Personalization is a key factor for a successful SMS marketing campaign. Starting with the sender name, which, instead of a cold, unknown number, can appear as a more suitable word, like your company name for instance. Let’s explore together why personalizing the SMS sender name is beneficial for both you and the users.
What is SMS Sender Personalization?
The personalization of the sender of an SMS (Sender ID or OADC) allows you, when you send your message, to display the number or name of your choice. Opting for your brand name, for example, rather than a simple phone number, allows the recipient to immediately identify you. This function is possible with all telecommunication providers.
The identifier of the SMS sender can be presented in the form of numbers, letters, or a combination of both. However, for all operators, the maximum number of characters allowed is limited to 11.
Good to know: If you choose not to personalize the SMS sender name, a standard long number (+33 6 xx xx xx xx) or a generic 5-digit short number (36xxx) will appear instead.
The Importance of Personalizing the SMS Sender Name
The Numbers
The American economic magazine Forbes has compiled the results of several studies conducted on personalization, and the figures speak for themselves:
- 72% of consumers say they are only interested in personalized messages. (SmarterHQ)
- 80% of frequent shoppers only purchase from brands that personalize the experience. (SmarterHQ)
- 66% of consumers say non-personalized content would prevent them from making a purchase. (CMO by Adobe)
- 98% of marketers say personalization improves relationships with customers. (Evergage)
- 89% of digital companies invest in personalization. (Forrester)
- 79% of retailers invest in personalization, the highest rate of all sectors of activity. (SmarterHQ)
The Advantages
Indicating the SMS sender’s name has several notable advantages for your SMS marketing campaign:
Simple and Fast Identification
Putting the sender’s name at the top of the message allows you to be identified within seconds by your recipients. An excellent way for your brand to gain visibility and to inspire trust in mobile users who feel more reassured with a name than with an unknown phone number.
Better Open Rate
Because your contacts trust you, they are more likely to open your message. Thus, choosing to personalize the sender name significantly increases the open rate.
Personalization
As discussed earlier, personalization is now a critical success factor for a company. In addition to being highly popular with users, it also lets you simply choose your brand name, or be a little more creative in the choice of words.
Keep in mind that if you decide to customize the SMS sender name, mobile users will not be able to reply to your message, unlike with numbers. This decision will therefore depend on the type of campaign and what you expect from the users.
Our Advice for Customizing Your SMS Sender Name
- Avoid choosing a name that is too peculiar or unrelated to your brand. While you can be creative, it is important that users can quickly identify you. Choose a name related to your business or its activity.
- It is strongly discouraged to use a sender name composed solely of numbers. If there are no letters in it, operators could deny your access by considering your message as an attempt at fraud.
- Do not use special characters or spaces, as these are not recognized by operators.
- Don’t forget to include the “STOP SMS” mention at the end of your message so that users can request to stop receiving your communications if they wish to do so.
Customizing your SMS sender name requires a little more time and effort on your part, but it’s worth the effort. By making your messages more human, you establish better relationships with your customers and prospects, while creating a better user experience. This will positively impact the opening, engagement, and your brand image. These are crucial factors to remain competitive in the market.
