FAQ
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General FAQ
Community powers direct one-to-one conversations between Leaders (brands, artists, creators, public figures) and their Members (customers, fans, supporters) through text messaging. Founded in 2019 by Guy Oseary, Ashton Kutcher, Josh Rosenheck, and Matthew Peltier, Community is led by Chief Executive Officer Jeremy Schultz, who joined in November 2024. It is breaking new ground in trusted marketing and communications channels by connecting thought leaders, global pop culture stars, sports teams, creators, enterprises, and small business owners to their audiences, driving real conversations that convert into action, loyalty, revenue, and more.
Community is the leading two-way messaging platform enabling instant conversations with the people you want to reach, directly on their phones. Promote your unique number on your social platforms, email, or any way you currently connect with your audience. Then use our powerful platform to reach your Community, via 1:1 conversations or large-scale campaigns. You'll get results instantly, with open rates as high as 98% and 45% engagement by building an authentic, personal connection with every customer.
If you are a large enterprise, public figure, or small business owner, you can learn more about Community and schedule a demo here.
Every Community Leader gets a dedicated 10-digit phone number to share wherever they connect with their audience: social media, email, live events, or printed materials.
When members text the number to join a community for the first time, they’re guided through a quick opt-in flow that captures key details like name, birthday, and interests for a fully compliant and data-rich experience.
From there, Leaders can message their Members directly, based on their preferences, creating conversations that feel relevant, as personal, and as easy as texting a friend. Instant personalized messaging at scale.
Leaders can access the platform from anywhere, whether they’re in the US or outside the country by logging in online or via mobile app.
Members can join from the US and Canada using SMS or MMS, or from nearly anywhere in the world through WhatsApp.
Anything you can send over text, you can send through Community. You can send text messages, emojis, voice messages, photos, videos, GIFs, and links.
Respecting the privacy of both our Leaders and Members is central to our values. We do not sell personal information. To find out more, please read our Privacy Policy.
Whether you are part of a large enterprise, a public figure, or a small business owner, you we will be happy to have you join Community. Schedule a demo to learn more.
No bots here. While you may see some automated messages during signup, behind every Community number is a real Leader (the artist, brand, or organization you signed up for) who wants to connect with you, send and respond to messages.
The data you provide when you sign up for a Leader’s Community is used by the Leader to send you personalized messages. For example, your date of birth enables a Leader to wish you a happy birthday. Please see our Privacy Policy for more information.
If you want to stop receiving messages from a particular Community Leader, text “STOP” (case insensitive) to their Community Number.
If you change your mind, you can later text “START” (case insensitive) to their Community Number to start receiving their messages again.
If you want to stop receiving messages from all Community Leaders you have signed up for, email privacy@community.com.
To manage your preferences; text “HELP” to any Community number that you are subscribed to. You will receive an auto-reply with an option to Manage Preferences. Click the link and enter your date of birth to access your member portal. From there you will be able to edit your contact details, manage your current subscriptions, and delete your account.
If you think a Community Leader is sending messages in violation of our Acceptable Use Policy, please email us at platform-integrity@community.com.
To delete your information, text the word HELP to any Community number that you are subscribed to. You will receive an auto-reply with an option to Manage Preferences. Click the link to access your member portal. From there, scroll to the bottom of the page and click the Delete My Account button. If you are unable to access the member portal and want to delete your information, please email privacy@community.com.
SMS Marketing Frequently Asked Questions
SMS marketing, or text marketing, uses text messaging to communicate with customers, fans or audiences for promotional, transactional, and engagement purposes. It’s a powerful channel that offers direct, real-time communication with high open and response rates. Check out our blog post on the top 5 reasons to use SMS marketing.
An SMS marketing platform, or text messaging platform, helps businesses send, manage, and track text message campaigns easily. The top platforms provide tools for list management, automation, personalization, segmentation, compliance, and reporting. Here are the 9 functionalities to look for in your SMS platform Here are the 9 functionalities to look for in your SMS platform..
SMS marketing works by collecting phone numbers (with consent) to build a list, often through opt-in forms, pop-ups, or QR codes. These contacts form your community. You then create text message campaigns and send those messages via an SMS messaging platform.
Because users voluntarily share their information and preferences when opting in, SMS marketing allows you to gather zero-party data, insights your audience shares directly, like interests, intent, and engagement preferences. This data powers more personalized, effective messaging.
Recipients receive messages directly on their mobile phones, often within seconds, making it a real-time communication channel. Learn more about zero-party data here. Learn more about zero-party data here.
Yes, SMS marketing is one of the most effective digital marketing channels. Text messages have a 98% open rate and generate more responses than email or social media. This makes SMS a powerful channel for boosting engagement, conversions, and loyalty. Check out these incredible SMS campaign results from Community customers.
To get started, choose a reliable SMS platform and build a subscriber list with proper consent. Use tools like website pop-ups, checkout opt-ins, social media promos, and QR codes to collect phone numbers and encourage sign-ups with special offers or exclusive content.
For your first messages, start with an automated welcome flow that greets new members and sorts them based on their interests or how they opted in. This sets the tone and helps you send personalized messages from day one.
Start small and run A/B tests to learn your audience’s preferences. Send questions, prompts or polls to gather data on your audience and segment them into similar groups based on that data.
Integrate SMS into your broader marketing strategy by aligning it with your email, social media, and customer journey touchpoints. For example, you can follow up a promotional email with a time-sensitive SMS reminder, share campaign content via both text and social media, or trigger SMS updates based on actions users take on your website.
With Community, you can sync SMS with tools like Shopify, Salesforce, and Zapier so messages are triggered by cart abandonment, CRM activity, or custom workflows, helping you create a seamless customer experience.
A strong SMS marketing strategy includes clear goals, audience segmentation, and personalization. When setting your strategy, you’ll also want to determine the right frequency and delivery times for your audience. Be sure to map your SMS campaigns to key stages of your customer journey, like onboarding, promotions, or re-engagement. Set KPIs and regularly review your results to refine targeting, improve message relevance, and increase conversions.
Grow your SMS list through opt-in forms or pop-ups on your website, tap-to-text links, social media promotions, email signatures, in-store signage, QR codes, and lead magnets. Always follow compliance rules to ensure legal and trustworthy practices.
The benefits include high open rates, immediate delivery, increased engagement, improved customer loyalty, and enhanced personalization. SMS marketing is cost-effective and works well for both mass texting and conversational campaigns.
It’s also a powerful tool for personalization, allowing brands to tailor messages based on customer interests, behaviors, and preferences. According to Gartner, more than half of sales leaders say customer retention and account growth are top priorities in 2025. SMS marketing offers one of the most direct and authentic ways to communicate with customers and build mutually valuable relationships in real time.
It depends on your goal for each message. SMS is versatile, so match your message type to what you’re trying to achieve:
- Want to build personalized engagement? Send welcome messages, birthday texts, polls, questions, or behind-the-scenes content to spark conversation and uncover insights about your audience.
- Looking to drive traffic or conversions? Use promotional offers, product drops, or early access campaigns to generate urgency and get clicks.
- Need to share important updates? SMS is perfect for order confirmations, event reminders, or customer service updates that need to reach people fast.
- Looking to reward loyal customers? Try exclusive content, VIP invites, or loyalty perks to keep your most engaged subscribers coming back.
Optimal frequency varies, but 2–4 messages per month is a good starting point. Monitor engagement and opt-out rates to adjust your sending frequency and avoid overwhelming subscribers.
Late mornings and early afternoons on weekdays often perform best. However, the ideal time depends on your audience and industry. A/B testing different times can reveal the most effective delivery window. Additionally, the platform provides insights on best days/times to send your message. Check it out and see when your campaigns are most effective.
The top best practices to keep in mind are:
- Use clear opt-in language
- Segment your audience
- Personalize messages
- Be concise
- Provide value
- Include CTAs
- Respect timing
- Ensure compliance
Avoid over-messaging by pacing your sends and focusing on delivering real value. Use segmentation to tailor content to different groups, and always make it easy for users to opt out if they choose.
Read our blog on the 4 do's and dont's of SMS marketing.
Track metrics such as delivery rate, open rate, click-through rate, opt-out rate, and conversions. Use A/B testing and segment-specific insights to optimize future campaigns. If you're using Community, you can understand key metrics and KPIs right from your dashboard.
And if you’re integrated with Shopify, you can track exactly how much revenue your texts generate right inside the platform. You can also enable UTM parameters to analyze performance in Google Analytics or other tools.
Traditional bulk SMS focuses on impersonal, one-way mass messages. Conversational SMS allows two-way communication. This means you can interact in real-time, collect feedback, and personalize engagement. This helps build stronger relationships and long-term loyalty with your audiences.
Conversational SMS builds authentic relationships by creating meaningful interactions at scale. It helps brands appear more human, responsive, and trustworthy, improving engagement, retention, and brand loyalty. You’ll also gain access to valuable zero-party data, insights that customers share directly with you, enabling smarter targeting and better results across all your marketing efforts.
You can track opt-ins, click-throughs, response rates, conversions, opt-outs, and behavioral data. Based on audience engagement, you can also get zero-party data right from your audience on their interests, preferences, and more. As we explain in this blog post, this kind of direct feedback enables brands to personalize content in more meaningful ways, improving performance across every marketing channel.
SMS marketing must follow regulations such as TCPA (U.S.) and GDPR (EU). This includes obtaining clear opt-in consent, providing opt-out options, and securely managing personal data. Learn more about how Community makes compliance easy
There are many types of SMS campaigns you can run. Examples include flash sale alerts with exclusive discounts, personalized birthday messages, abandoned cart reminders, event RSVPs, and creator-fan engagement campaigns.
- The Minnesota Vikings achieved 170% growth and 34K new subscribers. Read the case study Read the case study.
- Skybound Entertainment acquired 35K new fans, drove 4x the average response rate, and a 54% CTR. Read the case study.
- Battle Approved Motors achieved a 30% conversion rate and a 5x increase in engagement. Read the case study.
The best SMS marketing platforms offer automation features and integrations with popular CRMs. This allows you to send targeted, timely, and personalized campaigns at scale.
If you're looking for fresh ways to connect with your audience beyond traditional email and social media, consider exploring alternative marketing strategies that are driving results in 2025. These include SMS marketing, guerrilla marketing, testimonial marketing, influencer collaborations, and seasonal campaigns.
Each offers a unique way to create more authentic, engaging touchpoints with your audience—and when paired with a conversational platform like Community, they become even more powerful.
Learn more about these 5 alternative marketing strategies.
Yes, you can run SMS campaigns on WhatsApp. Community integrates seamlessly with WhatsApp, making it easy to launch international campaigns. Not all SMS platforms offer WhatsApp integrations, so it’s important to consider this when choosing a platform.
Each SMS platform will have unique integration instructions. See how Community integrates with existing Shopify stores in just 3 easy steps.
Once you’ve integrated with Shopify, you can have shoppers receive an invitation to join your Community directly from the checkout page making audience growth easy! You’ll also be able to see total revenue earned from your SMS campaigns for better tracking.
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