A Guide to Send Custom SMS and Personalized Text Messages [Steps & Examples]

Imagine you are in a crowded space, such as a shopping mall. You hear someone calling “Hey.”

Would you respond to that or be interested?

Your answer would probably be “No,” but in rare cases, it could be “YES.”

What if someone calls you by name at the same place?

Now, you will pay more attention, and you are most likely to respond and be interested. Because the person at least knows your name.

That’s what happens inside a customer’s inbox. It’s too crowded, and if you don’t send custom or personalized SMS, you are likely to be ignored.

Let’s understand what a customer or personalized text is and learn how to do it perfectly.

Part 1: What is Custom SMS and Personalized Text Messaging?

A custom or personalized text is specifically crafted for an individual. It’s not for everyone.

That said, it contains content related to the recipient.

For instance, if the customer is a sneakerhead, he would love to know about the latest sneakers, new collections, sales, offers, etc.

This way, the customer feels more connected. And is likely to open the message and take the desired actions, such as signing up, visiting the website, etc.

In personalized messages, you have to consider everything about the customer. Such as the name, age, gender, location, time zone, likes, previous interactions, search history on the website, or any other data you have.

Part 2: Common Use Cases of Personalized SMS in Marketing

There are limitless use cases of personalized SMS in marketing, but there are a few.

• Building a Relationship: Personalized messages are a great way to build a strong relationship with customers. Businesses can send birthday messages, loyalty programs, special offers, personalized recommendations, etc.
• New Products: When there is a new product in the store, it’s a good idea to let your customers know about it. They might be interested in it. It increases the sales of new items.
• Promotions: Your customer should know about the promotions as early as possible. They would love the privilege to benefit from the promotion and save some money. Be it a discount on a special event or selected products, send personalized SMS to your customers.
• Updates: SMS is a great way to send updates to customers. You can tell about the new campaign, new stores, brand updates, contests, giveaways, etc.
• Follow-up: Businesses can follow up with customers through SMS. Whether they have abandoned their cart, reached out for an issue, etc. It is also suitable for appointment reminders, event notifications, and feedback collection.

Customize SMS

Part 3: Benefits of Personalized Text Messaging

• Enhanced Brand Image: Personalized texts improve the brand’s image. People can see the effort that goes into personalized SMS and trust such businesses. It’s a great idea to build a brand reputation.
• Better Engagement: The engagement of personalized text is incredible. People prefer to open and read them as they are not spam. They are relevant and according to the customer’s preferences.
• Higher Conversions: With the help of personalized messages, businesses can share personalized product recommendations, discount offers, promotional events, etc. It compels customers to buy items, which eventually increases the conversion.

• Healthier Customer Relationships: Personalized texts are a great way to build relationships with customers. Businesses create a healthy relationship by wishing birthdays, sending special discounts, offering loyalty programs, etc.
• Improved Marketing: Businesses use personalized SMS to market their products. They can tell their customers about new products, new collections, special events, marketing campaigns, etc. It’s cheap and effective.
• Efficient Communication: With personalized texts, businesses can communicate with their customers better. They can address their issues, reply to their queries, collect feedback, take follow-up, etc.

Part 4: How to Custom Messages and Send Personalized Bulk SMS? [Step-by-Step]

1Collect Data

The process begins with data collection - without it, you can't send personalized SMS or tailor your message effectively.

Start by gathering a contact list with recipients' consent, which is legally required in many countries. Consent can be obtained through websites, landing pages, surveys, applications, forms, webinars, or in-person interactions.

Beyond phone numbers, collecting details like names, birthdays, locations, interests, and past purchases allows for more personalized messaging. This information is typically gathered through simple forms.

Encouraging opt-ins can be challenging, so highlight benefits like exclusive discounts, priority support, and personalized recommendations. Be transparent about message frequency and content, and always provide an easy opt-out option.

2Get an SMS Marketing Platform

Once you have the data, you need an SMS marketing platform.

You can’t use your personal number to send messages to your customers. You need a SMS sender ID to reach customers’ inboxes.

What is SMS sender ID and how to get one? Click to learn >>

EngageLab is an omni-channel customer engagement platform. It allows you to send personalized messages in bulk. It offers a direct connection to over 200 countries and regions, offering global coverage for your business. Its 99% delivery rate for messages is incredible to ensure high engagement and open rates.

Sign up for EngageLab and follow the steps below.

3Import Data and Organize It

You need to import all your data to the marketing platform. The phone number list and customer information are added to the database.

Once you log into EngageLab, click SMS.

You’ll see the Dashboard. Under Send Related, click Contact. Click New List and then add all your numbers manually or by importing a file. You can create different lists to target different customers and create segments.

4Create Personalized Messages

Now, it’s time to create personalized messages. But the challenge is writing a unique message for every customer.

Thanks to EngageLab’s template option it allows you to create personalized messages for everyone in no time. You can add variables for the name, discount, or anything else. These custom variables are automatically replaced with the data when the message is sent.

Under Send Related, click Template. Here, you can create the template for your message along with variables.

Once you’re done, click Submit Audit.

5Create a Bulk Message Campaign

You need to create a message campaign to send messages to the entire contact list or lists.

Under Send Related, click Task. Click the New Task button.

Enter the task name and other details. Select the contact list and SMS template.

Finally, select the date and time to run the campaign.

Make sure everything is correct. Click Confirm.

Now, you can go to the Analytics section and monitor real-time results.

Part 5: Tips for Crafting Personalized Texts

Consider these tips to create excellent personalized messages.

Understand Your Audience: Try to understand your audience and customers through the data you have collected. Consider the products they like and commonly buy, their previous orders, behavior, interests, etc. It will help you tailor text according to the customers and their needs. Once you understand your audience, you can easily create different segments and target them accordingly.

Connect with the Audience: Personalization is not only limited to the person’s name. If you want to connect with them, you should add more details. Based on their previous purchases, you can recommend some excellent products that are newly launched. Try to connect with the audience by solving their issues, understanding their pain points, etc. They should feel that the message is specifically written for them.

Concise and Clear: Keep the text of the SMS concise and clear. It will help your audience understand easily in no time. They don’t have to go through a lengthy message. Moreover, it is also cost-effective as the length of the SMS matters.

Add Value: Offer some value in your personalized texts. Your audience shouldn’t feel that the SMS is useless. You can add discounts, special offers, coupons, exclusive deals, and similar things to get their attention and spark their interest.

Part 6: Effective Personalized Message Examples

Here are some effective personalized SMS examples and high engagement.

Conclusion

Custom and personalized SMS are extremely powerful. They resonate with the audience, which is why they are likely to get open and spark interest. These are not the random messages that people ignore. However, you have to make sure your SMS is relevant to the customer and provide some value. To send personalized SMS to your massive audience, you can use EngageLab. It is an all-in-one messaging service provider. You can send SMS to your audience from almost any country or region at a minimal cost.

Contact Sales