Before you send a message, you need to have subscribers in your list. This page explains the various ways to add subscribers. When you click the Subscribers tab under the list, you will see the subscribers that have opted into that campaign.
The best advice Tatango can give you to grow your lists is "to put your short code everywhere". Then once you gain subscribers, here are the methods to add them to your campaigns:
Keywords/Mobile Opt-in
This method is when a potential subscriber texts a keyword (such as JOIN) to a short code and the Tatango system opts the subscriber in to the campaign.
To add a keyword to a list, select the List > Settings > Mobile Opt In. In this section, you will see an area to add Keywords. Next to the existing keyword click the red + button and this will create a new line. Enter the keyword that needs to be added and look for the green check mark to confirm it is available for use. If you receive a red X showing not available, then you have already entered this word as a keyword for your short code (if you have multiple lists, it may be in another list). When you have added the desired keywords, scroll down and click Save Changes.
Import Subscribers
If you have an existing list of previously opted-in subscribers, that list can be imported into Tatango.
To import subscribers in to your list from another source, first make sure they agreed to receiving recurring text messages on the source where the information is collected. Click Import and follow the guidelines to create the CSV file to import. When ready, browse for and select the file, and click Next. On the following page there are 3 options for Import.
Subscribe new numbers - This will add all new numbers to the campaign and ignore any existing numbers.
Update existing numbers - This will only update existing numbers within the campaign.
Unsubscribe numbers - This will unsubscribe the numbers on the CSV file.
You will need to map the information to the property field in Tatango software. Any custom fields that you have added will also show up in this list. Click Finish when you are ready to complete the import. On the Import subscribers page you will see all imports listed and you can review the Import details by clicking View Report button. When you are reviewing the Import report you can select the Generate Import Subscribers Export link to see the information that was imported in that instance.
API
Tatango can automatically add new subscribers from WinRed, ActBlue and other various sources through an API connection.
To add subscribers from other sources, an API Key is required. API Keys can be created by going to My Account > API and selecting Create API Key. We suggest labeling the key to help identify where API Key will be used.
Make sure the API Key is set up correctly by testing to see if the information feeds into the Tatango account via the API Logs.
When bringing numbers over from another source the CTIA has made a suggestion on how to do this while being in compliance.