my credit amount pop-up modal, click the Select a monthly credit amount drop-down, then choose the number of SMS credits you plan to use each month.
6. Click Save. The number of SMS credits you select appears in the You chose a custom amount: section.
7. When you’re ready, click Select and submit to set up your monthly SMS credit subscription and submit your application. The credit option you select will be automatically set up as your monthly SMS credit subscription.

Excellent! You’ve submitted your US SMS Marketing application for review.

Application processing time

The average carrier processing time for a US SMS Marketing application is typically 2-5 business days. We’ll send an email to the primary contact of your Mailchimp account after your application has been processed. You can view your application status in the progress bar on the SMS overview page.

Application status

After you submit your application, you’ll see your application status and a progress bar on the SMS overview page. There are 3 application statuses: submitted, processing, and approved. It can take several minutes for an application to move from a submitted status to a processing status. If approved, we’ll send a notification to the primary email address associated with your Mailchimp account. Then, you can send marketing text messages.

After your application is approved, you’ll be charged for your first monthly SMS credit subscription purchase. Your payment method on the Billing information page is used for monthly SMS credit subscription purchases. Manage your SMS credits on the SMS overview page or the SMS settings page. To learn how to purchase a one-time credit refill, check out Create and Send a Marketing SMS.

If there’s an error with your application, you’ll see a notification in your account and receive an email to update or revise the business information you provided. Once you resolve any errors and resubmit, your application will return to a processing status, then undergo another review.

View your US SMS Marketing settings

Your SMS Marketing settings contain the details of your program. You can also manage your SMS credits from the SMS settings page. For compliance reasons, the Sender information and Rate limits sections are informational only and can't be edited. The information on the SMS settings page is specific to your SMS Marketing program’s sending country.

To view your US SMS Marketing settings, follow these steps.

1. Click SMS.
2. Click Settings.
   
3. On the SMS settings page, view the following tabs and sections:

• Program information

  • Sender information
  • Pricing details
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Rate limits

• Sending options

  • SMS quiet hours

• Opt-in Preference

  • Opt-in Preference
  • Collect abandoned cart consent

Next steps

You’ve set up your US SMS Marketing program. Now what? Here are some ways to kick-start your SMS experience.

• About SMS Marketing Credits
  Learn how SMS credits work and how to calculate the right amount for your marketing.

• About SMS Marketing with Mailchimp
  Learn about rate limits, quiet hours, and more.

• Import SMS Contacts to Mailchimp
  If you have contacts who have already opted in to your SMS marketing, import them to your Mailchimp audience with a CSV or TXT file.

• Create and Promote an SMS Signup Form
  Use an SMS signup form to add new subscribed contacts to your audience who want to receive SMS marketing from you.

• Create and Send a Marketing SMS
  Learn how to create and send marketing text messages to your subscribed contacts.

• Create an Abandoned Customer Cart Journey Map
  Learn how to create and send abandoned cart text messages with the Customer Journey builder.

• View and Manage Inbox Messages
  Use Mailchimp Inbox to manage responses from your subscribed SMS contacts and send your own replies.