Why SMS Marketing Matters

SMS marketing gives businesses a direct communication channel with customers.

Some useful ways to use it include:

• Announcing discounts and sales
• Sending important updates
• Promoting new arrivals
• Reaching previous customers
• Sending delivery or pickup notifications
• Targeting specific customer groups

Unlike social media posts that disappear into the algorithm jungle 🌪️, SMS lands directly in the customer’s inbox.

SMS Pricing on Uzanga

Uzanga charges:

• KES 0.8 per SMS
• Each SMS covers up to 160 characters

Longer messages or messages with emojis may cost more because they use additional characters.

To reduce costs:

• Keep messages short and clear
• Avoid unnecessary emojis
• Use shortened links

Understanding Sender IDs

A Sender ID is the name customers see when they receive your SMS.

Examples:

• Quickmart
• Playland
• Your business name

By default, SMS messages will use Uzanga’s default sender identity. If you want your own business name to appear, you’ll need to purchase a custom Sender ID.

Sender ID Pricing

Custom Sender IDs cost approximately KES 20,000 as a one-time purchase.

Once purchased, the Uzanga team helps you set it up for your account.

Think of it like buying a custom domain for your website, but for SMS branding instead.

Step 1: Open Promotional SMS

Inside your Uzanga admin:

• Go to Promotions
• Select Promotional SMS

This is where you’ll manage campaigns, credits, customer segments, and SMS sending.

Step 2: Activate Your SMS Account

Before sending SMS campaigns, you need to activate your SMS account.

During activation:

• Confirm your email
• Verify your phone number using the SMS code sent to you
• Complete account setup

Once activated, your SMS wallet becomes available for use.

Step 3: Buy SMS Credits

You can top up your SMS wallet using:

• M-Pesa
• Card Payments
• Your Uzanga Wallet balance

Once payment is completed, your SMS balance becomes available immediately.

Step 4: Add Customers

Before sending campaigns, your customers need to exist inside your Uzanga customer list.

To add a customer:

• Open Customers
• Add customer details
• Include Name, email, phone number

You can manually add customers from your contacts or phonebook.

Step 5: Create Customer Segments

Customer segments help you group specific customers together.

For example:

• Customers from a pop-up event
• VIP buyers
• Pickup customers
• Wholesale clients
• Customers interested in certain products

To create a segment:

• Go to promotions
• Open customer segments
• Create a new segment
• Add customers into that segment

This allows you to send highly targeted SMS campaigns instead of messaging everyone.

Step 6: Create an SMS Campaign

To send a campaign:

• Open create campaign
• Choose recipients, all customers or specific customer segment
• Select the segment you want
• Compose your message

Example: " Dear Client, your order has been dropped at our pickup point at Central Building. School of Uzanga"

Always include your business name inside the SMS, especially if you don’t yet have a custom Sender ID.

Step 7: Add Links Carefully

You can include website links inside your SMS campaigns.

However:

• Long links increase character count
• More characters increase SMS cost

Use URL shorteners to reduce the number of characters before sending.

Step 8: Estimate SMS Cost

Before sending, Uzanga shows you:

• Number of recipients
• Estimated total cost

For example:

• 2 recipients
• Total cost: KES 1.6

This helps you control spending before launching campaigns.

Step 9: Send Your Campaign

Once everything looks good:

• Click Send Campaign
• Uzanga immediately delivers the SMS messages

You'll also be able to confirm whether recipients received the message successfully.

Best Practices for SMS Marketing

Bulk SMS can become a powerful marketing channel when used properly.

A few good habits:

• Keep messages short
• Avoid spamming customers
• Send only useful updates
• Target the right customer groups
• Use SMS sparingly but strategically

Think of SMS like a VIP entrance into your customer’s attention span 📩 Use it wisely and people actually look forward to your messages instead of treating them like digital mosquitoes.

Final Thoughts

Bulk SMS marketing on Uzanga gives businesses a direct and affordable way to communicate with customers.

Whether you're announcing offers, sharing updates, or following up with buyers, SMS marketing can help you stay visible and increase repeat sales.

Start small, experiment with campaigns, and gradually build a customer list you can reach anytime.