SMS Deliverability Best Practices for Marketing Agencies

If your marketing agency struggles with low SMS delivery rates, this guide will help. We'll show you how to improve your SMS deliverability. This means more of your messages will reach your clients' customers. Good deliverability leads to better campaign results and happier clients. We'll cover key areas like sender reputation, message content, and timing.

Build a Strong Sender Reputation

Your sender reputation is like a credit score for your text messages. Mobile carriers check this score. A good score means your messages are more likely to get delivered. A bad score means they might be blocked or marked as spam.

Here’s how to build and keep a good reputation:

• Use A2P 10DLC Registration: This is a system for businesses sending application-to-person (A2P) SMS messages over regular 10-digit long codes (10DLC). It helps carriers know who you are and what kind of messages you send. Registering helps prevent your messages from being flagged as spam. Carriers like Twilio have detailed guides on this. Check their A2P 10DLC overview for current requirements: https://www.twilio.com/docs/messaging/compliance/a2p-10dlc. Remember, these rules can change, so always verify with your SMS provider or legal counsel.
• Keep Complaint Rates Low: If too many people mark your messages as spam, your reputation will suffer. Only send messages to people who have clearly agreed to receive them.
• Avoid High Opt-Out Rates: Make it easy for people to stop receiving messages. A simple "STOP" command should work. High opt-out rates tell carriers that your messages might not be wanted.
• Send Consistent Volumes: Don't send a huge blast of messages one day and then nothing for weeks. Try to send messages at a steady pace. Sudden spikes can look suspicious to carriers.
• Warm Up New Numbers: If you use a new phone number for SMS, don't send thousands of messages right away. Start with a small number of messages and slowly increase the volume over several days or weeks. This helps carriers trust your new number. You can learn more about building trust with numbers in our article on using local phone numbers to build trust in new markets.

Craft Engaging and Compliant Content

The content of your messages also affects deliverability. Spam filters look for certain words or patterns. Also, legal compliance is crucial.

Here’s what to focus on:

• Get Permission (Opt-In): This is the most important rule. You must have clear, documented permission from every person you text. This is often called "express consent." Without it, you risk legal trouble and blocked messages. Make sure your opt-in process is clear and easy to understand.
• Identify Yourself: Always make it clear who is sending the message. This builds trust and reduces spam complaints.
• Provide a Clear Call to Action: Tell recipients what you want them to do. "Click here to save 20%" is better than a vague offer.
• Avoid Spammy Keywords: Words like "free money," "guaranteed income," or excessive use of ALL CAPS can trigger spam filters. Keep your language natural and professional.
• Include Opt-Out Instructions: Every message should include clear instructions on how to stop receiving messages, e.g., "Reply STOP to unsubscribe."
• Check for Prohibited Content: Do not send messages about illegal substances, hate speech, or anything that violates carrier policies.
• Be Mindful of Links: Use reputable link shorteners if needed, but avoid too many links or suspicious-looking URLs. Some carriers flag messages with too many links.
• Review Compliance Guidelines: Laws like the CAN-SPAM Act (for email, but principles apply to SMS) and FCC rules for calls and texts are important. Always verify current requirements with your provider or legal counsel.
  • FCC consumer guidance: https://www.fcc.gov/rules-political-campaign-calls-and-texts
  • FTC CAN-SPAM business guide: https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/can-spam-act-compliance-guide-business

Optimize Timing and Frequency

When and how often you send messages matters. Sending too many messages or at the wrong time can annoy recipients and lead to opt-outs.

• Send During Business Hours: Generally, send messages during typical waking hours. Avoid late nights or very early mornings unless it's an urgent alert that recipients expect.
• Consider Time Zones: If your audience is spread across different time zones, adjust your sending times so messages arrive at an appropriate local time for everyone.
• Don't Overdo It: Sending too many messages can lead to "message fatigue." Recipients will get annoyed and unsubscribe. Find a balance that keeps your audience engaged without overwhelming them.
• Segment Your Audience: Not everyone needs the same message at the same time. Divide your audience into groups based on their interests, past actions, or demographics. Then, send targeted messages that are more relevant to each group. This increases engagement and reduces complaints.

Maintain a Clean Contact List

A clean contact list is fundamental to good deliverability. Sending messages to invalid or uninterested numbers wastes money and harms your sender reputation.

• Regularly Clean Your List: Remove inactive numbers, unsubscribed contacts, and numbers that consistently bounce messages.
• Handle Bounces: A "bounce" means a message couldn't be delivered. This could be due to an invalid number or a temporary issue. Track these and remove persistently bouncing numbers.
• Honor Opt-Outs Immediately: When someone opts out, stop sending them messages right away. This is not just good practice; it's often a legal requirement.
• Use Double Opt-In: For new subscribers, consider a double opt-in process. This means after they sign up, you send a confirmation message asking them to reply "YES" to confirm. This ensures they truly want your messages and helps keep your list clean.
• Segment Your List for Engagement: Identify your most engaged subscribers. You might send them more frequent or exclusive messages. For less engaged subscribers, try re-engagement campaigns or reduce frequency.

SMS Deliverability Checklist for Agencies

Use this checklist to ensure your agency's SMS campaigns are on track:

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## SMS Deliverability Checklist for Agencies

This checklist helps your agency send SMS messages that get delivered. It covers the main things that affect if your messages get to their destination.

### **Sender Reputation:**

*   **A2P 10DLC Registered:** Yes/No (Is your agency and each client's brand registered with carriers? This is vital for business SMS.)
*   **Low Complaint Rate:** Yes/No (Are less than 0.1% of your messages marked as spam?)
*   **Low Opt-Out Rate:** Yes/No (Are less than 5% of recipients opting out?)
*   **Consistent Sending Volume:** Yes/No (Do you avoid sending huge blasts after long silences?)
*   **New Numbers Warmed Up:** Yes/No (Are new numbers used for SMS slowly increasing sending volume?)

### **Content Quality & Compliance:**

*   **Explicit Opt-In:** Yes/No (Do you have clear, documented permission from every recipient?)
*   **Clear Sender ID:** Yes/No (Is it obvious who is sending the message?)
*   **Concise & Clear Message:** Yes/No (Is the message easy to understand and to the point?)
*   **No Spammy Keywords:** Yes/No (Are you avoiding words like "free money," "guaranteed," or excessive ALL CAPS?)
*   **Opt-Out Instructions Included:** Yes/No (Does every message have "Reply STOP to unsubscribe" or similar?)
**No Prohibited Content:** Yes/No (Are you avoiding illegal, hateful, or carrier-restricted content?)
*   **Reputable Link Shorteners (if used):** Yes/No (Are you using trusted link shorteners, not suspicious ones?)
*   **Compliance Reviewed:** Yes/No (Have you verified current FCC/CTIA/carrier requirements with your provider or counsel?)

### **Timing & Frequency:**

*   **Appropriate Sending Hours:** Yes/No (Are messages sent during normal waking hours for the recipient?)
*   **Time Zone Awareness:** Yes/No (Are messages timed correctly for different time zones?)
*   **Reasonable Frequency:** Yes/No (Are you avoiding sending too many messages too often?)
*   **Audience Segmented:** Yes/No (Are you sending targeted messages to relevant groups?)

### **List Management:**

*   **List Cleaned Regularly:** Yes/No (Are inactive, unsubscribed, and bouncing numbers removed?)
*   **Bounces Handled:** Yes/No (Are numbers that repeatedly bounce removed from the list?)
*   **Opt-Outs Honored Immediately:** Yes/No (Are unsubscribes processed without delay?)
*   **Double Opt-In Used (Recommended):** Yes/No (Do you confirm new subscribers want messages?)

By consistently following these best practices, your agency can significantly improve SMS deliverability. This means more messages reaching their intended audience, leading to better results for your clients. Using a robust platform that helps manage these aspects, like a connected agency platform, can streamline the process. a connected agency platform allows agencies to connect their own SMS providers and manage client workspaces, making it easier to maintain best practices across multiple client accounts.

Improving SMS deliverability is an ongoing effort. Carriers and regulations can change, so staying informed is key. Regularly review your practices and adjust as needed.

### Next Steps:
Review your current SMS campaigns against this checklist. Identify three areas where your agency can make immediate improvements.