Once your default content is written, it is time to customize the message for each channel you want to send through. This article walks through every delivery method available: email, mobile app, SMS, voice, Facebook, X (Twitter), and RSS feeds.
⚠️ Critical: Prohibited link shorteners
We do not support links shortened with free, public URL shorteners such as Bitly, goo.gl, and others.
To reduce spam, telecom carriers now enforce the prohibited use of public URL shorteners in mass SMS messages. This is an industry-wide standard. Using these links will likely result in your message being blocked and not delivered. Please use full URLs or a branded shortener unique to your organization.
Before you start
This article is Part 2 of our Create and send messages series. Looking for another stage? Check out the full set:
- Create and send messages: Overview
- Part 1: Getting started
- Part 2: Choose your delivery methods (this article)
- Part 3: Delivery options and sending
Send message to email
To send your message to email, click the Email icon where you can then customize your message for email.
- Expand editor: Click << More to expand down the editing toolbar for the email text.
- Full screen: Click the four arrows to expand your editing window into full screen.
- Add text: Update the text using the formatting options in the editing toolbar.
- Sync with content: Clicking this reverts the text to the original default content template. Note: This will erase any manual edits made in the email tab. Click the Undo arrow to restore your changes if clicked by accident.
Adding images and accessibility
Add images: Click the Image icon to add any images.
- Lead the cursor to the place where you'd like to add an image.
- Upload an image directly.
-
Add name, alt-text, adjust width, height, or Discard if you change your mind.
Important Note
Alternative text (alt-text) is required to meet accessibility compliance standards. Learn more in the article, "Best Practice: Writing alt-text for images." Image cannot be uploaded without alt-text. Once alt-text is added, the Insert button appears.
- Resize your image manually.
- Preview (the eyeball) to see how the message will display to recipients.
Full editing toolbar reference
Other options: Click << More to see the full editing toolbar expanded out.
Expand the toolbar to access these tools (from top left to bottom right):
- Undo and redo arrows
- Spellcheck and Merge tags ({})
- Insert email template or horizontal line
- Insert Image
- Insert/edit a link or Source code (<>)
- Expand to full width of screen
- Preview as your recipients will see your email (eyeball)
- Less >>: Condense and hide your editing toolbar
-
Smore:
- Select a Smore newsletter that has been created in Smore to be inserted.
- Create a new Smore newsletter template to use for your email message.
- View the Newsletter preview to decide which is best.
- Click Use when you're ready to finalize your choice.
- Font styling: Bold / Italic / Underline, Font family, Size, Text color, and Background color
- Align left, center, right
- Insert bullets or numbered list
- Enabled: Change your mind? Toggle off Enabled so that this message will no longer be sent via the Email channel.
- Sync with Content: Want to revert back to the Content in the first window? This will wipe out your changes. Did you click this by accident? No worries! Click the Undo arrow to show your changes again!
Attach file to email
Click the Attach file button so that you can attach files to an email message.
To learn about the types of files you can attach, check out the article, "Allowed file attachment formats in Messages XR Enterprise."
Send message to mobile app
For districts and schools with a mobile app, add content that can be sent via mobile app notification to your mobile app users. Click the Mobile app icon to customize your send.
- Update the text.
- Add any images.
- Recipients only: Check this box if you want the notification to appear only to known recipients (logged-in users) and not to the general public of your mobile app.
Send SMS / Text message
🚨 Carrier Link Enforcement
Carriers now automatically filter and block text messages containing public Bitly links. Always use the full destination URL or a branded organization link to ensure your community receives the message.
Clicking the Text message icon will allow you to customize your content to be sent as a Text message.
-
Enter text: Shorten or adjust the length of your message to fit into the displayed character limit.
Important Note
With Finalsite, outreach and emergency SMS communications for schools is always free and never monetized.
- Standard SMS limit: 140 characters
-
SMS-Plus limit: 280 characters
Upgrade to SMS-Plus
Want to upgrade to a higher text character limit? Contact your Client Success Manager or email clientsuccess@finalsite.com to learn more!
- Insert link: Use this tool to add an original link that will be safely shortened for the message.
- Enabled: Change your mind? Toggle off enabled so that this message will no longer be sent via SMS/Text message.
Send voice message
Click the Voice icon to send a message out to your community.
Best practice for voice message lengths
Voice messages must be at least 20 seconds to yield best results on answering machines and voicemail systems. Keep under 60 seconds to ensure recipients don't lose interest or hang up early.
Here you can update the text and select how you would like to make the Voice recording with the following options:
| Recording method | Steps to complete |
|---|---|
| Text to speech |
The entered text will be read by a system voice that you
can preview.
|
| Call me to record |
You will receive a call where you can record your outgoing
voice message.
|
| Call in to record |
Follow the visual instructions that populate onto the screen
once you select this option.
|
| Upload audio file |
Provide a pre-recorded audio file to be used for the outgoing
message.
|
| Use microphone |
Record your message in real-time using your computer's microphone.
|
- Enabled: Change your mind? Toggle off enabled so that this message will no longer be sent via Voice message.
Send to Facebook and X (Twitter)
Social media posts extend your reach to the broader community. These accounts must be configured in Settings > Social Media before they appear as options.
Important Note
Messages can only be sent to social media accounts that have already been connected in Settings > Social Media. Check out the article, "Add social media accounts to MXRE" to get help adding and configuring your settings.
Send to Facebook
Click the Facebook icon to select this channel.
- Edit the content in the text box to be less than 160 characters.
-
Attach files: The Attach files button allows you to upload a maximum of one (1) file.
- Allowed file types are: jpeg, png, gif, or a video type.
- PDF files are not supported.
- Enabled: Change your mind? Toggle off enabled so that this message will no longer be sent to your Facebook account(s).
Send to X / Twitter
Here you can send a message directly out to your connected X (formerly Twitter) accounts.
- Edit the content in the text box to be less than 140 characters.
-
Attach files: Click the Attach files button to add files with your message.
- The Attach files button allows you to upload a maximum of four (4) files.
- PDF files are not supported.
- The file size limit is 20MB.
- Enabled: Change your mind? Toggle off enabled so that this message will no longer be sent to your X/Twitter account(s).
⚠️ Mandatory Reauthentication
Facebook and X require reauthentication every two months. If you do not see these icons, ensure your accounts have been re-synced in your Social Media settings.
Send to Feeds
For districts and schools that send messages to a third party website, the content will be added here for RSS feeds so that, upon sending the message, this content will be sent to the third party website.
Important Note
Messages can only be sent to Feed accounts that have already been connected in Settings > Social Media. Check out the article, "Add social media accounts to MXRE" to get help adding and configuring your settings.
Up next
Continue to Part 3: Delivery options and sending.