> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://kero.chat/help/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Create Your First Campaign

> Learn how to create a campaign in Kero, select recipients, map personalisation fields and send or schedule your messages.

A **campaign** lets you send messages to multiple recipients using a Kero message template.

You can personalise messages using recipient information, choose who receives them and send immediately or schedule delivery for later.

Creating a campaign involves three steps:

1. **Campaign Details** — select your Agent, message template and recipients.
2. **Assign Parameters** — map your recipient data to the template.
3. **Review and Submit** — check your messages before sending or scheduling.

## Before you begin

Make sure you have:

* A messaging **Agent** configured for the channel you want to use.
* A **Kero message template** ready for that Agent.
* Recipients available in your Kero Contacts, a CSV or Excel file, or a configured integration.
* The information required to populate any personalisation parameters in your template.

> [!TIP]
>
> If this is your first campaign, start with a small group of recipients so you can check your message content and personalisation before sending to a larger audience.

## Step 1: Enter your campaign details

![Kero New Campaign Details screen](https://mintcdn.com/kerochat/2quV6TC4gZTxYXUJ/images/campaigns/campaigns-new-details.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=2quV6TC4gZTxYXUJ\&q=85\&s=ab7ccbf0b454e30d5544b89a7f7b8d38)

**1. Start a campaign**

In Kero, navigate to **Campaigns**.

Click **Start Campaign**.

**2. Name your campaign**

Enter a descriptive name in **Campaign name**.

Choose something you'll recognise later, such as **October Customer Update**.

**3. Select your sending Agent**

Under **Channel Agent**, select the Agent you want to use.

The Agent determines the messaging channel and sending identity for your campaign.

**4. Choose your message template**

Under **Template**, select the Kero message template you want to send.

Kero displays templates available for the selected Agent.

**5. Choose when to send**

To send your campaign immediately, leave **Schedule campaign** switched off.

To send later, enable **Schedule campaign** and select a future **Date** and **Time**.

The scheduling fields use your computer's local time zone.

**6. Select your recipients**

Choose one of the available recipient sources:

* **File:** Upload a CSV or Excel file containing your recipients.
* **Contacts:** Select a segment from your Kero Contacts.
* **Integrations:** Select recipients from a connected service, such as **HubSpot** or **njuko**, depending on which integrations are configured for your account.

If your Excel file contains multiple worksheets, select the appropriate sheet under **Select Sheet**.

> [!NOTE]
>
> Integration options are only available when the relevant service has been configured for your Kero account.

**7. Continue**

Review your campaign details and click **Next**.

Kero checks that the required information has been provided before allowing you to continue.

> [!NOTE]
>
> If **Next** is unavailable, check that you've entered a campaign name, selected an Agent and template, and chosen a recipient source.

## Step 2: Assign parameters

Kero uses parameters to personalise messages for individual recipients.

For example, your message template might contain:

`Hi {{Name}}, your order is ready for collection.`

You must manually assign the corresponding recipient data to each required parameter.

![Kero New Campaign Details screen](https://mintcdn.com/kerochat/2quV6TC4gZTxYXUJ/images/campaigns/campaigns-new-assign.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=2quV6TC4gZTxYXUJ\&q=85\&s=6fc39b84687a75f46c45ec7a90233a4c)

**1. Identify the mobile number column**

In the data preview, open the dropdown above the column containing your recipients' mobile numbers.

Select **Mobile Number**.

**2. Map your template parameters**

For each parameter in your message template, manually select the corresponding column from your recipient data.

For example:

| Data column | Assign to |
| - | - |
| Phone | Mobile Number |
| Customer Name | Name |
| Order Reference | OrderReference |

Kero does not automatically match columns to template parameters. You must assign each required field using the available dropdowns.

Check that each parameter is mapped to the correct column before continuing.

**3. Ignore unnecessary columns**

Select **\[none]** for any columns you don't need to use in the message.

**4. Continue to review**

Check that all required parameters have been assigned.

Click **Next**.

If any required information is missing, Kero displays a validation message so you can correct it.

> [!TIP]
>
> Use clear, descriptive column headings in your recipient file to make manual parameter mapping easier.
>
> Always review your mappings before proceeding to the message preview.

## Step 3: Review and submit

Before sending, Kero displays a **Campaign Summary** and **Message Preview**.

Use these to check that your campaign contains the intended recipients and message content.

![Kero New Campaign Details screen](https://mintcdn.com/kerochat/2quV6TC4gZTxYXUJ/images/campaigns/campaigns-new-review.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=2quV6TC4gZTxYXUJ\&q=85\&s=16565ac4eb44c33f5ae098a25f79d6a0)

**1. Review your recipients**

Check the recipient list in **Campaign Summary**.

Confirm that the correct contacts are included.

**2. Preview personalised messages**

Click a recipient's row to view their message in **Message Preview**.

Check that personalised values appear correctly and that the message contains the intended information.

**3. Send or schedule your campaign**

When you're satisfied with the preview:

* Click **Submit** to start an immediate campaign.
* Click **Schedule** if you've selected a future sending date and time.

Kero confirms that your campaign has been created or scheduled.

> [!WARNING]
>
> **Check your campaign carefully before submitting it.**
>
> Clicking **Submit** starts sending immediately. If you've scheduled the campaign, Kero sends it at the selected date and time.
>
> Confirm your recipients, message content and personalisation before proceeding.

## What happens after submission?

Once your campaign has been created, Kero displays a confirmation with the number of messages included.

* **Immediate campaign:** Click **View Campaign** to monitor its progress.
* **Scheduled campaign:** Click **View Campaign list** to return to your campaigns.

Message delivery statuses may change as Kero receives updates from messaging providers.

For more information, see [Understand Message Delivery Statuses](https://kero.chat/help/understand-message-delivery-statuses).

## Prepare a recipient file

If you're uploading recipients from a file, use the following guidelines:

* Use a **CSV or Excel** file (`.csv`, `.xls` or `.xlsx`).
* Include no more than **40,000 rows**.
* Place each recipient on a separate row.
* Include mobile numbers in international format, such as `+27721234567`.
* Include a column for each personalisation parameter used in your template.
* Use column headings in the first row, or switch off **Column names in first row** when uploading a file without headings.

For example, a campaign using a `{{Name}}` parameter could use:

| Mobile Number | Name |
| - | - |
| +27721234567 | Sarah |
| +27821234567 | James |

> [!TIP]
>
> Check your recipient data for missing mobile numbers, duplicate records and incomplete personalisation fields before uploading your file.


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