Messaging / Getting started

Get started with business messaging.

Messaging gives your business a direct way to reach customers where they already are: on their phones. A thoughtful program can welcome new leads, confirm appointments, send timely offers, answer questions, collect feedback, and keep people informed across the customer journey. This guide walks the major steps from strategy and consent through launch and optimization.

Educational, not legal advice. Messaging programs are subject to federal, state, carrier, industry, and platform requirements. Review your program with qualified counsel and your messaging provider before launch.

Start with strategy Free trial

What you'll build

  • A clear messaging strategy tied to business goals.
  • A list of customer journeys where messaging adds value.
  • A compliant opt-in process for marketing messages.
  • Website language for SMS consent, privacy, and terms.
  • A messaging platform or provider selected.
  • A registered or verified sender, where required.
  • Ready-to-use message templates for launch.
  • STOP, HELP, suppression, and preference-management processes.
  • A plan for measuring performance and improving over time.

The three parts

  • 1. Strategy & consent

    Decide what messaging should do for your business, choose a first use case, map the customer journey, separate marketing from transactional, design opt-in, and prepare your website.

  • 2. Platform & flows

    Choose your messaging platform, register or verify your sender, build your first message flows, and set up STOP / HELP / preference handling and business-system integrations.

  • 3. Launch & grow

    Soft-launch with a small audience, measure delivery and conversion, expand into additional customer journeys, plus a message-template library and final launch checklist.