To create an SMS automation, go to Campaigns then Automations in the left sidebar of your Hive account and click + New Automation.
You can either build an automation from scratch or choose one of Hive’s pre-built SMS automations.
Note: SMS can only be sent to contacts who have opted in. This is an account-wide rule, ensuring you never accidentally send messages to contacts who haven’t given permission/ consent.
How to build an SMS automation from scratch
Enter a title for your automation. This will only be visible internally and in your reporting exports, then click continue.
Select the entry trigger. This is the action that will put a customer into your automation (for example, signing up for your mailing list, abandoning a cart, etc).
3. Add any global rules to define who enters or continues in the automation.
Note: Even if you don’t want to add any extra rules, you’ll still need to click into the global rules box and continue. You’ll know it’s set when the global rules icon shows a green checkmark.
4. Click the + and select time delay to control how long to wait between the trigger and the next action. Try to strike a balance—avoid sending messages so quickly that they feel intrusive, but don’t wait so long that your content is no longer relevant or top of mind for the contact.
5. Click the + and select SMS action.
6. Configure your SMS details and draft your message:
Name: The SMS name is internal only, but make it easy to recognize as it will appear in filters and reports.
Brand Name: The brand name will auto-fill with your company name and appear at the start of your message for recognition.
Message Body & Image/ Event: The message body is where you write your SMS. Adding an image or event will convert it to an MMS (MMS allows more characters but costs more). For pricing details, see our article on SMS/MMS costs.
Watch the character counter in the bottom left of the message box. An SMS allows 160 characters; if you go over, it will be billed as multiple messages.
Opt-out message: By default, “Text STOP to opt out” is included at the bottom. We recommend leaving this so contacts can easily unsubscribe if they choose.
When you’re done, click save SMS.
Add any additional time delays, emails, SMS messages, or splits you’d like. Automation splits are useful if some contacts are not opted into SMS. For example, you can send SMS to opted-in contacts and email to those who are only opted into email.
8. Once you’re happy with your automation, click save automation in the top right corner, then switch it live.
Example
A welcome SMS automation with two time delays and two SMS messages.