Top 5 SMS Best Practices

Business Text Messaging Tips

Short message service, or SMS, is a great communication tool for consumers and businesses alike. It gives organizations an open link to their audience, being able to deliver messages for marketing or transactional purposes, directly to the device consumers spend most of their time on: their smartphone. As SMS’s popularity continues to increase, scams have become commonplace. Consumers are losing trust in SMS messages being sent to them from businesses due to losing millions every year. According to a CBS News report in June 2023, in the year 2022 alone, U.S. consumers lost $330 million to fraudulent text messages, while in year 2021 and 2020, U.S. consumers lost $131 million and $86 million respectively.  

With these statistics in mind, we’ve put together the top 5 SMS best practices that businesses, just like yours, can follow when sending SMS messages to your audience. By adhering to these best practices, you can ensure that your SMS messages resonate trust with your audience. Establishing trust and building positive relationships will always increase the effectiveness of any type of SMS campaign you wish to send. Afer all, 55% of people say they prefer SMS over apps like Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, showing that despite scam activity, SMS remains the most trusted and convenient channel - when done right.

1. Identify Yourself and Get Consent

Before sending any SMS, it’s critical to gain clear consent from your audience, especially if you're targeting recipients in the United States. Under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), you must obtain Prior Express Written Consent before sending promotional messages. This includes letting recipients know:

• They are agreeing to receive text messages from your business.
• Messages may be sent via automated systems.

• They can opt out at any time.

   

Equally important: Identify your business in each message. Using a consistent, dedicated virtual SMS number helps customers recognize who is messaging them, and builds trust over time.

Compliance Requirement: Keep a record of opt-ins, including the date and method of consent. This protects your business and is helpful if you ever need to check a number against the FCC’s Reassigned Numbers Database (RND) to ensure it hasn’t been reassigned to a new user.

2. Provide Immediate Value

With a 160-character limit, you need to get to the point, fast. Make sure your message clearly explains:

• Who it’s from
• What it’s about
• What action you want the recipient to take

Include a short, trustworthy CTA link, a prompt to reply, or relevant appointment or order info.

If your message needs to be longer, Notifyre can automatically string together multiple message parts (also known as concatenated SMS) so your message arrives as one seamless experience for the recipient.

3. Add an Unsubscribe Option

Let customers opt out easily. Adding an SMS opt-out option is a compliance requirement under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the CAN-SPAM Act and it also shows respect for your audience’s preferences.

Notifyre automatically handles SMS opt-outs: anyone who replies with “STOP” or “UNSUBSCRIBE” is placed in a real-time unsubscribed group and excluded from future messages.

4. Send Your Message at the Right Time

Time your messages for maximum relevance and impact. For time-sensitive content like 2FA codes, messages should be delivered instantly. For marketing or SMS survey feedback requests, consider sending them during working hours or shortly after an interaction (like a booking or purchase).

5. Be Consistent

Use the same 10DLC number for all SMS communications to help recipients recognise your messages. This consistency helps build trust and reduces confusion, especially important in industries affected by scams or phishing attempts.

If impersonation is a risk in your space, consider publishing alerts on your website or social media to reinforce which numbers your business uses.

Easily Implement SMS Best Practices with Notifyre

With Notifyre’s powerful SMS marketing tools, including SMS personalization, bulk text messaging, and automated opt-out management, you can deliver professional, targeted, and timely communications with ease. Whether you're sending SMS appointment reminders to reduce no shows, blasting promotional offers, or sending emergency text alerts, Notifyre helps you reach your audience effectively and securely.

By following these 5 essential SMS best practices, especially around consent and 10DLC compliance, you’ll build trust, improve engagement, and run SMS campaigns your customers actually want to receive.