How to use personalized text messages [steps & examples]

Reading Time: 12 minutes

Personalized text messages are a game-changer for ecommerce. Businesses are jumping on this trend to boost engagement and strengthen relationships with their customers. 

Making your text communications more personal lets you connect with your audience and creates a better overall experience. 

In this article, we’ll explore the perks of personalized messaging and share some tips for putting it into practice. Plus, we’ll throw in some examples to show you the types of messages you could send and how this smart, personalized SMS marketing move can really pay off for your business.

In this post, we’ll go over:

• What is a personalized text message?
• Benefits of personalized text messages
• Tips for effective personalized text messages
• How to send personalized text messages
• Examples of personalized text messages

What is a personalized text message?

Personalized text messages refer to SMS messages that are tailored to each recipient. Each personalized text message leverages details of a user’s demographic, personality, purchase behavior, or other identifiable information. 

When you personalize texts or refer to a customer in a unique way, you let them know that you’re giving them individual treatment. This makes them feel welcomed and understood, and it also increases their trust in the brand.

Unlike traditional one-size-fits-all messaging, personalized messages are created with user data, such as:

• Buying behavior
• Name
• Time zone
• Demographics, such as age and gender
• Birthday
• Location
• Other highly specific details

SMS personalization provides multiple benefits for both short- and long-term business growth. It instills a sense of trust in the customer and shows that you care about them and their needs. 

However, personalization doesn’t just mean addressing the customer by their first name. It involves understanding multiple aspects of a customer’s personality and behavior, starting from products they’re interested in, the kind of messaging they respond to, the time at which you reach out to them, and the stage of their buyer journey.

You can leverage this information to create a great personalized SMS campaign for both promotional and transactional campaigns.

Personalization isn’t just a good-to-have any longer — it’s a must-have, with customers demanding personalization at every touchpoint with brands, including SMS personalization.

Why send custom SMS messages

Custom text messages stand out in a crowded inbox. When someone gets a text that feels personal, they’re much more likely to read and respond. In today’s world, where everyone has a shortened attention span, personalized messages catch the eye and encourage people to engage.

Personalized texts foster a sense of connection. They show that you care about the recipient, which can build stronger relationships, whether personal or business. 

On top of that, custom text messages can motivate people to take action. When you tweak your communication to match what someone needs or wants, you increase the chances of getting a positive response — whether that’s making a purchase, giving feedback, or just chatting.

Benefits of personalized text messages

Sending personalized SMS messages offers numerous advantages for businesses aiming to enhance customer engagement and satisfaction. Here are some key benefits:

Increased engagement

Personalized messages for customers often achieve higher open and click-through rates than generic texts. In fact, 82% of marketers have reported an increase in open rates due to email personalization, while 75% believe it results in higher click-through rates.

Improved customer loyalty

When customers receive messages tailored to their preferences and interests, they tend to develop a stronger loyalty to the brand. This results in repeat business and fosters long-term relationships. 

A study found that the demand for personalization is significant, with 81% of respondents indicating they are more likely to do business with a company that offers personalized experiences.

Higher conversion rates

Personalized messages can greatly enhance your conversion rates, whether you’re promoting a new product or offering a special discount. By tailoring your approach to meet individual needs, you encourage customers to take action. In fact, one study shows that 57% of consumers say they’ll spend more on a brand that offers personalized experiences — making them more likely to return.

Better customer insights

Sending personalized texts requires gathering data about your recipients. This process not only allows you to create more effective messages, but also offers valuable insights into customer behaviors and preferences. A report from McKinsey found that businesses that utilize data-driven personalization can experience up to a 20% increase in sales conversions.

Ready to make use of personalized messages for your ecommerce business? Get started with Omnisend. 

Tips for effective personalized text messages

Here are a few tactics you can apply to improve ecommerce sales through personalized text messages:

1. Segment your customers: You can segment customers based on defining factors like interests, past purchases, age, gender, location, and lifestyle.

2. Use a conversational tone: Personalized text messages should not sound like an ad or be too formal. They should be a friendly reminder that is light-hearted, short, and personal.

It should be conversational — like you would talk to a friend. A conversation is two-way. Make it possible for the user to interact with your brand by providing the option to reply to the message, and respond to the replies quickly to avoid disengagement.

3. Provide value to your customers: Send customized text messages to each segment based on their unique needs and interests. Your personalized message should bring them value, and this means providing exclusive offers that are aligned with their past purchases or interests on your ecommerce site.

4. Pick the right time to send a personalized message: Your message won’t be effective if the customer receives it unreasonably early or late in the day. 

For starters, your customers are unlikely to be happy about it. They could see it as a lack of respect for their privacy. To avoid this, send the messages during business hours. Segmenting your customers by geographical location can ensure that you get the timing right. Even better, use automation so that the message always goes out at the right time.

5. Ensure your customers want to receive the messages: Use an opt-in form to get a customer’s consent to send them customized text messages from your business. You should also provide an opt-out option.

6. Include a compelling CTA: If you skip the CTA, you miss the point of personalized messages. Provide clear instructions on the action you want a customer to take. 

For instance, you can say “Take this offer” or “Check this out” at the end of the message and include a link to the relevant web page. Use link shorteners to avoid using too much space in your message.

7. Don’t overdo emojis: While emojis can create friendly and interactive communication, overusing them can distract the user from the main message and appear unprofessional.

How to send personalized text messages

Wondering how to send custom text messages? Here are the steps you can follow:

1. Get a reliable marketing app
2. Collect opt-ins for SMS
3. Import phone numbers
4. Segment your customers
5. Create and send your personalized text message
6. Send a test message

Step 1: Get a reliable marketing app

The most basic aspect of a personalized SMS campaign is your marketing app. You need a reliable platform that lets you segment your customers and personalize your campaigns effectively. 

Omnisend is a marketing automation platform trusted by over 125,000 businesses, with 5,400+ five-star Shopify reviews, and it has all the necessary features for your personalized SMS campaigns. Omnisend will be used in this article to demonstrate how to create customized SMS.

Step 2: Collect opt-ins for SMS

Before you start sending campaigns to your customers, you need to collect their consent to reach them. Opt-in consent can be collected by a number of methods, such as popups, landing pages, and surveys. 

This has to be done transparently so customers know what they’re signing up for.

In the US, opt-ins are a mandate governed by the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). In Europe, this is mandated by GDPR.

Here’s how you can stay compliant with international consumer laws and collect opt-ins in a transparent manner:

• Let them know what value they’ll be getting — coupons, expert tips, deals, reminders, etc.
• Inform them of how often they’ll receive messages
• Tell customers if your messages will be free — if there is a fee they may need to pay to receive or respond to the customized text messages, be sure to disclose that
• List the privacy policy — it’s important for customers to know their information will be safe with you

If you’re looking for a marketing tool that provides both opt-in forms and SMS marketing, look no further than Omnisend.

Step 3: Import phone numbers

Next, you need to import phone numbers from your database or CRM into your SMS marketing tool. Remember to import phone numbers along with the country and area code to keep this scalable for the future. 

You can also import other details such as name, age, location, date of birth, anniversary dates, etc. The more information you have, the better you can personalize. 

With Omnisend, all you have to do is upload the file from the Upload section, map all available fields to the ones available in Omnisend, specify the Status for imported contacts if required, and review the consistency of the import.

Step 4: Segment your customers

Now, you’ll need to segment your customers into relevant categories based on details such as their demographics, buying behavior, personality aspects, and behavior trends. 

A good marketing tool with powerful segmentation capabilities is paramount to ensuring good experiences for your customers. 

To create a segment in Omnisend, go to the Audience tab and click on the Create segment button within the Contact list section. You’ll now be presented with a list where you can select the parameters to segment your users.

You can select a wide variety of parameters based on gender, location, brand preference, average order value, order place date, subscription status, birthday, and more.

Once you’ve selected your parameters, you can click on the Save segment button to see which contacts fall under this segment. Remember to name the segment at the next step so it’s easy for you to identify and reuse it in the future. You can find all saved segments under the Segments tab.

Step 5: Create and send your personalized text message

Now that everything’s set up, you can move on to the step of creating the SMS campaign. Remember to use friendly language. 

1. Add personalization variables: Start by adding fields and attributes you want to personalize, such as name, phone number, preferred products, language, and timing. Try to get creative and leverage multiple aspects of personalization based on customer segments.
2. Insert personalization variables in the content: Go to the SMS create section and type in the name of the personalization variable in the content field. For example, if you’ve saved a personalization variable for first names as [[first.name]], you can type that in while writing out your SMS content.
3. Look for other ways to personalize: Personalization variables can be added in multiple places, such as the title, text, links, and buttons. You can either leverage your custom personalization variables or use the default ones already available with Omnisend. 
4. Provide an opt-out option: Provide an option to opt out at the end of the message. For instance, state that the recipient can reply “STOP” to opt out.

And that’s how you set up your personalized message! As easy as that, your personalized text message is ready to be sent to your subscribers.

Step 6: Send a test message

Before you hit send on your campaign, make sure to test it out to see if you have any typos, forgotten to add links, or made any mistakes.

This is a simple step in Omnisend. All you have to do is input the phone number to which you want to send the test SMS, hit send, and voila!

Step 7: Choose recipients

In the earlier steps, you’ve seen how to create segments of your customers and where these are stored. Now, it’s time to utilize these segments.

When your personalized SMS campaign is ready, you can select the audience segment to whom you want to send the campaign. You can also specify if you would like to exclude certain segments, such as those who have unsubscribed or those who don’t respond to your campaigns.

Once this is done, you can hit send on your campaign.

Step 8: Measure results

Although personalized text messages carry a low investment cost, you need to know if your efforts are paying off. 

After you’ve run the campaign for a while, check to see if it’s bringing in positive results. A tool like Omnisend provides reports on:

• The subscribers that get results
• The click rate for the links in your personalized message
• How many orders resulted from the personalized messages
• The number of recipients who opted out
• Bounce rates and SMS deliverability — several things can cause bounces, such as invalid phone numbers, network problems, and spam restrictions

Personalized message examples

Here are some personalized message examples to get you inspired:

Free trial expiry SMS

Hi (Name), I hope you’re enjoying your free trial of (Service). Would you like to upgrade?

Hi (Name), your free trial of (Service) ends soon. Don’t miss out on full access — upgrade today!

Re-engagement SMS for inactive users

Hello (Name), it’s been a while since you ordered your favorite (Product Name). Ready to make an order here (Link)?

Hi (Name), we miss you! Your favorite (Product Name) is waiting for you. Get it now with (Discount Code).

New product launch SMS

Hi (Name), we’re excited to launch new (Product Name). Use this code (Discount Code) in your next checkout for a (X%) discount.

Hey (Name), check out our brand-new (Product Name). Use (Discount Code) for an exclusive (X%) off!

Product arrival update SMS

(Name), great news! We just shipped your (Product Name). It’ll be arriving in 2-3 business days.

Hi (Name), your (Product Name) is on the way! Expect delivery by (Date).

Ask for a review over SMS

Hello (Name), I hope you’re enjoying your recent purchase of (Product Name). Would you like to leave us a review? Use this link (Link).

Hi (Name), we’d love to hear your thoughts on (Product Name). Please leave a review here: (Link).

Cart abandonment reminder SMS

Hi (Name), we noticed you didn’t complete your purchase of (Product Name). You can complete it using this link (Link).

Hi (Name), don’t forget about your (Product Name)! Complete your purchase here: (Link).

Special birthday discount SMS

Happy birthday to you, (Name)! To celebrate your special day, get a (X%) discount on your next order.

Happy birthday, (Name)! Enjoy (X%) off your next purchase with code (Discount Code).

Event reminder SMS

Hi (Name)! Just a quick reminder about the (Event Name) happening this Saturday at (Time). We can’t wait to see you there! Don’t forget to bring a friend!

Conclusion

The impact of personalized text messages in ecommerce is huge. Nowadays, people want real connections with brands, so tailoring your SMS communications to fit their unique preferences and behaviors is important. When you send out personalized messages, you’re not just firing off a text — you’re building a relationship that encourages loyalty and trust. The benefits are clear — better engagement, higher conversion rates, and happier customers are all achievable when you focus on personalization.

Ecommerce is changing fast, and businesses that adapt will be the ones that succeed. With 56% of shoppers more likely to come back after getting personalized messages, it’s a no-brainer to incorporate this approach into your marketing strategy. By understanding your customers and addressing their needs, you make your brand stand out as caring in an otherwise impersonal digital landscape.

Now’s the perfect time to jump in. Use the tips and insights shared above to create custom SMS campaigns that speak to your audience. Tools like Omnisend can help simplify your efforts and show you how your communication can improve. In the end, personalized messaging isn’t just a marketing strategy — it’s a way to deliver excellent customer experiences that foster loyalty and growth, helping your business thrive in a competitive market. 

Start personalizing now and watch your customer relationships flourish. 

FAQ

This FAQ section addresses common queries related to sending personalized text messages, helping you navigate the nuances of SMS marketing and enhance your messaging strategy.