What are the most important metrics to track for SMS campaigns?

SMS campaigns are a powerful way to reach your audience, boost engagement, and drive conversions. But how do you measure the effectiveness of your SMS marketing efforts? What are the most important metrics to track for SMS campaigns? In this article, we'll explore six key indicators that can help you optimize your SMS strategy and achieve your goals.

1 Delivery rate

Delivery rate is the percentage of SMS messages that are successfully delivered to your recipients. It reflects the quality of your contact list, the reliability of your SMS provider, and the compliance with the SMS regulations. A low delivery rate means that you are wasting resources and missing opportunities to connect with your audience. To improve your delivery rate, you should regularly update your contact list, remove invalid or inactive numbers, segment your audience by preferences and behavior, and follow the best practices for SMS content and timing.

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Rozz Atanassova

Personalisation | Digital Growth | Omni-Channel Engagement | Chat Commerce
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Whilst delivery rate is a good lead indicator it is important to remember that this can also provide a false positive signal. - Messages may appear to have reached a handset but only have been delivered to the network - Messages may be delivered to the intended number but that number may no longer belong to the targeted individual - Lack of personalisation and relevance could lead to a low actual conversion rate -

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2 Open rate

Open rate is the percentage of SMS messages that are opened by your recipients. It indicates the level of interest and attention that your SMS campaigns generate. SMS messages have a very high open rate compared to other channels, as they are usually short, urgent, and personal. However, you should not take this for granted and assume that every SMS message you send will be opened. To increase your open rate, you should craft compelling and relevant messages that offer value and urgency to your audience, use personalization and segmentation techniques, and test different variations of your SMS content and timing.

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Rozz Atanassova

Personalisation | Digital Growth | Omni-Channel Engagement | Chat Commerce
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Open rate on SMS is a perceived metric as there is no technical way to measure this. Whilst there are perceptions that SMS has a high open-rate this will be highly dependent on the region/market as well as the segments targeted. As an example in countries where SMS is widely used for marketing with a low level of regulation users would likely ignore SMS messages as a default behavior

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Tatsiana Allsopp

Digital marketing and data analysis professional helping businesses create actionable insights and strategies
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While CVR might be a good metric to judge the performance, in practice people receiving an SMS are more likely to remember the interaction but not convert straight away. If they receive a reminder after this in the form of email or a paid ad targeting them with a similar message, they'll be more likely to convert after that. So open rate is a good indicator of interest in SMS.

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3 Click-through rate

Click-through rate (CTR) is the percentage of SMS messages that result in a click on a link or a call to action. It measures the engagement and response that your SMS campaigns elicit. A high CTR means that your SMS messages are effective in driving your audience to take the desired action, whether it is visiting your website, redeeming a coupon, or making a purchase. To boost your CTR, you should include clear and compelling calls to action in your SMS messages, use short and trackable links, create mobile-friendly landing pages, and offer incentives and rewards to your audience.

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Katlego Morake

Product Commercialisation I Product Management I Product Strategy I Customer Propositions
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I agree that click through rate is a good measure of whether your message was compeling enough or not, however I think with phishing attacks being so prevelent and with constant messaging from banks around opening links consumers are moving away from opening links. Marketing proffessionals have to get creative with how to drive engagement without using links.

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4 Conversion rate

Conversion rate is the percentage of SMS messages that lead to a desired outcome, such as a sale, a sign-up, or a referral. It evaluates the performance and impact of your SMS campaigns on your bottom line. A high conversion rate means that your SMS messages are successful in persuading your audience to take the final step in your marketing funnel. To improve your conversion rate, you should align your SMS messages with your audience's needs and pain points, use urgency and scarcity tactics, provide social proof and testimonials, and follow up with your audience after the initial SMS message.

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5 Opt-out rate

Opt-out rate is the percentage of SMS recipients who unsubscribe from your SMS list. It reflects the satisfaction and loyalty of your audience with your SMS campaigns. A high opt-out rate means that you are losing subscribers and potential customers, and that your SMS messages are not meeting their expectations or preferences. To reduce your opt-out rate, you should respect your audience's consent and privacy, avoid spamming or overloading them with SMS messages, provide them with easy and clear ways to opt out, and ask for feedback and suggestions on how to improve your SMS campaigns.

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6 Return on investment

Return on investment (ROI) is the ratio of the revenue generated by your SMS campaigns to the cost incurred by them. It demonstrates the profitability and efficiency of your SMS marketing strategy. A high ROI means that you are getting more value from your SMS campaigns than what you are spending on them. To calculate your ROI, you should track the revenue and cost associated with each SMS campaign, and use the formula: ROI = (revenue - cost) / cost. To increase your ROI, you should optimize your SMS campaigns based on the other metrics mentioned above, and experiment with different SMS formats, frequencies, and segments.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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What are the most important metrics to track for SMS campaigns?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Delivery rate

2 Open rate

3 Click-through rate

4 Conversion rate

5 Opt-out rate

6 Return on investment

7 Here’s what else to consider

Mobile Communications

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What are the most important metrics to track for SMS campaigns?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Delivery rate

2 Open rate

3 Click-through rate

4 Conversion rate

5 Opt-out rate

6 Return on investment

7 Here’s what else to consider

Mobile Communications

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