First, decide what you want to achieve with your SMS contest. For example, do you want to increase brand awareness, boost sales, or grow your subscriber list? An SMS contest can help accomplish all three.
SMS Contest Platform
Launch Text-to-Win Campaigns That Drive Results
Create a buzz and give your audience a reason to keep coming back. With text-to-win campaigns, contacts can enter your promotions by sending a keyword to your number, making SMS contest participation fast and frictionless. By eliminating clunky forms and paper-based entries, our platform makes it easy to create, launch, and manage text-to-win campaigns that drive long-term connections.
Run Engaging SMS Contests in Minutes
Launching a text-to-win SMS contest doesn’t have to be complicated. With our user-friendly platform, you can quickly create and deploy a fully branded campaign in just a few clicks — no advanced technical expertise required. TrueDialog gives you the power to automate entry tracking, monitor campaign performance, and ensure every promotion complies with industry regulations.
Why SMS Contests Work
Everyone loves winning, and few people will pass up a chance to snag something from an organization they already know — especially when all it takes is a quick text. Launching your own SMS sweepstakes is one of the best ways to capitalize on your audience’s desire to win, while laying the foundation for genuine, lasting relationships. Text-to-win contests are simple, fun, and help keep your brand top of mind.
Powerful Text-to-Win Features Built In
TrueDialog equips you with all the tools you need to make every text-to-win campaign a success, including:
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Mass texting
Instantly reach hundreds or thousands of contacts at once with reliable, high-volume two-way SMS messaging. Set up campaigns in minutes, clone campaigns for future contests, craft automated responses, and schedule your sends.
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Contact management
Organize and segment your audience, and sync lists across platforms for more streamlined outreach and better engagement. Store custom attributes for each contact to power more personalized campaigns.
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Real-time tracking
Get valuable insight into delivery, click-through rates, and engagement. Monitor all campaign metrics with advanced SMS analytics and reporting, record opt-outs to ensure compliance, and generate custom reports with ease.
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Automated workflows
TrueDialog integrates natively with leading CRMs and marketing automation platforms, so you can work more efficiently and streamline the campaign experience for everyone involved. Log contact activities across solutions.
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Short code registry
As a Premier Partner of the U.S. Short Code Registry, TrueDialog offers access to the most reliable SMS short code service — including hassle-free registration for random and branded codes, and top-tier deliverability.
How to Set Up Text to Win Contests
Enjoy the engagement without the headaches. TrueDialog makes running text-to-win campaigns easier than ever.
Whether it’s a limited edition jersey, a high-value gift card, a free service, or a VIP experience, select a prize that’s relevant to your brand, most likely to ignite interest, and maybe inspire a little FOMO.
Choose a short and memorable word that contacts can easily type to enter your contest. You might pick something generic, like “PRIZE” or “WIN,” or use something more specific to your promotion, like “BIG GAME” or “VIP CLUB.”
Craft a compelling call-to-action, like “Text PRIZE to 12345 for a chance to win two VIP tickets to tomorrow’s game!” Then, share your contest via social media and email, on your website, and at events to encourage entries — and post reminders to drive additional interest as the deadline nears.
Select a winner at random and notify them via text. Once they’ve given confirmation, announce it across channels. Consider sending a consolation prize to non-winners, like a discount code, or encourage them to keep an eye out for the next sweepstakes.
Stay Compliant with SMS Sweepstakes Rules
Text message sweepstakes are an excellent way to engage contacts and rapidly grow your lists. However, to help reduce spam, carriers and regulators have laid a few ground rules. Failing to comply with their requirements could lead to hefty fines and legal consequences, so it’s vital that you follow all guidelines.
Here are a few best practices to keep in mind:
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Register your short code
In the U.S. and Canada, carriers have limited sweepstakes to short codes. Be sure to register your short code with the Short Code Registry. (TrueDialog makes this a cinch!)
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Obtain approval from carriers for your contest
Always make sure you get approval from carriers for your campaign. Sweepstakes and contests require an extensive vetting process (as well as an age gate and additional disclaimers on the opt-in form). If you send contest messages without following this process or receiving approval, carriers may prevent your messages from reaching your recipients.
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Get explicit consent from participants
As with any SMS campaign, always ensure that contacts have opted in to receiving texts from your brand and you’ve clearly explained how to opt out. (Also, keep in mind that brands cannot require SMS opt-ins as part of a contest — nor can you automatically opt-in contest participants.)
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Be transparent about terms and conditions
Provide a thorough explanation of contest eligibility, rules, and drawing details. Be as detailed as possible so participants know what to expect.
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Use a platform with built-in compliance
Partner with a mass texting service like TrueDialog that offers advanced compliance features and follows enterprise-grade security protocols.
Trusted by Leading Brands
From Coca-Cola and the Kansas City Chiefs to Tulane University, Hanover Bank, and Vivint, our award-winning SMS platform has helped thousands of leading brands launch successful campaigns, grow their audiences, and build loyal followings.
Designed for the unique needs of fast-growing enterprise organizations, our solution scales with your business — ensuring you can rapidly reach your audience and deliver memorable, meaningful experiences with every message.
Launch Your SMS Contest with TrueDialog
With advanced features, an intuitive design, and sky-high deliverability, TrueDialog helps marketers exceed their goals and build their audiences fast. Rated as a leading solution in SMS marketing promotions, our technology is the secret weapon you need to leapfrog the competition, drive sustainable engagement, and connect directly with every contact on your list.
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