A useful promotional SMS tells the right customer what is offered, when it applies, and what to do next. Before writing the message, confirm the audience, offer terms, delivery cost, sender identity, and a simple way to stop future promotions.
Sending more messages does not guarantee more sales. Start with a clear business objective and send only to people whose contact information may lawfully be used for that purpose.
Build a message around one useful action
Keep the core message specific:
Sender: Who is contacting the customer? Offer: What product, service, or benefit is available? Terms: When does it start or end, and what limits apply? Action: What should the customer do next? Opt-out: How can the recipient stop future marketing messages?
Example to adapt:
Soko Market: This week, buy 2 jars of honey and save KES 100 at our Westlands shop. Offer ends 12 Nov. Reply STOP to opt out.
Use an end date or “exclusive” label only when it is true. Make the name, price, stock limit, location, and eligibility accurate. If a link is used, check that it works on a phone and leads to the stated offer.
Respect consent, privacy, and opt-outs
Kenya’s Data Protection (General) Regulations address the use of personal data for direct marketing and require an opt-out mechanism. The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner publishes the Data Protection (General) Regulations, including requirements concerning direct marketing and opt-outs.
Tell people when collecting their contact details how they may be used. Keep evidence of the choice and the date, record withdrawals, and promptly suppress people who opt out. A number used for an order or receipt is not automatically permission for unrelated promotional messages. Separate operational updates from marketing where possible.
Make the opt-out instruction visible and easy to follow. If the sending route cannot receive replies, provide another direct and accessible method, and check that it does not create an unexpected charge for the recipient. Keep a suppression list so an imported or refreshed contact file does not accidentally add an opted-out number again. Ask a qualified privacy adviser about your specific use of personal data.
Check a custom Sender ID before committing
A Sender ID can show a business or service name instead of a long numeric sender. Availability, naming rules, registration, approval time, and network support depend on the messaging provider and destination network. Ask the provider to confirm the exact Sender ID, countries and networks where it will appear, approval requirements, fees, and fallback behavior.
Do not assume a Sender ID is approved because it works in a test. Confirm it on the actual networks and devices your customers use. Avoid names that could be confused with a bank, government service, delivery provider, or another business.
Estimate the message cost
A campaign may be billed by message segment rather than by recipient. Encoding, message length, link tracking, and provider rules can affect how many segments a message uses. Ask the provider how its current calculator treats plain text, accented characters, non-Latin characters, emojis, and concatenated messages.
Use this estimate:
Campaign cost = recipients × billable segments per message × current cost per segment + sender or setup charges + applicable taxes.
For example, if a provider estimates two billable segments per recipient, multiply the current per-segment quote by two and by the intended recipient count. Replace the inputs with the provider’s written tariff; this article does not quote current SMS prices.
Test the final message in the provider’s preview. Shorten wording or remove decorative characters if they create extra segments without adding useful meaning. Do not remove terms or opt-out details that customers need just to save one segment.
Segment the audience carefully
Send a promotion only to customers for whom it is relevant. Segment by a clear, documented reason such as a product interest or a recent opt-in preference. Avoid sensitive attributes and do not infer private characteristics to target an offer.
A simple campaign matrix can help:
| Audience | Message goal | Offer and deadline | Measure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Customers who asked for restock alerts | Announce availability | Product and collection details | Link visits or attributed orders |
| Recent buyers of a related item | Explain a complementary offer | Terms and eligibility | Incremental purchases and margin |
| Customers who opted into seasonal news | Share a seasonal range | Dates and participating locations | Visits, orders, and opt-outs |
Do not repeatedly message customers who have not engaged. Set a frequency rule and let people change their preferences.
Preview and approve the final message
Draft first, then review the rendered message exactly as the provider will send it. Check the Sender ID, spacing, punctuation, capitalization, link destination, offer dates, opt-out wording, and number of billable segments. Ask a second person to verify the offer against the approved terms and the stock or service capacity behind it.
Keep the approved copy, audience rule, provider quote, and send date with the campaign record. If the message is localized or translated, have a fluent reviewer check meaning and terms rather than relying only on automated translation. Send a test to a controlled number and check it on more than one supported device or network where feasible.
Pause the campaign if the landing page breaks, stock is unavailable, a price changes, or the wrong audience was selected. Make the correction before sending more messages and document any incident or customer complaint.
Measure outcomes, not just delivery
Track eligible recipients, submitted messages, delivered messages where reported, clicks, opt-outs, complaints, orders, and gross contribution. Use a campaign code or distinct landing page when practical. Compare against a similar period or a small holdout group if the sample is large enough and the experiment is appropriate.
Cost per attributed order = campaign cost ÷ attributable orders.
Campaign contribution = contribution from attributed orders − campaign cost.
Treat attribution as an estimate: a customer may have purchased without the SMS, used a different channel, or seen another promotion. Track the measurement method and avoid claiming that every order after a message was caused by it.
Use a send decision checklist
Before scheduling, the campaign owner should be able to answer: Is this audience eligible for this message? Is the offer approved and in stock? Is the Sender ID cleared for the selected route? Does the message include the needed terms and opt-out details? Has the provider confirmed the current price and segment count? Does the destination work on a phone? Who can pause the campaign if circumstances change?
After sending, review delivery errors, unusual opt-out volume, complaints, and the landing page. Pause future sends if the list appears to contain unintended recipients or the message is misleading. Record the issue, correction, and any customer response so the next campaign benefits from the review.
Keep a suppression list and permission evidence protected. Limit access to people who prepare or administer campaigns, and remove contact records when there is no longer a valid business purpose to retain them.
Common SMS campaign mistakes
- Using a customer contact for marketing without checking the purpose and lawful basis.
- Omitting a working opt-out method.
- Writing a vague offer with missing dates, location, or limits.
- Assuming all characters count the same way for billing.
- Buying a Sender ID before confirming approval and network coverage.
- Sending too frequently or to an unfiltered list.
- Treating delivery reports as proof of a sale.
- Measuring revenue while ignoring discount, product cost, and message charges.
For broader channel planning, read local marketing strategy. For customer retention economics, continue to customer loyalty program design.