Manage SMS content

Optimizely Data Platform (ODP) lets you manage your SMS content to effectively engage your audience, ensuring messages are clear, concise, and aligned with your overall marketing strategy. 

Prerequisites

• You must have the App Directory enabled in your Optimizely account.
• You must have a valid Optimizely phone number. To check your number, install SMS from the App Directory and go to SMS > Settings > Configuration. If you do not see a number, contact Optimizely Support.

  

Install and configure SMS 

To install the SMS app, complete the following:

1. Go to Data Setup > App Directory and search for SMS.
2. Click Install. 
3. Contact Optimizely Support to complete the SMS configuration and send live messages.
   

Limitations – The SMS protocols at the telephone carrier level have limitations. A message can only contain 160 characters if written in Latin characters or 70 characters per message for non-Latin characters, like emojis or characters from Asian or Eastern European languages. Most phones recombine messages so they are not obvious to the customers, but each message segment is billable, so it is important to be aware of your message lengths.

Add SMS and MMS to a campaign

You can use SMS to reach customers through text messages in your campaigns. 

1. Go to Activations > Overview > Create New Campaign. 
2. Select the type of campaign (One-Time, Behavioral, or Transactional) and edit a touchpoint. 
3. Select SMS from the channels. 
   

   

4. To add SMS as a channel to an existing campaign, go to Touchpoint > Add Channel > SMS. 

5. Expand SMS Settings and select the phone number (Promotional or Transactional) from which you want to send your SMS. You can select Transactional if you have subscribed to transactional campaigns. 
   

6. Enter the text message in the Message field.

   • You have a 160-character limit for SMS messages with Latin characters and a 70-character limit for SMS messages with non-Latin characters (such as Cyrillic or Hiragana), non-ASCII characters (such as smart quotes), and emojis.

   • Some tools, including MS Word, automatically update characters to smart quotes, lowering your character count. If you enable MMS, you can also add a URL link for an image. 

     If a text message contains more than 160 or 70 characters, it is delivered but billed as additional text messages. The recipients will see a single long message, as carriers often combine messages with multiple parts.
     

7. Use Liquid to personalize your SMS with available customer data. Ensure you limit the dynamic content in your message, as it might exceed 160 or 70 characters and count as multiple messages.

   

8. Enable Shorten links and enable click tracking to

   • get access to additional tracking to understand which content generated engagement by indicating clicks on the Engagement Report for SMS touchpoints. 

   • lower the character count and cost for the total messages sent. 
     

9. Click Preview to see what your SMS or MMS displays to your target segment. Click on the preview image to see the full message in the phone’s messaging app.
   • The character counter under the preview displays the number of characters your message contains and shows the estimated number of messages sent per user.
   • The character counter is blue when you are within the 160 or 70-character limit and orange when you are over the character limit. 

     

10. Click Go Live after completing your text message.

    

Track campaign performance

You can track the performance of your SMS touchpoints. After launching your campaign, use the touchpoint summary reports to learn about your SMS or MMS touchpoint performance.

SMS billing report

To view the SMS billing report, complete the following:

1. Go to App Directory > SMS > Settings > Billing.
2. Select a month from the drop-down list to see the metrics. The current month shows a partial report. 
3. Compare the total number of messages to your subscription limit to determine whether you are still within the range of your subscription or if you will have to pay for overages. 

The table displays messages sent to Canada in a separate row because there is a small surcharge for messaging outside the United States. 

Decide among toll-free SMS, shortcodes, and local numbers

You can use numbers besides five-digit shortcodes to send high-volume, programmatic SMS.

First, decide whether to send from a number dedicated to application-to-person (A2P) or person-to-person (P2P) messaging.

• A2P – Delivers automatic outbound alerts or notifications from an application to a person on the other end and can be used for higher volumes of messages such as alerts, appointment reminders, or automatic notifications.
• P2P – Delivers messages from one person to another but handles only one message per second.

The following comparison shows the differences between local, toll-free, and shortcode numbers for SMS:

• Local (555-555-5555)
  • Limited to one message per second per phone number.
  • P2P or A2P.
  • Instant time to market.
  • $
• Toll-free (1-800-555-5555)
  • Virtually unlimited messages per second with approval.
  • A2P only.
  • Instant time to market.
  • $$
• Shortcodes (55555)
  • Virtually unlimited messages per second with approval.
  • A2P only.
  • Weeks or months time to market.
  • $$$

You should use toll-free numbers for the following reasons: 

• You can send unlimited messages per second.
• You can send messages faster. You do not need to secure approval, as Optimizely already has it. Messages from shortcodes may take as long as 12 weeks to get carrier approval.
• You only need a local number if you plan to use P2P messaging.
• Toll-free numbers are more cost-effective than short codes.