Zapier SMS: 5 Cool Things You Can Do.
Zapier Automation allows you to receive alerts when certain conditions are met. The potential of these tools is almost limitless, and they are used by a wide variety of people, from people who want to simplify certain aspects of their lives, to business owners with dozens of Zap applications who practically run their business.
One of the most powerful features of Zapier is its SMS integration. With this tool, you can send SMS messages in response to a number of different situations and conditions. This is especially useful due to the fact that people are connected to their phones. Research shows that 83% of millennials open text messages within 90 seconds of receiving them.
Compare that to how often emails are ignored and you have huge potential at your fingertips. If you’re looking for ideas on how to use Zapier’s SMS services, check out these options.
1. Receive Zapier SMS alerts for Google Calendar entries
There is nothing more terrifying than being reminded at the last minute of a meeting or event for which you have not prepared. It’s too easy to ignore calendar alerts on your phone, and email reminders often suffer the same fate.
On the other hand, you can set up Zapier to alert you to upcoming Google Calendar events. Zapier monitors your Google Calendar for upcoming events and sends you alerts ahead of time so you don’t get caught off guard.
For this to work, you need to give Zapier access to your Google Calendar account and connect your phone number via SMS from Zapier.
2. Receive a text message when you win a Twitch follower
If you are a budding streamer just starting out in your career, you should focus on growing your audience. This is easier said than done, of course. While Zapier may not help you grab the attention of the masses with its Fortnite skills, it can keep you updated when you get followers.
You can create a Zap that will send you a Zapier SMS whenever you get a new Twitch subscriber. It can keep your phone buzzing all evening if you’re a good runner, but it’s also a good way to keep track of your subscribers after you download streams and go about your day to day.
To do this, you will need to connect your Twitch account to Zapier.
3. Receive notifications for important emails
If you are the type of people who ignore their inbox because it fills up too quickly, connecting Zapier’s built-in email analyzer to SMS messaging can help. If you tell the email parser to track certain keywords that will denote an important message (deadline, appointment, due date, etc.), you can automatically detect those emails and receive a text notification.
A Zap like this will help you handle the load no matter how busy you are. It also helps to make sure you don’t miss out on important emails just because they ended up in your inbox due to spam.
4. Send text when downloading the video
If you’re a content creator or instructor, you can keep your subscribers or students informed when a new video goes live. While there is always the option to subscribe to a channel, a text message can be the personal touch you need to reach out to viewers.
However, this is where things get a little more complicated. While Zapier’s SMS is a great self-messaging tool, you’ll need to sign up with one of the other messaging services on Zapier to send texts to numbers that don’t belong to you. Each of these services have their own rules, so be sure to read them before you start.
You will need to create an account with your chosen messaging service (Twilio is a good place to start), and also link your YouTube or other video platform account to Zapier for messages to be sent automatically.
As a side note, you can use this same Zap in reverse to track specific YouTube channels for new content.
5. Send a text message to your exercise partner upon completion of the exercise
It’s much easier to stay in shape when there is someone who can work out and cheer you up, but it is not always easy to let them know that you are sweating. If you want to keep yourself accountable to a gym mate, you can do so by linking your workout app to Zapier.
Strava is a good choice. Whether you’re cycling or going for a run, you can set up a Zap that tracks Strava and sends Zapier SMS when you complete an activity on Strava. This is a good way to keep your partner informed and motivated to keep up.
Zapier SMS limitations
While the integrated SMS Zapier service is powerful, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, Zapier can send no more than 15 messages per hour, and you can only send messages within the US and UK.
In addition, you can send messages only to those numbers that are confirmed and recorded in your account. Messages are also limited to 153 characters and any message sent to the UK will be replaced with a UK number regardless of the original number.
These protections are used to prevent system abuse and spamming to others. However, if you want to reach people who are not on your list, you can do so through one of the other messaging services available on Zapier.
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