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SMS messages are constructed in segments, each at a cost. Understanding the intricacies of SMS length and character sets and how they impact your messaging strategy can save money and enhance your communication effectiveness.
The Basics of SMS Segmentation
In most parts of the world, a single SMS segment allows for a maximum of 160 standard GSM characters. This includes spaces between words, which are also counted as characters. It’s important to remember that as your message length increases, so does the cost because messages that exceed 160 characters are broken into multiple segments.
Long SMS Messages
When an SMS exceeds 160 characters, it becomes a long message. Modern smartphones can stitch these multiple segments together to appear as one cohesive message, a process known as concatenation.
However, concatenation comes with a cost: seven characters per segment are used to handle the stitching process. Therefore, the effective character limit for long messages is slightly reduced:
2 segments: 153 + 153 = 306 characters
3 segments: 153 + 153 + 153 = 459 characters
4 segments: 153 + 153 + 153 + 153 = 612 characters
Character Sets and Their Impact
Standard GSM Character Set: This set includes the most commonly used characters in everyday communication: all Latin letters (A-Z), digits (0-9), and a few special characters like Ö and è. Each of these characters counts as one character in your SMS segment.
Extended GSM Character Set: This includes additional characters such as the Euro sign (€) and curly braces ({ }). These characters take up two character spaces each in your SMS segment, reducing the number of characters you can use within a single segment.
Unicode Characters: Unicode covers many characters, including punctuation marks, mathematical symbols, non-Latin alphabets (like Thai, Chinese, and Arabic), and Emojis. Using any Unicode character changes the encoding from GSM to UCS-2, reducing the segment limit from 160 to 70 characters. When concatenating messages with Unicode characters, three characters per segment are used for the stitching process:
2 segments with Unicode: 67 + 67 = 134 characters
3 segments with Unicode: 67 + 67 + 67 = 201 characters
4 segments with Unicode: 67 + 67 + 67 + 67 = 268 characters
Using Emojis in SMS
Emojis are a popular way to add personality to your SMS messages, but they are considered Unicode characters and will reduce your segment length to 70 characters. Older 16-bit Emojis count as one character, while newer 32-bit Emojis count as two characters.
Managing Unicode Alerts
You will receive an alert when a Unicode character is included in your SMS. If the Unicode character was included intentionally, you can ignore the warning. However, if it was added by accident (such as when copying and pasting text from a word processor), you can remove it in the editor. This alert system helps you manage Unicode's length and cost implications.
Personalization in SMS
Adding personalization to your SMS messages, including data fields or Liquid markup, enhances communication and impacts message length and cost. Personalized fields vary in length depending on the data inserted. For instance, using a recipient's first name in the message:
Example: "Hey, @FIRSTNAME@."
- Contact names will differ in length, affecting the total character count and segment usage.
Example Scenario
Consider an SMS message of 155 characters that includes the recipient's first name. If you have two contacts, Amar (4 characters) and Charlotte (9 characters), the message length will be:
Message to Amar: 155 + 4 = 159 characters (1 segment)
Message to Charlotte: 155 + 9 = 164 characters (2 segments)
This example illustrates how personalization affects the character count and the number of segments used, impacting the overall cost.
Tips for Effective SMS Personalization
Be concise: Keep messages as short as possible while maintaining clarity.
Know your data: Understand the maximum length of the data fields or Liquid markup you are using.
Balance cost and effectiveness: Personalization can increase costs and enhance your message's effectiveness.
Conclusion
Understanding SMS segmentation, character sets, and the impact of Unicode and personalization is crucial for effective and cost-efficient SMS communication. By being mindful of these factors, you can optimize your messaging strategy, ensuring you deliver impactful messages without unnecessary costs.
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