When a customer receives your text message, the first thing they see is not the message. It is the sender. "BALLOSTORE" tells them straight away who is writing. A random number makes them wonder whether it is spam, or worse, a scam.
That name is your sender ID, and getting it right is one of the simplest ways to make your SMS campaigns more effective.
What is a sender ID?
A sender ID is the label shown as the "from" field of an SMS. It comes in two forms:
- Alphanumeric: a short brand name made of letters and numbers, such as
BALLOADSorZESCO. It is limited to 11 characters and recipients cannot reply to it. - Numeric: a phone number or short code. Recipients can reply, which is useful for two-way conversations.
Most businesses use an alphanumeric ID for marketing and notifications, because it is instantly recognisable.
Why approval is required
Mobile networks protect their subscribers from fraud. Anyone could otherwise send a message that claims to come from a bank. For that reason, sender IDs must be registered and approved before networks will deliver messages under that name.
Approval normally means showing that the name belongs to your organisation. Expect to provide:
- your registered business name and registration details;
- a short description of the messages you plan to send, such as transaction alerts, reminders or promotions;
- in some cases, a letter of authorisation on company letterhead.
Approval is not instant. Allow time before a launch, and do not plan a campaign around a sender ID that has not been confirmed yet.
Choosing a good sender ID
Keep it recognisable. Use the name your customers already know: your trading name, not your legal entity name. "SHOPRITE" beats "SHPRT HLDGS".
Stay within 11 characters. Spaces count, and some handsets display them badly, so most businesses leave them out.
Avoid generic words. IDs like INFO, ALERT or PROMO are often rejected and give customers nothing to recognise.
Be consistent. Use the same ID for all your messages so customers learn to trust it. Changing it often makes your messages look suspicious.
Register more than one if you need to. Some organisations keep a separate ID for different brands or departments, for example a bank's lending arm and its insurance arm.
What happens if you send without an approved ID?
Depending on the network, a message sent under an unapproved name may be blocked, have its sender replaced with a generic number, or simply never arrive. All three hurt your campaign, and the third is the hardest to spot without proper delivery reports.
Sender IDs in BalloAds
Once your sender ID is approved, you select it when you create a campaign in BalloAds, and delivery reports show how each message was handled. If you are unsure which name to register, our team can help you choose one that is likely to be approved and easy for customers to recognise.
