Several metrics should be monitored throughout your SMS campaign, but two key performance indicators (KPIs) stand out: deliverability and engagement. They matter because they show the chance of your recipients clicking on links, replying to your text, or making a purchase.
But what do these KPIs actually mean?
- Deliverability rate measures the percentage of texts that successfully reach your recipients
- Engagement rate measures how many recipients interact with your SMS
We’ve put together five top tips to help you boost these KPIs and, in turn, your campaign’s effectiveness.
⚡️1. Maintain a good list hygiene
Regularly tidy your mailing list to weed out inactive subscribers and invalid phone numbers that return bounced (undelivered) messages. To guarantee users’ interest in receiving your content, ask them to confirm their interest in subscribing by replying to your verification message. This will improve the quality of your list and prevent accidental or unauthorised sign-ups.
⚡️2. Craft a text worth opening
Personalising your messages is the most effective way to increase engagement. Tailor your texts to your customers based on relevant data, like names, purchase history, or location. Remember, no one wants to read long and boring messages, so keep them short and straightforward — preferably around 160 characters. Concise messages are also quicker and easier to read, which helps to improve engagement.
⚡️3. Divide and conquer
For more precise targeting, group your customer base into different segments based on demographics, interests, engagement levels, or purchasing behaviours. As each segment receives messages relevant to them and their needs, they’ll be more likely to interact with your text, increasing engagement and conversion rates.
⚡️4. Be respectful
To maintain an engaged audience, respect SMS quiet hours. Send your campaigns at appropriate times, between 8am and 8pm, when recipients are most likely to engage with them. Overwhelmed subscribers are also much more likely to unsubscribe. Build a consistent routine with subscribers so they know what to expect.
⚡️5. Learn, experiment, and try again
Part of the marketing game is trying, learning, and improving your campaign. The marketing strategy you tried once may work its magic for a long time, but it might not work as well again. And that’s okay. It’s essential to be aware of your campaign’s performance at all times. Regularly check your delivery and engagement metrics (e.g. open rates, click-through rates, and response rates) to assess campaign performance and identify any issues.
Experimenting with message variations is also a good idea; this will teach you what works and what doesn’t, optimising your strategy.
At Zap, we are all about winning—and we want to see you win, too. If you’d like to improve your SMS campaign, contact us today and see your engagement rates skyrocket.
