Overview

Special characters can add personality and flair to your SMS marketing messages, helping them stand out in a crowded inbox. However, it’s important to understand how these characters work and the potential impact they can have on the cost of your SMS broadcasts. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know.

What Are Special Characters?

Special characters are symbols or non-standard text elements that go beyond basic alphanumeric characters (letters A-Z, numbers 0-9) and standard punctuation marks. Examples of special characters include:

• Emojis (e.g., ❤️, 🚀, 😉)
• Symbols (e.g., €, £, ©, ®, ₦)
• Accented letters (e.g., é, ü, ñ)
• Non-Latin scripts (e.g., Arabic, Chinese, or Cyrillic text)

How Special Characters Affect SMS Costs

1. Character Encoding: SMS messages are encoded using either the GSM-7 or UCS-2 encoding standards:

   • GSM-7: The standard encoding for most SMS messages. It supports basic Latin characters and standard punctuation.
   • UCS-2: Required for messages containing special characters, emojis, or non-Latin scripts. UCS-2 uses more data per character.

   If your SMS includes even one special character, the entire message is sent using UCS-2 encoding.

2. Message Length:

   • With GSM-7, one SMS can contain up to 160 characters.
   • With UCS-2, one SMS can contain only 70 characters due to the increased data usage of special characters.

   This means a single SMS with special characters may split into multiple messages, increasing the cost of delivery.

Tips to Manage Costs When Using Special Characters

• Use Special Characters Sparingly: Only include special characters when absolutely necessary to enhance your message.
• Preview Your Message:  Simpu allows you to preview your message and see how many SMS credits it will consume.
• Keep it Short: Ensure your message remains concise to avoid exceeding the character limit.
• A/B Test Your Campaigns: Experiment with and without special characters to see if the added flair impacts engagement enough to justify the cost.
• Leverage Emojis Wisely: Emojis can convey emotions effectively but use them strategically to maintain professionalism.

Example: Cost Comparison

Let’s consider two SMS broadcasts:

1. Without Special Characters:

   • Message: "Hurry! Get 20% off your next booking. Visit www.example.com to claim."
   • Encoding: GSM-7
   • Length: 80 characters (fits into 1 SMS)

2. With Special Characters:

   • Message: "✨ Hurry! Get 20% off your next booking – 🏨 Visit www.example.com to claim. ✨"
   • Encoding: UCS-2
   • Length: 90 characters (splits into 2 SMS messages)

The second message would cost double to send due to its UCS-2 encoding and length.

Final Thoughts

Special characters can make your SMS marketing messages more engaging, but they come at a higher cost. By understanding the impact of special characters on encoding and message length, you can create effective campaigns that balance creativity and budget.

Need more help optimizing your SMS campaigns? Contact Simpu’s support team for expert advice!