Personalizing Messages with Variables

Why Personalization Matters

Personalized messages have 3x higher engagement than generic blasts. Sakura SMS supports dynamic merge variables that insert contact-specific data into each message.

Available Variables

• {name} — Contact's full name
• {firstName} — Contact's first name
• {lastName} — Contact's last name
• {phone} — Contact's phone number
• {company} — Contact's company name

Example

Template: Hello {name}, your appointment is confirmed for tomorrow at 10 AM. Reply CANCEL to reschedule.

Result: Hello John Doe, your appointment is confirmed for tomorrow at 10 AM. Reply CANCEL to reschedule.

Best Practices

• Always set a fallback value (e.g., "Customer") in case the field is empty
• Test with a small group before sending to your full audience
• Personalization helps bypass spam filters on Vodacom and Tigo, since each message is unique