SMS has an advantage no other channel has here: it reaches everybody, without depending on internet access, an installed app or a modern phone. And it is read within minutes. In exchange, it is the most regulated of the three channels - and the rules are local.
The Sender ID: the name that appears on the phone
It is the first thing to sort out and what most distinguishes a company from an anonymous number. Instead of the message arriving from +258 84..., it arrives with your brand name in the sender's place.
| What changes |
Detail |
| Immediate recognition |
The recipient knows who it is before opening. The difference in readership is large. |
| You cannot reply to a Sender ID |
Brand-name messages are one-way. If you want a reply, the text has to say how. |
| It has to be registered |
It is not chosen at send time: it is requested and approved beforehand, and approval takes time. |
The rules in Angola, and they are specific
The regulator is INACOM, and the sender rules are tighter than most people expect:
| Rule |
What it means in practice |
| The Sender ID must contain the brand name |
You cannot send as «Promo» or «Campaign». You have to identify yourself. |
| Generic IDs are prohibited |
INFO, SMS, NOTICE and the like are refused. It is one of the commonest causes of campaigns that never arrive. |
| A numeric sender is not allowed |
Except on a two-way service, where the customer replies. |
| Marketing requires prior consent |
The person has to have agreed to receive. Having the number is not enough. |
| Some content is barred |
Politics, religion, unsolicited promotion and gambling. Person-to-person traffic over these routes is not permitted either. |
Writing an SMS that works
SMS does not forgive padding: it is 160 characters per message, and going over splits it in two - and charges for two. Accented characters drop the limit to 70, which catches many people out in a Portuguese message.
Bad (2 messages):
Dear customer, it is with great satisfaction that our company hereby
informs you that a special promotion is currently taking place
Good (1 message):
[BRAND] Sale until Saturday: 20% off all phones.
Downtown store. Stop: reply STOP
| 1 |
Start with the brand name, even with a Sender ID. It is what stops the message being read as a scam.
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| 2 |
One idea per message. One offer, one deadline, one place.
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| 3 |
Say what to do next, and make it fit: a number, an address, or a short link on your own domain.
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| 4 |
Include the way out. It is not just good manners - in practice it is what prevents complaints.
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| 5 |
Write without accents if you want to fit 160 characters. Plain text fits; accented text may not.
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The hour you send is not a detail. An SMS at 10.30pm wakes people and generates complaints - and complaints are what make the operator cut off the sender. Weekdays, business hours, and never in the middle of the night. It is the simplest rule to follow and among the most ignored.
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When SMS beats the other channels
| Use SMS for |
Use another channel for |
| Confirmations and notices |
Order ready, appointment tomorrow, invoice due. This is where SMS is unbeatable. |
| Codes and urgent alerts |
They arrive in seconds and do not depend on mobile data. |
| Long campaigns or ones with images |
That is e-mail - see e-mail marketing |
| Conversation and support |
That is WhatsApp - see which WhatsApp suits your business |
Need to send SMS?
We can handle it for you, with your own Sender ID, in Mozambique and in Angola. We handle the request and registration of the sender name with whoever has to approve it, the sending itself, and the delivery reporting - which is the part that consumes most time for anyone trying it alone for the first time.
It is not an off-the-shelf product with a price tag: it depends on volume, destination country and message type. Open a ticket telling us how many contacts you have, for which countries, how often, and what name you want as the sender, and we will come back with a concrete proposal and what is needed for the registration.
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Sort the Sender ID out early. Registering the name is not immediate and some names are refused - generic ones especially. If the campaign has a fixed date, start here rather than with the copy.
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The legal part, in three lines
| 1 |
Send only to people who consented, and the consent has to be demonstrable - when, where and for what.
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| 2 |
The opt-out has to actually work. Asking to leave and still receiving is the shortest route to a complaint to the regulator.
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Want a proposal for SMS sending under your brand name?
Talk to us
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