Overall, the key to creating a great mass message is to keep these main 2 principles in mind:
Make it personal
Keep it concise
If you do this then your candidates will appreciate your message and your Mass Message will receive a high response rate.
Avoiding Spam Filters
Right now, SMS texting is still a relatively new communication channel for the recruitment industry and we are getting amazing read & response rates from candidates - however, we need to be careful not to abuse SMS texting and turn it into spam and ruin it for everyone.
In October 2016 the CTIA and cell phone carriers started cracking down on what they refer to as 'spam texting'. If they detect your mass message as possible spam they can place a temporary block on your number. That block can last from 5 mins to an hour depending on the severity of it.
The good news is that we have built-in controls to protect you and to reduce the chance of your mass messages being flagged for potential text spamming by avoiding the following:
Carrier's spam filters look for large sizes of SMS blasts to block so we've limited the maximum amount of candidates in a mass message to 50 (which is still a large number but low enough to fly under the radar).
We recommend waiting 10 minutes between sending more mass messages
Other tips we have for you to create a great mass text message are:
Firstly - make sure your Candidate is happy to communicate with you via text before you start texting with them - this can be via opting in through a job application, asking them directly, or through an existing relationship with them.
Save time with the template feature (if you're an Unlimited plan user)
Greet & introduce Yourself - make sure your Candidate knows who you are and where you work etc.
Mass messages work great with self-scheduling calendar tools like Calendly, x.ai or Microsoft Bookings.
Personalise the message using our built-in hot keys for First Name, Last Name, and Company.
Be polite, professional, and genuine in your message content (but don't forget to show your personality!).
Use the built-in spellcheck and read the message out loud before sending to catch any grammar issues.
Include a Call-to-Action (CTA) so that the Candidate knows what the next steps are. Ideally, you'll keep the CTA to come via text ;)
Be mindful of the time of the day that you text a candidate. A general rule of thumb is that during normal work hours is ideal (9 -5) but if the candidate isn't able to text during those hours then no earlier than 8am and no later than 8pm.
For advice on what NOT to do then check this article here.