The importance of personalizing SMS messages

I'm not one for small talk, and when it comes to online marketing, neither should you. Don't beat around the bush, or fluff around, address the topic head-on and let your audience know you are talking directly to them.

By personalizing business messages, customers feel included and appreciated as an individual. Not just another number that makes up the whole.

And it shows—67% of customers expect a high level of personalization from a brand when it comes to communication, including email and SMS marketing. With SMS Merge Send, sending personalized messages couldn't be easier.

What is personalization?

Let's start with the basics. It may seem all well and good to personalize messages to your audience, but what does personalization actually entail?

It could be as simple as addressing recipients by name or assigning content to a particular geographic area or targetting certain age groups with a product.

When users create online profiles or take surveys, they also provide additional information such as their postcode, occupation, or birthday. With this information, contacts can be organized and sent appropriate content according to this data.

For example, automating messages to send 'Happy Birthday' on a customer's birthday with an SMS discount code only valid for the next 30 days.

What is Merge Send?

All marketers know how beneficial connecting with an audience is, and talking to people as people is a big part of that.

When formulating the perfect SMS, consider what that text message means to the recipient and how they might perceive it. If they can't relate to it, understand it or use it, then chances are they won't even open it.

Merge Send allows the businesses to bulk send the same message with personalized content for direct marketing. If a company wants to send out a message to 500 people, they can personalize each and every text with specific information such as name, location, or occupation.

For example, "Hi Sarah, YogaCentral are holding a workshop in your area next week, and we'd love to see you there. 7am on July 8, at Dynamic Studio in Peachtown. Enjoy!"

How does Merge Send work?

With a simple-to-use, robust SMS gateway, you could be sending bulk personalized messages in seconds using the 'Merge' feature.

Before we get into the step-by-step process of how to merge send SMS, we need to address how contacts are imported and how their information is categorized. When uploading contacts to a SMSGlobal MXT account, it is crucial that the excel sheet or CSV file is formatted correctly and includes specific information organized.

Follow these simple instructions to Merge Send of SMSGlobal's MXT platform:

Log into your MXT account. If you haven't got an MXT account yet, signing up is free and only takes a minute.
Once logged into MXT, select 'Send Messages' in the menu, then click 'Merge Send' and choose your message type (SMS or MMS).
Use the 'From' dropdown menu to choose the virtual number or sender ID you'd like to send from.
Use the 'To' dropdown menu to choose the contact group or individual contacts you'd like to send to.
Input your content into the 'Message' field.
Use the 'Insert Merge Field' dropdown menu to select the personalized information included in the message, such as first name, location, or occupation.
Double-check that your message and the input information is correct with 'Preview Message' on the righthand side of the page.
Time to send; to send the message immediately, click 'Send Message' and to schedule the message, select 'Schedule Message,' and enter the time and date for the message to be sent.

Why do I need to Merge Send SMS?

Connect with your audience

Personalization doesn't stop at addressing recipients by name. There is an abundance of data out there that you can capture to enhance CX and a number of ways you can collect it. Advanced CRM's, basic order forms, customer surveys, rewards programs, and competitions are all engaging and mutually beneficial ways to collect information.

Gather customer preferences, habits, likes, and dislikes to assist with formulating relevant campaigns based on your audience. It will give your business a huge leg up and provides a tailored experience your customers won't forget. But make sure you being compliant when it comes to handling personal data. There are laws and regulations surrounding data collection, privacy, and use, including SMS opt-ins and opt-outs.

So, if you're haven't personalized your SMS campaigns, now is the perfect time to give it some thought and enhance your CX. The best place to start is just utilizing the information you have, and then expanding your contact database with MXT's SMS software!

To find out more about SMS and how to utilize it in your business, head to our Information Centre, or get in touch with our friendly Support Team.

Vincenza is a Content Specialist at SMSGlobal. Based in Melbourne, she is a creative and driven go-getter who loves to engage with her audience through storytelling. When she isn’t fulfilling her calling as a wordsmith, she enjoys travel, live music, and eating delicious, delicious food.