---
title: "Create and Customize SMS Messages"
slug: "create-sms-message"
updated: 2025-07-25T15:23:16Z
published: 2025-07-25T15:23:16Z
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.mapp.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Create and Customize SMS Messages

## Goal

Create an SMS message in Mapp Engage and enhance it with personalizations, links, or coupon codes.

---

## Prerequisites

- SMS messaging is an extra feature in Mapp Engage. Ensure that its setup in your system is complete.
- To use coupons:
  - Generate alphanumeric coupons in a shop or CRM system.
  - Import the coupons as a TXT or CSV file into a coupon list in Mapp Engage. See [Import Coupons Into a Coupon List](/v1/docs/coupons-import-coupons-into-a-coupon-list).

---

## Procedure

### Step 1 - Type

1. In the main navigation, click *Create New > Message > SMS Message*.
2. Enter message information and click **Create**.

---

### Step 2 - Content

1. Enter your SMS text in the input field.
  - The current character count appears beneath the input field.
  - The system displays the number of SMS segments required for sendout.
2. (Optional) Add content:
  - **Personalization**
    - Click **Personalization**.
    - In the pop-up, search for or create a personalization.
    - Drag and drop the placeholder into the message. Example: `<%${user['FirstName']}%>`

> [!NOTE]
> **Note**: Personalization fields and Mapp Engage Variables are dynamically replaced with actual values at the time of sendout. As a result, the character count shown in the editor may not reflect the final message length. Each recipient may receive an SMS of a different length depending on the personalized values.
  - **Links**

Mapp Engage offers link shortening to optimize your SMS content. For details, see [Add Links to SMS](/v1/docs/add-links-to-sms).
    - Add plain-text links (e.g., `www.example.com`). Do not use HTML tags.
    - Click **Shorten Links** to reduce character count.
    - (Optional) Add placeholders to the shortened URL. Example: `https://mre.li/3koE09CW?email=<%user.Email%>`
  - **Coupons**
    - Click **Mapp Engage Variables**.
    - From the *Category* drop-down, select *Coupon*.

> [!NOTE]
> Note: Character count adjusts at sendout based on actual coupon length.
3. Expand the **Advanced Options** section.
4. In the *SMS Encoding* area, choose the desired encoding:
  - 7-bit (GSM ISO 8859-1): Up to 160 characters
  - 16-bit (UTF-8): Up to 70 characters, required for special characters
5. Preview the message to ensure that everything displays correctly.
6. Click **Prepare Sendout**.

---

### Step 3 - Configuration

This step defines how and when your SMS message is sent. You choose the target group, schedule or send immediately, apply segmentation, and optionally save the message for repeated or automated use.

For details, see [SMS Message Creation: 3 - Configuration](/v1/docs/prepare-sms-sendout).

---

### Step 4 - Summary

1. In the *Summary*step, you review all message settings and see the message preview.
2. Click **Prepare Sendout** to return to the previous step, where you can edit the message.
3. Click **Send**(if Message Transport was set to *Immediately*), or **Schedule Message** (if Message Transport was set to *Schedule*).

---

## Best Practices

- Use short links to save space and improve readability, especially on feature phones.
- Avoid direct link tracking in SMS; use analytics tools on landing pages instead.
- Use placeholders to tailor messages, but keep in mind variable lengths can affect the final message count.
- Only alphanumeric coupons can be used—barcodes are not supported in SMS.

---

## Related

- [Message Creation: Type (SMS)](/sms-message-creation-1-type.md)
- [Message Creation: Content (SMS)](/compose-sms.md)
- [Message Creation: Configuration (SMS)](/prepare-sms-sendout.md)
- [Message Creation: Summary (SMS)](/sms-sendout-summary.md)