The Six-Step Rollout Our Most Successful Clients Follow
When a new client asks us what they should do first, they usually expect us to say "write a great promo." That's not where the results come from.
We've watched a lot of businesses start with Textmunication. The ones who see results in the first month tend to set things up in the same order. The ones who stall usually skipped straight to step four. So here's the order, and why each step comes before the next.
1. Bring in the contacts you already have
You are not starting from zero. You have customers on paper sign-up sheets, in an old email tool, in a spreadsheet someone made two years ago.
Upload that list first, but only the people who agreed to receive texts from you. A list of people who never opted in is a liability, not an asset (more on consent in step three). Then let keywords and web forms keep adding to it from here on.
2. Connect your POS or CRM
This is the step that changes everything, and it's why we put it second.
Most of our clients (about 95%) don't import anything after day one. They connect the system they already run, whether that's Toast, Clover, Square, Shift4, Shopify, HubSpot or Salesforce, and SAM pulls their customer data in every day, automatically. New customers appear without anyone exporting a file. Purchase history and last-visit dates come with them, which is what makes steps five and six work.
Setup is usually a few minutes: open Integrations in SAM, pick your system, authorize it with your account there, choose what syncs, and test with one real transaction. We connect with 40+ systems; if yours isn't on our integrations page, ask us. We build new connections when clients need them.
→ Watch: Rollout for Success, SAM in 6 steps (70 seconds)
3. Turn on your opt-in tools
Carriers and the law (the TCPA) both expect written consent before you send marketing texts. The good news is that collecting it is easy if you give people more than one way in:
- A keyword at the register or on a sign: "Text JOIN to..."
- A QR code on table tents, receipts, the front door or a poster. It opens a short form.
- A web form on your website or booking page with a clear consent checkbox.
Every opt-in message should say who you are, roughly how often you'll text, that message and data rates may apply, and how to stop ("Reply STOP to unsubscribe"). SAM handles STOP requests automatically.
4. Send your first group campaign
Now you're ready to send. Keep the first one simple: one short message, your business name, one clear thing to do. "Taking holiday orders this week. Reply YES and we'll send the menu" beats a paragraph about your story.
Texts get read. Around 98% of them are opened, most within minutes, so you'll see replies quickly. Make sure someone is watching the inbox the first afternoon.
5. Segment your lists
After the first send, stop texting everyone the same thing. Your connected POS or CRM already tells you who your regulars are, who spends the most, and who hasn't been back in 60 days. Groups like "VIP," "new this month" and "haven't seen in a while" each deserve a different message.
Segmenting also keeps opt-outs down. People unsubscribe when messages feel like they weren't meant for them.
6. Turn on automations
This is where text marketing starts working while you're doing other things. A few that pay for themselves:
- Welcome series: a thank-you and a small first offer right after someone joins.
- Birthday or anniversary: one friendly text a year that people actually remember.
- Win-back: an automatic note to customers who haven't been in for 30, 60 or 90 days.
- Review requests: a short ask after a visit.
Because your POS or CRM keeps the data current, these run every day without anyone maintaining a list.
Why the order matters
Skip step two and you're stuck uploading spreadsheets forever. Skip step three and your list stops growing, or worse, you text people who never said yes. Skip five and six and you're back to blasting everyone with the same promo and wondering why replies drop.
Follow the six steps in order and you get the most out of SAM from the first week.
Want help with any of them? Book a free training session at textmunication.com/resources/training, call 1-800-677-7003, or start a free trial.