Thinking about SMS? Start with permission.
Text messages are direct and personal, which is exactly why the rules around them are strict. Here is what SMS marketing is good for, what consent it needs, and where a guest WiFi email list fits.
Starter is free forever for one location. No credit card.
VoqadoWiFi does not send text messages. It builds a permission based email list from your guest WiFi and exports your guests as a CSV on every plan. Email campaigns on the Growth plan are rolling out, and guest email switches on venue by venue as it goes live.
If you also run SMS, keep using the SMS provider you trust. We will explain how the two work together.
Short, urgent, and asked for.
SMS is the most personal channel a venue can use. A text lands on the lock screen next to messages from friends, which makes it ideal for short and time sensitive notes: a table is ready, tonight's event moved indoors, a reservation needs confirming.
That closeness cuts both ways. A marketing text nobody asked for feels like an intrusion, and in many countries it is against the law. The venues that do SMS well send rarely, keep it useful and only text people who clearly said yes to texts.
The consent rules, in plain terms
- In the United States, marketing texts sent with automated systems need prior express written consent that specifically covers text messages. The rule comes from the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, 47 U.S.C. 227, and the FCC regulation at 47 CFR 64.1200; carrier rules add their own requirements on top.
- The signup should say who is texting, roughly how often, that message and data rates may apply, and how to stop. Consent cannot be a condition of buying anything.
- Every message should honor STOP to opt out, and HELP should return contact details.
- Keep a record of when and how each person agreed, and respect quiet hours where they apply.
- Business texting from a local number in the US usually needs 10DLC brand and campaign registration through your provider.
- Outside the US, rules such as Canada's CASL and the UK and EU privacy laws set their own consent bar.
This is general information to help you ask the right questions, not legal advice. Your SMS provider and a lawyer in your market can confirm what applies to you.
SMS or a WiFi email list, for a venue.
Neither channel is better in every case. They do different jobs, and consent for one should never be stretched to cover the other.
Best for
SMS marketingShort, time sensitive notes: a table is ready, tonight only, a booking reminder.
Email from guest WiFiMenus, events, seasonal news, stories and review requests with room for images.
Consent
SMS marketingExpress written consent for texts, collected by your SMS tool.
Email from guest WiFiA separate, unticked marketing box the guest can tick at the WiFi login.
Length
SMS marketingAbout 160 characters per message segment.
Email from guest WiFiA full branded email with your logo, photos and links.
Cost
SMS marketingUsually billed per message or segment by your provider.
Email from guest WiFiCampaigns are included in Growth at $49 a month; capture and export are free on Starter.
How guests join
SMS marketingA keyword, a form or a checkbox worded for texting.
Email from guest WiFiAutomatically, when they log in to your WiFi and say yes.
Who sends it
SMS marketingYour SMS provider. VoqadoWiFi does not send texts.
Email from guest WiFiMailchimp through Growth sync, any tool you import the CSV into, or VoqadoWiFi campaigns as they are switched on account by account.
Build the list that feeds everything else.
- Every plan
A permission based email list
Guests join your branded WiFi with an email and make their own marketing choice, kept apart from WiFi access.
- Every plan
CSV export for any tool
Download your guests and use the file to invite them to your text list through your SMS provider.
- Growth
Email campaigns and Mailchimp sync
Campaigns for guests who said yes to marketing email, and Mailchimp sync. Campaign sending is being switched on account by account; drafts and schedules save today.
Email and SMS, each with its own yes.
Build the email list
Guests log in to your branded WiFi and choose whether to hear from you by email.
Export when you need it
Download a CSV of your guests and their email consent from VoqadoWiFi.
Ask for text consent
Invite guests to join your text list through your SMS provider, with clear wording and a record of each yes.
Send each where it fits
Email for the fuller story, text for the urgent note, and never one without its own consent.
Build a list guests chose to join
Get the Guest WiFi Growth Kit: signage copy that gets guests connected, a campaign brief and a monthly scorecard for list quality. Free, by email.
SMS questions, answered plainly.
Does VoqadoWiFi send SMS messages?
No. VoqadoWiFi does not send text messages. It builds a permission based email list from your guest WiFi, sends email campaigns on the Growth plan and lets you export your guests as a CSV on every plan.
Can I text guests who gave me their email on the WiFi login?
Not on the strength of that email opt in. In the United States, marketing texts generally need prior express written consent that specifically covers text messages. Collect that consent separately, through your SMS provider, before you send a single marketing text.
What is 10DLC?
In the United States, businesses that text customers from an ordinary ten digit local number register their brand and campaign through 10DLC, the carrier registration system for application to person messaging. Your SMS provider handles the registration with you.
Is email still worth it if I also use SMS?
They do different jobs. Text suits short, time sensitive notes to people who asked for them. Email suits menus, events, stories and review requests, and costs far less per message. Many venues use both, each with its own consent.
How do I move my WiFi guest list into an SMS tool?
Export a CSV from VoqadoWiFi and use it to invite guests to join your text list through the opt in your SMS provider supports, such as a keyword or a signup form. Only add someone to texting after they give text consent.
Start with a list guests chose to join.
Starter is free forever for one location, with 500 guest logins a month. Connect your Omada or UniFi controller, design a login in your own colors and welcome your first guests.
No credit card for Starter. Growth is $49 a month for three locations and 5,000 logins. VoqadoWiFi sells no hardware; it runs on the Omada or UniFi network you already have.