SMS marketing campaigns: Best practices for 2025

SMS campaigns are still a popular and effective marketing strategy for both small and enterprise businesses in 2025. Our 2025 Messaging Trends Report showed that while brands are evolving their messaging strategies towards a more conversational style of communication, SMS is still a pillar channel.

Across all industries and every region that we track, a combination of SMS and messaging apps like WhatsApp or Viber are used the most.

In this blog we cover the best practices for SMS campaigns, how to remain compliant with legislation, and provide some useful examples of effective SMS campaigns across a variety of industries and use cases.

What is an SMS campaign?

An SMS campaign is a marketing or communication strategy that leverages text messages to engage with an audience. These messages can be automated and triggered by an action – for example, when an order confirmation is sent to a customer that opted-in to receive SMS order updates.

There are two primary types of SMS campaigns, outbound and inbound (or one-way versus two-way). We cover these in detail in our blog Inbound vs outbound SMS campaigns, but to summarize:

• Outbound SMS campaigns are a marketing or communication strategy where a business sends text messages to a list of recipients or messages that have been triggered by an action that an individual takes. These messages can include sales promotions, reminders, or alerts like purchase confirmations or delivery notifications.
• Inbound SMS campaigns are when prospects initiate contact with a business, usually in response to ads, to request information, or by interacting with automated services like chatbots. Businesses usually set up dedicated numbers or shortcodes to receive these inbound messages and engage with customers accordingly.

Examples of SMS campaigns

The most effective use cases for outbound SMS messages leverage the specific strengths of the channel. It is extremely effective for short, direct messages like restock reminders, product updates and specific promotional campaigns that don’t require images or a lot of contextual information.

The fact that SMS messages are delivered almost instantaneously make it an ideal channel for time sensitive campaigns.

1. Welcome or onboarding messages

2. Coupons and special offers

3. Abandoned cart reminders

4. Shipping and delivery notifications

5. Surveys and feedback

6. Appointment reminders

SMS campaign best practices

As we have seen in the above examples, SMS is most effective when used as part of an omnichannel communication strategy that enables the business to get maximum benefit from the reach and open rates of the channel.

By using it for short, direct messages you can then incorporate email, messaging apps and social media for campaigns that use rich media and need to convey more information.

However, it is extremely important that the channels operate cohesively to achieve your overall campaign objective. Customers should always have a consistent experience no matter what the touchpoint is.

Here are some more SMS campaign best practices to help you maximize the effectiveness of your communication and remain compliant with privacy legislation.

1. Optimize the opt-in process

In almost all cases you need explicit consent from recipients before sending them marketing messages. There are a number of proven ways to collect opt-ins that are effective and compliant with legislation.

• Add opt-in to business workflows: Set up the options at key touchpoints such as at checkout, when a customer creates account, in the preferences section of their profile settings, or when they sign up for a newsletter or request a brochure.
• Leverage your existing email list: Provide an incentive for people that have already opted in to receive emails form you to also receive SMS. Make sure to convey the specific benefits of signing up for SMS communication, for example to receive immediate notifications about promotions and new product launches.
• Events and webinars: When hosting physical or online events provide an option for people to opt-in to receiving SMS from you. Again, adding an incentive will increase the opt-in rate.
• Use QR codes for opt-in: These can be displayed on product packaging, on outdoor paid media, or in online ads or social media.
• Extend your SMS reach through partnerships: If your business is part of a larger group, or if you have existing partnerships with other complementary businesses then you can cross-promote each other’s SMS lists to expanding your reach.

2. Segment audiences for more personal messages

Rather than sending the same generic message to all your recipients, divide them into smaller groups based on demographics, purchase history, or behavior. This allows you to send more relevant messages to each group.

You can also use templates that include personal touches like the customer’s name, location, or relevant details like the products they have bought or have expressed an interest in.

3. Abide by compliance regulations

SMS rules and regulations are designed to ensure that people only receive the SMS communications they want from businesses. They vary by region and can even be different between carriers in the same country.

To help you stay on the right side of the rules and ensue that your messages don’t get blocked we have put together a guide to global SMS compliance regulations.

This provides detail in the following areas:

• Opt-in (and out): In most countries you can only send SMS messages to customers that have opted-in to receiving them. Beware that that the definition of ‘opt-in’ has matured and usually has to be explicit, usually through a sign-up form or by sending a keyword. Implied opt-in because a customer bought a product or service and forgot to uncheck a tick-box is no longer acceptable. Opt-out allows customers to stop receiving messages by following a simple process, such as replying ‘STOP’.”
• Sender ID: A Sender ID refers to the name of the sender in the recipient’s inbox. In some markets, you can use alphanumeric senders, meaning that you can send SMS messages using your own brand name rather than a number your customers don’t recognize. However, this option is not available everywhere, and you might need to pre-register your Sender ID due to rules that prevent duplication and SMS fraud.
• Message content: Most countries differentiate between transactional and marketing messages and apply different restrictions. A delivery notification or a weather alert would be classed as transactional, while any promotional or sales message would come under marketing. Even in regions where marketing messages are allowed, there are usually additional restrictions on content related to gambling, drugs and alcohol, adult-themed products, and both political and religious topics.
• Message length: It is commonly accepted that 160 characters is the limit for SMS messages, but this can be less in some countries. It is up to individual carriers in each country whether to support truncation (concatenated messages). Be warned that some carriers will only send the first 160 characters, with the rest being discarded.
• Sending time: In many countries, you are only allowed to message customers between certain hours, such as 8am and 8pm, and sometimes not at all on certain days, for example on Sundays in France.
• ‘Do not contact’ registries: In many countries, consumers can opt out of receiving business communications by signing up to do-not-contact or do-not-disturb registries. If you ignore this, you run the risk of service suspensions or fines.

4. Optimize the timing of SMS messages

Sending your SMS messages at the best time for recipients to engage with them can make a huge difference to the effectiveness of your campaign. Check out our detailed blog on the best time to send SMS marketing messages which covers the best time of the day, best day of the week, and best period of the month to send your messages.

5. Track URL clicks

Send out shortened URLs and track who and when they clicked on them. Use this knowledge for more precise targeting in your subsequent marketing efforts, and make sure you only deliver what’s relevant and meaningful for your audience. You can also see the type of operating system the receiving phone is running on and use that to enhance the user experience.

6. Use the right number for outbound SMS

Each country has rules for what type of number can be used for two-way SMS campaigns. In some countries, you must use a short code; in others, a virtual long number (VLN) is okay. You need to know in which countries you need which type of number and if your provider can offer two-way SMS in that country.

• A virtual long number has 11 or 12 digits and can receive messages from all MNO partners. VLNs are often used for people to opt out of a marketing campaign or any kind of campaign where the short code is not required (like transactional messages from banks). Virtual numbers have country and network codes, so they can be used to send or receive messages anywhere in the world (as long as MNOs have established roaming agreements).
• Short codes are generally 4 to 6 digits long. Short code lengths differ from country to country, and they don’t have a country or network code. Because of this, they only work within the country they were created for. For example, a short code created in the U.S. can’t be used in Canada or Mexico (even though they share a common system of area codes and exchanges for long numbers).

The answer to short code or VLN isn’t always cut and dried. Sometimes VLNs are perfect for a two-way SMS campaign, especially if a short code isn’t available or is too expensive – but your provider needs to know when you can and can’t use VLNs.

6. Use analytics and reporting effectively

Accessing data and analytics for your campaigns can help you fine tune and adjust for better results in the future. Given the differences in message delivery chains, technology, and cultures around the world, every campaign can be significantly enhanced using data aggregated from both operators and in-house marketing software.

The role of messaging providers in SMS campaigns

In a perfect world when sending an SMS campaign, you would send your messages directly through a mobile network operator (MNO), who would deliver them to recipients. That’s the shortest possible route, but it’s only possible in a small number of cases.

A Tier 1 messaging provider is a company that has direct connection to operators. If you want to send messages to customers served by that operator, using a Tier 1 connection is probably your best option. (Tier 2 is where a company sends messages through a Tier 1 connection and then to the operator. Tier 3 services mean three companies are involved in the transmission, and Tier 4 means four are involved.)

Each time you add another link in the chain, you increase the chances of a message not reaching your customers. Messages are delivered in large batches, with the possibility of a few being dropped each time they’re moved down the line. How many? It can vary widely from country to country and connection to connection. This is why it’s best to have the shortest delivery chain between you and your customer.

Longer delivery chains are also typically more expensive for companies to use. Each participant in the chain is paid for its services, so even though it’s a less efficient, less reliable method – it often costs more, too.

Supporting A2P messages requires an investment in hardware and software to manage messages that originate from one number but are sent to hundreds of other numbers at once. When an operator doesn’t have the A2P technology needed to support your traffic, a messaging provider fills the gap, benefiting all facets of the ecosystem.

SMS campaign success stories

As a Tier 1 messaging provider we help businesses all over the world to improve the success of their SMS campaigns by helping them to navigate market regulations, understand country-specific regulations, and providing the tools and platform to manage SMS campaigns from setup and sending to reporting.

Just a sample of the brands that we have helped include:

• Branch: Achieve the highest possible delivery rates for business-critical messages.
• Text Global: Increased customer lifetime value and stickiness with modular API solutions.
• GAME HOURS: Crafting effective and engaging campaigns for female gamers
• MrSpeedy reduced costs by 50% and increased delivery rates
• Dahmakan doubled conversion rates and saved 30%
• Volpy saw a 30% increase in active users after its first SMS campaign