Calculate the cost per lead acquired via SMS in Morocco: the complete method

What matters is not what the SMS platform (EnvoiSMS, Twilio, etc.) charged you. What matters is knowing how much it cost you to acquire a qualified prospect (a Lead) ready to be called by your sales force.
Cost Per Lead (CPL) is the only metric that allows you to objectively compare SMS to Google Ads or Facebook sponsorship. Here is the calculation method.

The mathematical formula is extremely simple:
CPL = Total cost of the SMS campaign / Number of Leads generated.

All the subtlety lies in the definition of what a “Generated Lead” is.
A click on the link is not a lead. A Lead is a potential customer who has completed a registration form, asked to be called back, or validated a real estate pre-registration following receipt of your SMS campaign.

Let's imagine the case of a Moroccan real estate developer who sells high-end apartments in Rabat. It has a database of 8,000 “cold” contacts (former visitors to real estate shows).
He decides to send an SMS with a link to a visit request form: "Last sea view apartments. Book your private visit this weekend: [Link]"

Step 1: The Total Cost of the Campaign

• Base: 8,000 contacts.
• The marketing team wrote a somewhat long message, which takes 2 SMS segments (i.e. 2 SMS charged per contact).
• SMS price: 0.65 MAD (Starter rate with a validated Sender ID).
• Campaign cost = 8,000 contacts x 2 segments x 0.65 MAD = 10,400 MAD.

Step 2: The Funnel (Conversion)

• Out of the 8,000 sendings, thanks to the massive SMS opening rate, 900 people (11%) click on the link and land on the landing page.
• The page is clear, and 40 people fill out the contact form with their name and number.
• Number of Leads generated: 40.

Step 3: The Final Calculation

• CPL = 10,400 MAD / 40 Leads.
• The Cost Per Lead is 260 MAD.

You have now paid 260 MAD to get a potential client's hot number for an apartment. Is it expensive?

In Morocco, in the real estate or automobile sector, the Cost per Lead on Facebook Ads (Meta) often varies between 50 MAD (very polluted, "curious" leads) and 200 MAD (qualified leads).
The big advantage of CPL via SMS on a proprietary basis is qualification. The customer already knows your business. A 260 MAD lead via SMS, even if pricier on paper, is infinitely more qualitative (and more likely to turn into a sale worth millions of Dirhams) than a cold Lead from Facebook.

If your SMS CPL is too high, you don't need to abandon the B2B SMS platform. You need to optimize the funnel.

1. Reduce the cost in the numerator: Reduce the size of your text to fit into a single segment of 160 characters (in French). You instantly divide your CPL by two (it will drop to 130 MAD).
2. Increase leads in the denominator: If the Landing Page where the customer lands is slow or is not perfectly adapted to mobile phones (Responsive), the customer closes the window. The SMS money has been paid, but the lead is lost. Always optimize the landing page.
3. Continuous cleaning: Purge "Hard Bounces" (inactive numbers). If 10% of your base is made up of numbers deallocated by Maroc Telecom or inwi, you pay 10% of your bill for the void, which artificially inflates your Cost per Acquisition Lead.