SMS marketing offers a strong opportunity to connect with customers, but only when messages are relevant and friendly. Organisations aiming to increase conversions through personalized SMS should avoid generic mass texts. SMS messages typically have higher open rates than many email campaigns. A targeted SMS message can turn simple information into a meaningful conversation, driving action from your audience. In this blog, we will share five practical tips for personalizing SMS that will help your business engage the right people, deliver what they want, and convert more often.
Segment Your Audience for Relevant SMS Messages
When you send the same message to everyone, many recipients will ignore it. Personalisation begins with recognising that your audience is not homogeneous. By segmenting your list based on behavior, purchase history, geography, or preferences, you ensure your SMS content speaks to the person rather than to “everyone.” For example, segmenting by past behaviour allows you to send messages tailored to what each customer actually wants.
How to apply:
- Use your CRM or SMS platform to group contacts: e.g., “new leads”, “repeat buyers”, “VIP customers”, or “lapsed customers”.
- For each segment, craft a message that aligns with their state in the customer journey. For instance: “Hi Joe, we noticed it’s been 90 days since your last order. Here is a 10 % offer to welcome you back.”
- Monitor performance by segment (open rate, click rate, conversion rate) and refine accordingly. If “lapsed customers” consistently under-perform, test a different message or offer.
Use Personalisation Merge Tags and Dynamic Content
Personalisation isn’t just inserting “Hi John,” it’s showing that you understand who “John” is, his preferences, what he does, and what he has bought before. SMS platforms like EgoSms support merge tags (first name, last purchase, location) and dynamic content, which significantly lift engagement. For example, using dynamic fields like “We noticed you bought [Product] last month, here is a complementary offer” builds relevance.
How to apply:
- Begin with simple fields: first name, city, loyalty tier. Example: “Hi Sarah, as one of our Platinum members in Kampala, you qualify for 15 % off this week.”
- Advance to dynamic content: product recommendations based on purchase history, location-based offers, and time-sensitive triggers.
- Ensure you have correct data and opt-in permissions; avoid mismatches (“Hi [Name], we miss you!” when the name field is blank can damage trust).
Craft a Clear, Value-Driven Call to Action (CTA)
Even the best personalised message won’t convert if the recipient doesn’t know what to do next. A strong CTA tells them exactly what you want them to do and makes the process easy. SMS is inherently limited in length, so clarity is essential.
How to apply:
- Use direct, action-oriented language: “Shop now”, “Claim your offer”, “Reply YES”.
- Create urgency or scarcity when appropriate: “Offer ends midnight”, “Only 50 spots left”.
- Ensure the next step is convenient: include a clickable link, quick short-code reply, or simple instructions.
- Test CTAs regularly: compare “Start saving now” vs “Get 20 % off today”.
Send at the Right Time and Frequency
Timing and frequency are just as important as the content itself in personalisation. A message sent at 3AM to a customer in a different time zone is likely to get ignored or, worse, annoy them. Over-messaging reduces perceived value and increases opt-outs.
How to apply:
- Analyze your audience behaviour: identify when they are most likely to open and act on SMS. For many, this may be late morning or early evening.
- Respect local time zones and avoid sending messages when recipients are unlikely to read them or may feel interrupted.
- Maintain a balanced frequency: Enough to stay relevant, but not so much that you become noise. For many promotional campaigns, one to two messages per week may be effective, unless your brand justifies more frequent communication.
- Monitor opt-out/unsubscribe rates: if they spike, you may be sending too often or at poor times.
Monitor, Test and Optimise Your SMS Personalisation Strategy
SMS marketing isn’t “set it and forget it.” Your audience’s behaviour, preferences, and contexts change. Without ongoing measurement and optimization, your personalised approach becomes stale and less effective.
How to apply:
- Track key metrics: open rate (if available), click-through rate (if you include a link), conversion rate, opt-out rate, and segments’ performance.
- A/B test different variables: message length, tone of voice (casual vs formal), CTA wording, time of send, and offers.
- Use insights to refine segmentation and personalisation: for example, if VIP customers engage better with early morning offers, adjust accordingly.
- Ensure compliance and data hygiene: keep your subscriber lists updated, respect opt-outs, and maintain accurate data to ensure personalisation remains effective and not creepy.
Conclusion
SMS marketing isn’t just about sending mass text messages. It’s about making each message feel personal, relevant, and timely. To improve your SMS strategy, focus on five key tips: smart segmentation, personalized merge tags and dynamic content, clear calls to action, optimal timing, and continuous optimization. When you personalize your SMS campaigns, you show your audience that you understand them, value their time, and respect their choices. This connection leads to better conversions. Sign up on EgoSms and start with one tip this week to enhance your SMS personalization