This article gives an overview of the two different ways to send messages to your supporters using your Alpine database.
How can I send text messages from my Alpine database?
A separate Twilio subscription is required if you would like to text your supporters from your Alpine database. Click on the following Twilio Link to be directed to their website to sign up.
There are two different ways to use Twilio to send messages to supporters using your Alpine database
- One-to-many text messaging
- Two-way text messaging
This article will highlight both types of communication and their common use cases.
One-to-many text messaging
One-to-many text messaging refers to sending a single text message to multiple recipients simultaneously. This is also known as "group messaging" or "broadcast messaging."
In one-to-many text messaging, a single message is created and sent to a group of people, who receive the message on their individual mobile devices.
This type of messaging is commonly used for sending announcements, reminders, text-to-give messages, marketing messages, or any message that needs to be communicated to a large group of people at once.
The Twilio one-to-many messaging feature is accessible through the Constituent reporting interface in your Alpine database. Currently, one-to-many messages are limited to 160 characters.
One-to-many text messaging can be done through various messaging types, including Short Message Service (SMS) and Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS).
Two-way text messaging
Two-way text messaging refers to an exchange of text messages between two parties, where both parties can send and receive messages in real-time. It is also known as "two-way SMS" or "interactive messaging."
In two-way text messaging, the sender and the receiver can engage in a conversation through a series of text messages. This means that the recipient can reply to the sender's message, and the sender can respond to the recipient's reply, creating a back-and-forth exchange of messages.
Two-way text messaging is commonly used for programmatic support as it allows organizations to communicate with volunteers and staff in real-time and resolve their issues quickly.
The Twilio two-way texting feature is accessible directly from a Constituent profile in your Alpine database.
There is no character limit on sending outgoing two-way messages. The only requirement in order to send a message, the recipient must have a valid phone number listed on their Constituent profile. A Constituent’s phone number can be found in their Base fields in the top left corner of the screen. Without a valid phone number, you will not be able to send outgoing text messages.
Two-way text messaging can be done through various messaging types, including SMS and MMS.