SMS campaigns can yield big results for marketers, but there’s a catch: High hurdles around deliverability. For consumers, and ultimately for brands, it’s good that SMS messages are regulated. It’s bad when customers think you are intrusive. At the same time, many consumers prefer SMS as a communication channel, so the right text could be valuable to them and your brand.
Understanding these steps in deliverability will help your SMS campaign connect with the right audience.
Getting approval for SMS campaigns
An SMS marketing program needs approval from the wireless carrier. That means registering the number you send from through a 10DLC (10-digit long code) application.
“[10DLC is] the framework that you should use if you want to take advantage of SMS communication,” said Phillip Dane, founder and CEO of Ultimate WP SMS. “You need to go through the application processes and get set up. You need to use the same URL. You need to get your brand and campaigns approved. Without all of these, there is no deliverability.”
To avoid the heavy work of managing the approval process internally, companies like Text Request help manage the 10DLC application and approval process.
Also, mobile marketing technology platforms like Twilio have built-in software for SMS compliance.
In the U.S., regulations and guidelines are available in the Telephone Consumer Protection Act and “Short Code Monitoring Playbook” from the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA).
“Adhering to the regulations is crucial,” said Dane. “If your campaigns aren’t reaching their destination, that means you haven’t gone through all the steps or missed a crucial piece. Also, never message anyone who hasn’t opted in.”
Make sure you have consent for SMS messages
At the most basic level, SMS deliverability depends on how your business collects the numbers for messaging. Be sure to message only those customers who expect to receive SMS.
A customer who shares a mobile number is showing high interest and that SMS is a preferred communication channel.
Make the SMS use clear for customers giving consent, and avoid messaging numbers from third-party sources. Carriers will cut service to businesses that send SMS messages to people who haven’t consented to get them.
“There is still a group of marketers that get a database and blast their campaigns regardless of whether they have their customers’ consent,” said Dane. “If you do it the right way, you need to have all the contacts opt-in, and only reach out to people who want your information.”
He added: “And that takes time and effort that some companies don’t want to give. You couldn’t do it with SMS because carriers would shut you down immediately. SMS compliance is a bit more rigid, which ultimately benefits everyone.”
Building an effective SMS strategy
Effective SMS marketing strategies are built around deliverability. For instance, clear opt-in instructions for signups and unsubscribing in messages are part of compliance, ensure deliverability and are also important for customer experience.
Marketers should keep different kinds of SMS messages in distinct buckets and be careful about sending each bucket of messages to the wrong customer segment. Promotional SMS messages communicate a special offer or a new product to consumers. A customer expecting only service-related SMS messages (shipping updates, for example) doesn’t want to get a lot of texts about discounts on new purchases.
Engagement should be monitored regularly, especially at the beginning of an SMS program or campaign.
“After the technical requirements are in place, the next most important thing is utilizing a content strategy that earns the most positive engagements and the fewest negative engagements possible,” said Travis Hazlewood, head of deliverability at SMS marketing platform Ortto. “With SMS’s high engagement rates, it is easier to get into trouble faster due to a poor-performing SMS and is much more difficult to resolve in some cases.”
He added: “The key to a successful SMS content strategy is to remember that people’s phones are a very personal and sacred space. Marketers should ask themselves, as fellow consumers, what, if any, situation would warrant gratitude for such a message via SMS. Then, they can build their strategy around earning that response by meeting needs and pain points in line with that.”
Dig deeper: How The Container Store is using SMS to reach college students
Support for maintaining deliverability
Keep up to date on deliverability with free resources that cover SMS deliverability and related issues. Often, a mobile marketing platform will refer you to many of these free resources.
Additionally, if your business uses a mobile marketing platform, talk to the platform’s deliverability experts.
“I would not advise trusting third-party experts unless they are known to have a strong SMS platform that focuses on opt-in only sending,” said Hazlewood.
He added: “Most of the issues in SMS come from needing a better-informed strategy for SMS before setting up a phone number and sending your first message. SMS has a lot of options and limitations, but many marketers are completely unaware of them. What’s even more worrisome is that not only do most of these mistakes cause either high unsubscribe rates or carrier blocks (which are very difficult to work through), but they can actually result in legal responses in more ways than email mistakes can.”
Other common deliverability errors include:
- Setting up the wrong number type for their usage need.
- Not getting express promotional SMS content opt-in.
- Sending without understanding carrier rate limits, geographical legal requirements, cost-per-message (bounces cost the same as deliveries), etc.
- Sending general promotional content at high volumes.
Adhering to SMS guidelines and regulations, along with communicating message intent and user consent with recipients, will help ensure high deliverability for SMS campaigns.
