Sending your first bulk SMS campaign with Sakura SMS is straightforward. This step-by-step guide walks you through composing a message, selecting your audience, scheduling delivery, and analysing results. By the end, you will have a professional SMS campaign reaching hundreds or thousands of Tanzanian customers.
Prerequisites
Before sending your first campaign, ensure you have completed the following:
- A verified account at sms.sakuragroup.co.tz (see our Getting Started guide)
- Sufficient SMS credits in your account (purchase via billing.sakurahost.co.tz)
- At least one contact group or a list of phone numbers ready to import
- A registered sender ID (optional but recommended for brand recognition)
Step-by-Step: Creating Your First Campaign
Log in to your Sakura SMS dashboard and click Send SMS in the left sidebar, then select New Campaign. Give your campaign a descriptive internal name such as "March Promo - Dar es Salaam Customers".
Select your approved sender ID from the dropdown. If you have not yet registered one, the system will use a default shared number. Custom sender IDs display your brand name (e.g., "SAKURAHOST") to recipients and significantly improve open rates. See our Sender ID guide for the registration process.
Choose recipients using one of three methods:
- Contact Groups: Select one or more pre-built groups (e.g., "Dar es Salaam Customers", "Premium Members")
- Manual Entry: Type or paste phone numbers separated by commas. Use the format 255XXXXXXXXX or 0XXXXXXXXX
- CSV Upload: Upload a CSV file with a column containing phone numbers. The system auto-detects the phone number column
Write your SMS in the message editor. The character counter shows remaining characters and how many SMS segments the message will use. A standard SMS is 160 characters (Latin) or 70 characters (Unicode/Swahili special characters). Messages exceeding these limits are automatically concatenated.
{first_name}, {last_name}, {company}, or any custom field from your contacts. For example: "Habari {first_name}, enjoy 20% off hosting this month at sakurahost.co.tz!" Each recipient receives a unique, personalised message.
Click Preview Message to see how your SMS will appear on a mobile phone. Use the Send Test SMS button to send a sample to your own number before broadcasting to your entire audience. Always test to catch formatting issues or typos.
Choose to send immediately or schedule for a future date and time. Scheduling is ideal for time-sensitive promotions. Set the timezone to EAT (East Africa Time, UTC+3) for Tanzanian audiences.
The confirmation screen shows: total recipients, estimated credit cost, sender ID, message preview, and scheduled time. Review carefully, then click Send Campaign. Credits are deducted immediately for instant sends or reserved for scheduled campaigns.
Crafting Effective SMS Messages
Keep It Concise
SMS is a concise medium. Get to the point quickly. Lead with the most important information or offer. Aim for a single, clear call-to-action such as a link, phone number, or reply keyword.
Use Bilingual Content Wisely
Many Tanzanian audiences respond well to Swahili or a Swahili-English mix. For example: "Habari! Get 30% off all hosting plans at sakurahost.co.tz. Use code HABARI30. Offer ends Friday!" Note that Swahili characters are standard Latin and do not consume extra SMS segments.
Include Opt-Out Instructions
For promotional campaigns, always include opt-out instructions. For example: "Reply STOP to unsubscribe." Sakura SMS automatically processes STOP replies and removes contacts from future campaigns, keeping you compliant with TCRA requirements.
Monitoring Campaign Performance
After sending, navigate to Reports in your Sakura SMS dashboard to track real-time delivery status:
- Delivered: Message successfully delivered to the recipient's handset
- Pending: Message is in the delivery queue or awaiting carrier confirmation
- Failed: Delivery failed due to invalid number, network issues, or handset off
- Rejected: Message blocked by carrier, usually due to content filtering or DND lists
Delivery Rate Benchmarks
A healthy SMS campaign in Tanzania typically achieves a 92-97% delivery rate. If your rate falls below 90%, consider cleaning your contact list by removing invalid numbers. Sakura SMS provides automatic list hygiene tools that flag inactive or invalid numbers after each campaign.
Cost Management Tips
- Character count matters: Keep messages under 160 characters to use a single SMS segment. A 161-character message costs double
- Remove duplicates: The platform automatically deduplicates numbers, but keeping your lists clean saves processing time
- Segment your audience: Targeted messages to relevant groups yield better ROI than blanket broadcasts
- Monitor your balance: Set up low-balance alerts in your dashboard settings to avoid interrupted campaigns
Next Steps
Now that you have sent your first campaign, explore more advanced features:
- Creating and managing contact groups for targeted outreach
- Integrating the SMS API into your own application
- Setting up WhatsApp Business for richer customer engagement
- Configuring AI auto-replies to handle incoming messages automatically
Need help optimising your campaigns? Submit a support ticket and our messaging specialists will review your setup.