How to understand SMS reports
After incorporating SMS messaging into your campaigns and workflows, you can evaluate the results of each text message send. How can you tell if your SMS messages are helping your business grow? In this article, we'll go over key SMS metrics and look at SMS reports in AVADA analytics view to ensure your SMS marketing is optimized.
There are three factors that influence whether your recipients receive a text message or not
SMS marketing platform
You create and send your messages through the SMS marketing platform. Before a message is sent to recipients, the platform may perform certain checks. AVADA, for example, will examine the message's content to see if it contains any non-compliant terms, as well as notifying you if the SMS's number of characters if above limits.
Wireless carriers
If the message passes the SMS marketing platform's validation, it is routed to wireless carriers. Carriers will conduct their own checks, looking for SHAFT/illegal terms in the message, URL, or linked landing page, as well as the sender type. Each carrier has its own set of criteria for these checks and will filter SMS and MMS messages accordingly. Carriers may provide a reason for a failed delivery on occasion, but this is not always the case. They sometimes do not confirm delivery or failure at all to keep people from learning more about their checks and how to avoid them.
Recipient's mobile device
The recipient's device is the final component of deliverability. Once approved by the wireless carrier, the message should be delivered to the individual's phone. However, it may not be delivered if, for example, the phone is turned off or in an area without service. Android devices can also route messages to a spam folder instead of displaying them in the main SMS inbox.
These are the key SMS specific metrics that AVADA chose to highlight and show how your SMS marketing is performing:
SMS Sent: The number of SMS messages that AVADA sent.
SMS Clicked: The numbers of customers clicking on the links within the SMS message.
SMS Delivered: The number of SMS messages that AVADA recorded as successfully sent to recipients' inboxes. Based on your location and the legitimate of the phone number list, this number can be lower than the SMS Sent.
These are all the places that you can view SMS reports inside AVADA.
Right on the Dashboard when logging into the app, you can click on the Overall Analytics button and read a quick reports on how both your email and SMS marketing are performing. You can see the number of SMS sent and SMS clicked in this, as well as a leaderboards for the best performing campaigns, both in Automation and Campaigns.
Click on Reports -> General from the Dashboard, and you will see an overall analytics of your SMS performance in the Automation section and Campaign (Right tab next to Automation).
Here, you can see all the key metrics mentioned above about your SMS marketing performance, especially associated with automation workflows.
Scroll down and you will see a performance panel that lets you view your SMS count in the form of a wave graph.
When clicking on the Campaigns section, you can see the details on an SMS campaign right from the outside, as in the image below.
You can click on the campaign to have a more detailed look on the Report tab, like this.
While viewing the reports, see if you’re using segments to target the right audience for text messages. Also, examine the content and timing of your SMS to have the best click and deliver rate.
Last but not least, you can view the SMS message performance when it's inside an automation workflow. To do that, go to the Automation tab and click on any workflow that contains SMS inside. You can recognize them through the symbol of text message as in the image below. You can also hover over them to see the name of the SMS.
When inside a workflow, you can view the report on the SMS at the Workflow step. Similarly to other places, you can view the sent, delivered, clicked, and also the revenue of the SMS.
When the automation workflow goes live, you will the a Report tab for all of its elements, including the SMS.
Examine SMS flow performance on a per-message basis around the message's content, including the link, opt-out text, call to action, and so on. You should also see if the surrounding splits and time delays ensure that the intended group received your message on time.
SMS engagement rates are typically higher than email engagement rates. There are a few questions you can ask yourself if you're concerned about your metrics.
Is the link pointing to the correct URL?
Do you follow up on any discounts that have been offered?
Is your text message's copy compelling?
Is your flow split based on customer action?
Is the message's content personalized?
Have you created a sense of scarcity or urgency?
If you answered no to any of the preceding questions, go back and revise the content of your SMS to make it as appealing as possible.
Also, take note of any failed deliveries. The failed delivery rate should ideally be as low as possible. If you notice a high number of failed deliveries, investigate the causes.
There are several methods for increasing or maintaining SMS deliverability. First, whenever possible, use segments. When you first start out, you'll probably want to send to your entire SMS list, but as you gain more subscribers, it's important to create targeted groups based on engagement, purchase history, interests, and so on.
Other suggestions include:
Using a reputable sending number, such as a short code or a toll-free number.
Only send between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. in the recipient's local time.
Making it clear to recipients who is sending the message, for example, by including your organization's name in the message.
Incorporating opt-out language, you can edit the unsubscribe words inside an SMS editor.
Sending approximately 2-6 SMS messages per month
Understand how your SMS is delivered
There are three factors that influence whether your recipients receive a text message or not
SMS marketing platform
You create and send your messages through the SMS marketing platform. Before a message is sent to recipients, the platform may perform certain checks. AVADA, for example, will examine the message's content to see if it contains any non-compliant terms, as well as notifying you if the SMS's number of characters if above limits.
Wireless carriers
If the message passes the SMS marketing platform's validation, it is routed to wireless carriers. Carriers will conduct their own checks, looking for SHAFT/illegal terms in the message, URL, or linked landing page, as well as the sender type. Each carrier has its own set of criteria for these checks and will filter SMS and MMS messages accordingly. Carriers may provide a reason for a failed delivery on occasion, but this is not always the case. They sometimes do not confirm delivery or failure at all to keep people from learning more about their checks and how to avoid them.
Recipient's mobile device
The recipient's device is the final component of deliverability. Once approved by the wireless carrier, the message should be delivered to the individual's phone. However, it may not be delivered if, for example, the phone is turned off or in an area without service. Android devices can also route messages to a spam folder instead of displaying them in the main SMS inbox.
Key metrics for SMS in AVADA
These are the key SMS specific metrics that AVADA chose to highlight and show how your SMS marketing is performing:
SMS Sent: The number of SMS messages that AVADA sent.
SMS Clicked: The numbers of customers clicking on the links within the SMS message.
SMS Delivered: The number of SMS messages that AVADA recorded as successfully sent to recipients' inboxes. Based on your location and the legitimate of the phone number list, this number can be lower than the SMS Sent.
Where to view SMS reports
These are all the places that you can view SMS reports inside AVADA.
The Dashboard for a quick report
Right on the Dashboard when logging into the app, you can click on the Overall Analytics button and read a quick reports on how both your email and SMS marketing are performing. You can see the number of SMS sent and SMS clicked in this, as well as a leaderboards for the best performing campaigns, both in Automation and Campaigns.
The General reports of SMS performance
Click on Reports -> General from the Dashboard, and you will see an overall analytics of your SMS performance in the Automation section and Campaign (Right tab next to Automation).
Here, you can see all the key metrics mentioned above about your SMS marketing performance, especially associated with automation workflows.
Scroll down and you will see a performance panel that lets you view your SMS count in the form of a wave graph.
The reports for Single SMS Campaign
When clicking on the Campaigns section, you can see the details on an SMS campaign right from the outside, as in the image below.
You can click on the campaign to have a more detailed look on the Report tab, like this.
While viewing the reports, see if you’re using segments to target the right audience for text messages. Also, examine the content and timing of your SMS to have the best click and deliver rate.
The reports for certain automation workflow
Last but not least, you can view the SMS message performance when it's inside an automation workflow. To do that, go to the Automation tab and click on any workflow that contains SMS inside. You can recognize them through the symbol of text message as in the image below. You can also hover over them to see the name of the SMS.
When inside a workflow, you can view the report on the SMS at the Workflow step. Similarly to other places, you can view the sent, delivered, clicked, and also the revenue of the SMS.
When the automation workflow goes live, you will the a Report tab for all of its elements, including the SMS.
Examine SMS flow performance on a per-message basis around the message's content, including the link, opt-out text, call to action, and so on. You should also see if the surrounding splits and time delays ensure that the intended group received your message on time.
What to learn from your SMS reports
SMS engagement rates are typically higher than email engagement rates. There are a few questions you can ask yourself if you're concerned about your metrics.
Is the link pointing to the correct URL?
Do you follow up on any discounts that have been offered?
Is your text message's copy compelling?
Is your flow split based on customer action?
Is the message's content personalized?
Have you created a sense of scarcity or urgency?
If you answered no to any of the preceding questions, go back and revise the content of your SMS to make it as appealing as possible.
Also, take note of any failed deliveries. The failed delivery rate should ideally be as low as possible. If you notice a high number of failed deliveries, investigate the causes.
Best practices for SMS deliverability
There are several methods for increasing or maintaining SMS deliverability. First, whenever possible, use segments. When you first start out, you'll probably want to send to your entire SMS list, but as you gain more subscribers, it's important to create targeted groups based on engagement, purchase history, interests, and so on.
Other suggestions include:
Using a reputable sending number, such as a short code or a toll-free number.
Only send between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. in the recipient's local time.
Making it clear to recipients who is sending the message, for example, by including your organization's name in the message.
Incorporating opt-out language, you can edit the unsubscribe words inside an SMS editor.
Sending approximately 2-6 SMS messages per month
Updated on: 06/09/2021
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