The first step to sending broadcast texts is to designate who you're sending your texts to - that means you have to upload a contact list.
Here's how to upload your first contact list into Impactive:
Prepare your list. You might be exporting your list from a database (like NGP VAN), pulling it together from multiple data sources, or creating it from scratch. Either way, you want to create a CSV file with all of your contacts. Within that CSV, make sure that at minimum, you have one column titled "phone" for the contact's phone number. Any other details, like first and last name, state, VAN ID, or other details are optional.
Download your list as a CSV file.
In Impactive, go to Contacts > Lists > Import List.
Name your list.
Drag and drop your CSV file into the upload box.
Select List Type: Broadcast List.
Confirm that the contacts you're uploading have explicitly opted-in to receive communications from your organization.*
Click Start Import.
Wait for your list to process.
When your list is marked Ready, your contacts have been uploaded and you're set to send them a broadcast text.
Next, move on to Lesson 2: Drafting a Broadcast Text.
*Broadcast texts can only be sent to opted-in contacts. If your contacts have not explicitly opted-in, you can use Peer-to-Peer Texting to reach them instead.
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Key Terms:
Contact: A person you upload into Impactive in order to reach out to them via text or call. Contacts are often voters from your universe, subscribers on your mailing list, etc.
List: A list of your contacts. You can have as many lists as you'd like; lists are a good way to segment your contacts in the ways that matter to you, such as voters from specific states, types of stakeholders, etc.