Mass Messaging Campaigns
TimelinesAI allows you to create Mass Messaging campaigns, which will give you an increased reach and communicate with new and existing contacts that you want to reach on WhatsApp. Whether you want to inform all your contacts about a new product and/or service, or share updates in general, Mass Messaging will enable you to accomplish it.
With Mass Messaging Campaigns, you’ll be able to:
Reach large groups of contacts
Create templates for your campaigns
Export contacts from your CRM to reach out to them on WhatsApp at scale
Upload Excel or CSV files of your contacts to easily set up your campaigns
Preview of contacts from your file with clearly indicated invalid phone numbers
Schedule you mass messaging campaign
Launch mass messaging campaigns on WhatsApp simultaneously from multiple numbers
Review the most recent status of your campaigns via CSV reports
You can access the Mass Messaging menu, by logging in to your workspace and clicking on the Mass Messaging section, within the sidebar that’s on the left, as shown in the image below:
To create a campaign, it is imperative to keep in mind the following details:
You can only create a campaign by uploading an Excel(XLSX) or CSV file (Contacts' File)
We suggest sending campaigns that don't exceed 350-400 contacts, per campaign. But this may vary depending on your needs.
The limit of messages you can send will be set custom, depending on your requirements and a mass sending quota
The following are requirements that your Contacts' File must have, so it can be an acceptable file for Mass Messaging Campaigns:
It's imperative to have a column named as "Phone" (it must be in English) - you may add more columns after this one
Phone numbers must be saved in International Format
TimelinesAI allows your team to send multiple Mass Messaging Campaigns simultaneously. Your team members will be able to send simultaneous campaigns using their own WhatsApp accounts without having to wait for other active campaigns to be sent. This will allow you and your team to reach out to your contacts faster, to keep them up to date about your business.
Upload an Excel or CSV file with your contacts' information
Click on the green “Upload Contact file” button
Select the desired file you’d like to use
Confirm the details shown below. You will see a preview of contacts from your file with invalid phone numbers clearly indicated:
1. The steps you’ll follow during the process
2. The remaining messages you have available
3. The variables found within your Contact file; you’ll be able to use them when creating the message for your campaign
4. Preview of contacts from your file with clearly indicated invalid phone numbers. TimelinesAI will automatically format phone numbers during upload (however, phone numbers in local format will not be converted to international format!)
5. Click on this button to proceed to the next step; “Select Template”
Select your Template
TimelinesAI allows you to create a new template for your new campaign or, you may use templates that you have previously made. Keep in mind that you may edit your message during this stage; you may also use the variables that will display on the left side of the message box, as well as attach a file to your message.
To learn more about how to create and save templates, please refer to this article.
This feature will allow you to easily pick the variables you need for your message. These will be taken from your Contact file and will be available for you to just click on any variable, which will automatically copy it to your clipboard and will then allow you to paste it within your message:
Preview
You’ll be able to edit and preview your message here, check if variables were properly added to the desired sections within your message, and, provided that there is more than one WhatsApp account within your workspace, you’ll be able to select the sender as well.
Schedule & Send your Mass Messaging Campaign
At this stage, you can launch a mass messaging campaign immediately or choose a specific day and time to send mass messages. TimelinesAI allows you to schedule a mass messaging campaign for your audience on WhatsApp:
Within this same section, you'll see a message in a yellow box, along with a toggle button above it:
This is a suggestion from us, to reduce the risk of suspension for your WhatsApp account. The toggle button will allow you to "auto-skip" chats that have a higher risk of blocking your WhatsApp account, which will reduce the risk of suspension.
You may opt to send messages to those contacts afterward, in case you want to follow up with them. You'll be able to identify the contacts that were not messages by referring to the Mass Messaging Campaign Report.
Here’s a video to illustrate how you can create your campaign:
Confirmation:
Once you have set up your Mass Messaging campaign, you will be able to proceed by clicking on the green ''Send X Message(s)'' or ''Schedule X Message(s)'' button that’s at the bottom-right corner of this section.
It is important to note that once you send the messages, our system will take a couple of minutes to schedule for sending them. You will see the progress of your mass campaign along with the estimated time remaining - this time window can allow you to cancel the campaign if necessary.
Note that you will receive an email once the message is sent, so it is safe to close this menu.
Timelines will allow you to check the status of a given campaign. There are five statuses that you’ll be able to check in your campaigns:
Scheduled: This will show up after you complete your campaign and send the messages. Keep in mind that this status lasts for ~2 minutes. During this time, you may click on “Cancel”, to stop the campaign from being sent.
Waiting: This status will display for campaigns whose "Scheduled for" status has passed and are waiting for other campaigns to finish.
In progress: It indicates that the campaign is running. It may take a lot of time for a large campaign to complete, because there's a certain delay while sending messages, to prevent WhatsApp from blocking the account. You'll be able to see a progress bar display within this section, as shown below:
Completed: This status will indicate that the campaign has been successfully created and the messages were sent - it’ll display after the “In progress” status is over
Canceled by user: This means that someone from your workspace canceled the campaign while it was on the “Scheduled” status
Draft: This status means that the campaign was left unfinished; it was not sent to anyone. You may edit the campaign and complete it by clicking on the “Edit Campaign” button.
We provide notifications and reports, which will keep you informed about your campaigns and even show you the most recent data on the current status of each of your messages.
You’ll receive an email from us once your campaign is sent. This email will contain a link that will take you to the Mass Messaging section so you can review your recent campaigns. Here you’ll be able to review reports, which you can download as CSV files, by clicking on the “Download CSV” button that will be found under the “Action” column.
Statuses within the CSV report:
You will notice within the CSV report the columns, “Sending status”(E) and “Delivery status”(G); each with their column, “Sending time”(F) and “Delivery time”(H), respectively.
Sending Status: Indicates whether the messages were successfully sent from the system.
Delivery Status: It indicates whether the messages arrived at your contacts. If you notice, for example, that some say “Failed”, then this could be due to the contact not being able to receive your message.
Have in mind that you can always download your CSV reports - these will always display the most recent data of your campaign.
Can I export a Excel list from Pipedrive/HubSpot/other CRM and use it for WhatsApp mass sending via TimelinesAI?
You can do so - you should be able to export them from your CRM(Pipedrive, HubSpot, etc.) onto Timelines.
We strongly recommend double-checking your contacts within your Contact file before exporting them into a Excel or CSV file, to ensure that these have their profile details completed.
Do I have to wait for WhatsApp's pre-approval to send the campaign?
It takes ~2 minutes for the campaign to get started but, the completion time will vary; it'll depend on the number of contacts and may take minutes/hours
Does this require WhatsApp API? Can I use a Regular/Business WhatsApp account to send the campaign?
You may use either Regular or Business accounts to connect a WhatsApp number to TimelinesAI and be able to send a Mass Messaging Campaign.
Does it automatically start a new chat on WhatsApp if it’s the first time messaging this contact?
Yes, it does start a new chat if this is the first time messaging a contact.
What happens if I don’t finish the setup of the campaign? Can I resume my draft later?
Definitely! You’ll be able to continue working on your draft campaign from the Mass Messaging section on the Timelines interface.
Can I try it for free?
Yes, all plans have a default of 20 messages/month quota included, which allows you to try how mass messaging works.
How much does it cost? How do I increase my sending quota?
This will ultimately depend on your plan. You may increase your quota on TimelinesAI, by going to the Subscription Settings. Then, you may click on the "Manage my subscription" button, which will take you to a page where you can edit your plan and increase your Mass Messaging Quota.
Why am I unable to message all of my contacts after sending the campaign?
Most likely this is happening because you have exceeded your monthly Mass Messaging quota.
If you notice that you still have remaining messages but the issue persists, then feel free to contact us at hello@timelines.ai - we'll be more than happy to assist you.
With Mass Messaging Campaigns, you’ll be able to:
Reach large groups of contacts
Create templates for your campaigns
Export contacts from your CRM to reach out to them on WhatsApp at scale
Upload Excel or CSV files of your contacts to easily set up your campaigns
Preview of contacts from your file with clearly indicated invalid phone numbers
Schedule you mass messaging campaign
Launch mass messaging campaigns on WhatsApp simultaneously from multiple numbers
Review the most recent status of your campaigns via CSV reports
You can access the Mass Messaging menu, by logging in to your workspace and clicking on the Mass Messaging section, within the sidebar that’s on the left, as shown in the image below:
To create a campaign, it is imperative to keep in mind the following details:
You can only create a campaign by uploading an Excel(XLSX) or CSV file (Contacts' File)
We suggest sending campaigns that don't exceed 350-400 contacts, per campaign. But this may vary depending on your needs.
The limit of messages you can send will be set custom, depending on your requirements and a mass sending quota
Requirements for your Excel or CSV File (Contacts' File)
The following are requirements that your Contacts' File must have, so it can be an acceptable file for Mass Messaging Campaigns:
It's imperative to have a column named as "Phone" (it must be in English) - you may add more columns after this one
Phone numbers must be saved in International Format
Simultaneous Mass Messaging Campaigns
TimelinesAI allows your team to send multiple Mass Messaging Campaigns simultaneously. Your team members will be able to send simultaneous campaigns using their own WhatsApp accounts without having to wait for other active campaigns to be sent. This will allow you and your team to reach out to your contacts faster, to keep them up to date about your business.
Creating a Mass Messaging Campaign
Upload an Excel or CSV file with your contacts' information
Click on the green “Upload Contact file” button
Select the desired file you’d like to use
Confirm the details shown below. You will see a preview of contacts from your file with invalid phone numbers clearly indicated:
1. The steps you’ll follow during the process
2. The remaining messages you have available
3. The variables found within your Contact file; you’ll be able to use them when creating the message for your campaign
4. Preview of contacts from your file with clearly indicated invalid phone numbers. TimelinesAI will automatically format phone numbers during upload (however, phone numbers in local format will not be converted to international format!)
5. Click on this button to proceed to the next step; “Select Template”
Select your Template
TimelinesAI allows you to create a new template for your new campaign or, you may use templates that you have previously made. Keep in mind that you may edit your message during this stage; you may also use the variables that will display on the left side of the message box, as well as attach a file to your message.
To learn more about how to create and save templates, please refer to this article.
Variables
This feature will allow you to easily pick the variables you need for your message. These will be taken from your Contact file and will be available for you to just click on any variable, which will automatically copy it to your clipboard and will then allow you to paste it within your message:
Preview
You’ll be able to edit and preview your message here, check if variables were properly added to the desired sections within your message, and, provided that there is more than one WhatsApp account within your workspace, you’ll be able to select the sender as well.
Schedule & Send your Mass Messaging Campaign
At this stage, you can launch a mass messaging campaign immediately or choose a specific day and time to send mass messages. TimelinesAI allows you to schedule a mass messaging campaign for your audience on WhatsApp:
WhatsApp Anti-Ban Protection Information
Within this same section, you'll see a message in a yellow box, along with a toggle button above it:
This is a suggestion from us, to reduce the risk of suspension for your WhatsApp account. The toggle button will allow you to "auto-skip" chats that have a higher risk of blocking your WhatsApp account, which will reduce the risk of suspension.
You may opt to send messages to those contacts afterward, in case you want to follow up with them. You'll be able to identify the contacts that were not messages by referring to the Mass Messaging Campaign Report.
Here’s a video to illustrate how you can create your campaign:
Confirmation:
Once you have set up your Mass Messaging campaign, you will be able to proceed by clicking on the green ''Send X Message(s)'' or ''Schedule X Message(s)'' button that’s at the bottom-right corner of this section.
It is important to note that once you send the messages, our system will take a couple of minutes to schedule for sending them. You will see the progress of your mass campaign along with the estimated time remaining - this time window can allow you to cancel the campaign if necessary.
Note that you will receive an email once the message is sent, so it is safe to close this menu.
Campaign Statuses
Timelines will allow you to check the status of a given campaign. There are five statuses that you’ll be able to check in your campaigns:
Scheduled: This will show up after you complete your campaign and send the messages. Keep in mind that this status lasts for ~2 minutes. During this time, you may click on “Cancel”, to stop the campaign from being sent.
Waiting: This status will display for campaigns whose "Scheduled for" status has passed and are waiting for other campaigns to finish.
In progress: It indicates that the campaign is running. It may take a lot of time for a large campaign to complete, because there's a certain delay while sending messages, to prevent WhatsApp from blocking the account. You'll be able to see a progress bar display within this section, as shown below:
Completed: This status will indicate that the campaign has been successfully created and the messages were sent - it’ll display after the “In progress” status is over
Canceled by user: This means that someone from your workspace canceled the campaign while it was on the “Scheduled” status
Draft: This status means that the campaign was left unfinished; it was not sent to anyone. You may edit the campaign and complete it by clicking on the “Edit Campaign” button.
Mass Messaging Reports
We provide notifications and reports, which will keep you informed about your campaigns and even show you the most recent data on the current status of each of your messages.
You’ll receive an email from us once your campaign is sent. This email will contain a link that will take you to the Mass Messaging section so you can review your recent campaigns. Here you’ll be able to review reports, which you can download as CSV files, by clicking on the “Download CSV” button that will be found under the “Action” column.
Statuses within the CSV report:
You will notice within the CSV report the columns, “Sending status”(E) and “Delivery status”(G); each with their column, “Sending time”(F) and “Delivery time”(H), respectively.
Sending Status: Indicates whether the messages were successfully sent from the system.
Delivery Status: It indicates whether the messages arrived at your contacts. If you notice, for example, that some say “Failed”, then this could be due to the contact not being able to receive your message.
Have in mind that you can always download your CSV reports - these will always display the most recent data of your campaign.
FAQs
Can I export a Excel list from Pipedrive/HubSpot/other CRM and use it for WhatsApp mass sending via TimelinesAI?
You can do so - you should be able to export them from your CRM(Pipedrive, HubSpot, etc.) onto Timelines.
We strongly recommend double-checking your contacts within your Contact file before exporting them into a Excel or CSV file, to ensure that these have their profile details completed.
Do I have to wait for WhatsApp's pre-approval to send the campaign?
It takes ~2 minutes for the campaign to get started but, the completion time will vary; it'll depend on the number of contacts and may take minutes/hours
Does this require WhatsApp API? Can I use a Regular/Business WhatsApp account to send the campaign?
You may use either Regular or Business accounts to connect a WhatsApp number to TimelinesAI and be able to send a Mass Messaging Campaign.
Does it automatically start a new chat on WhatsApp if it’s the first time messaging this contact?
Yes, it does start a new chat if this is the first time messaging a contact.
What happens if I don’t finish the setup of the campaign? Can I resume my draft later?
Definitely! You’ll be able to continue working on your draft campaign from the Mass Messaging section on the Timelines interface.
Can I try it for free?
Yes, all plans have a default of 20 messages/month quota included, which allows you to try how mass messaging works.
How much does it cost? How do I increase my sending quota?
This will ultimately depend on your plan. You may increase your quota on TimelinesAI, by going to the Subscription Settings. Then, you may click on the "Manage my subscription" button, which will take you to a page where you can edit your plan and increase your Mass Messaging Quota.
Why am I unable to message all of my contacts after sending the campaign?
Most likely this is happening because you have exceeded your monthly Mass Messaging quota.
If you notice that you still have remaining messages but the issue persists, then feel free to contact us at hello@timelines.ai - we'll be more than happy to assist you.
Updated on: 18/09/2023
Thank you!