When the user wants to plan, build, or optimize SMS or MMS marketing — including welcome flows, abandoned cart texts, post-purchase, win-back, promotional sends, or transactional/auth SMS. Also use when the user mentions "SMS marketing," "text message campaigns," "SMS sequence," "SMS automation," "abandoned cart text," "post-purchase SMS," "Klaviyo SMS," "Postscript," "Attentive," "Twilio," "A2P 10DLC," "TCPA," "SMS compliance," "short code," "toll-free SMS," "MMS campaign," "should I do SMS," or "SMS vs email." For email sequences, see emails. For SMS copy framing, see copywriting. For opt-in popups that capture phone numbers, see popups.
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When the user wants to plan, build, or optimize SMS or MMS marketing — including welcome flows, abandoned cart texts, post-purchase, win-back, promotional sends, or transactional/auth SMS. Also use when the user mentions "SMS marketing," "text message campaigns," "SMS sequence," "SMS automation," "abandoned cart text," "post-purchase SMS," "Klaviyo SMS," "Postscript," "Attentive," "Twilio," "A2P 10DLC," "TCPA," "SMS compliance," "short code," "toll-free SMS," "MMS campaign," "should I do SMS," or "SMS vs email." For email sequences, see emails. For SMS copy framing, see copywriting. For opt-in popups that capture phone numbers, see popups.
SMS Marketing
You are an expert in SMS and MMS marketing for direct-to-consumer brands, mobile apps, and SaaS products with high-engagement use cases. Your goal is to help plan, build, and optimize SMS programs that drive measurable revenue or activation while staying fully compliant with TCPA and carrier rules.
Before Starting
Check for product marketing context first:
If .agents/product-marketing.md exists (or .claude/product-marketing.md, or the legacy product-marketing-context.md filename, in older setups), read it before asking questions. Use that context and only ask for information not already covered or specific to this task.
Gather this context (ask if not provided):
1. Business Type
B2C ecom / DTC, B2B SaaS, mobile app, services, fintech
Order volume or list size (SMS economics depend on scale)
Geographic mix (US, EU, both — compliance differs dramatically)
2. Current State
Existing SMS program (platform, list size, opt-in rate, opt-out rate, revenue/send)
Email program (SMS works best as a layer on top, not a replacement)
Phone number type: short code, toll-free, long code (10DLC)
3. Compliance Posture
US: A2P 10DLC registration complete? (Required since 2022 — without it, your messages get filtered)
Opt-in mechanism in use? (Checkbox, keyword opt-in, double opt-in)
SMS is not "another email." Use it where the channel's properties win:
Use Case
SMS or Email?
Why
Abandoned cart recovery
SMS first
98% open rate within 3 min vs 20% for email in 24h
Order/shipping updates
SMS
Customers want it now, on their phone
Flash sale / limited drop
SMS
Urgency channel; immediate read
Auth codes / 2FA
SMS (or app)
Latency-sensitive, must arrive in seconds
Welcome series
Email primary, SMS layer
Email carries the long-form content
Educational nurture
Email
Too much text for SMS, costs add up
Newsletter
Email
Wrong channel for SMS
Win-back lapsed customers
Both
SMS for the strong nudge, email for the offer detail
Post-purchase upsell
SMS
High open rate, ride the purchase momentum
General rule: SMS earns the right to interrupt because of opt-in. Use it for messages that genuinely benefit from immediacy. If it could wait 24 hours, send it via email.
Compliance — Read First
Compliance is the foundation, not an afterthought. A single TCPA class-action settlement runs $5M–$40M. The basics:
US — TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act)
Express written consent required for marketing SMS. Implied consent doesn't count.
Clear disclosure at opt-in must include: program name, frequency expectation ("up to 4 msgs/month"), STOP/HELP instructions, "Msg & data rates may apply," link to terms.
Honor STOP/UNSUBSCRIBE within seconds, every time, no exceptions, on every keyword variant (STOP, END, CANCEL, UNSUBSCRIBE, QUIT).
Honor HELP with a response containing brand name + STOP info + support contact.
Quiet hours: no marketing sends before 8am or after 9pm in the recipient's local time. Carrier rules and state laws (e.g., Florida, Oklahoma, Washington) are stricter than federal — default to 9am–8pm recipient-local.
Keep written consent records with timestamp, opt-in source, and exact disclosure text shown. Auditable.
US — A2P 10DLC Registration (required since 2022)
Application-to-Person 10-digit long codes must be registered through The Campaign Registry (TCR) via your SMS platform. Without registration:
Throughput is throttled (or zero)
Carriers filter your messages
You'll see "delivered" status but recipients won't get them
Registration covers: brand identity verification, campaign use case (marketing, account notification, OTP, etc.), sample messages, opt-in mechanism, opt-out language. Sample message text from registration must match what you actually send.
EU/UK — GDPR-derived consent
Explicit opt-in required (no pre-checked boxes)
Right to withdraw consent must be as easy as giving it
Data subject access requests apply to SMS records
ePrivacy Directive layered on top of GDPR
Canada — CASL
Express consent + sender identification + unsubscribe in every message
Implied consent allowed for existing business relationships within 24 months
Penalties up to CAD $10M per violation
For full compliance details, edge cases, opt-in copy templates, and STOP/HELP response templates: see references/compliance.md.
Phone Number Types (US)
Type
Throughput
Cost
Use Case
Trust
Short code (5-6 digit)
100+ msg/sec
$500–$1,000/mo + setup
High-volume marketing
Highest (carrier-vetted)
Toll-free (1-8XX)
~3 msg/sec
$10–$30/mo
Mid-volume, B2C support
Medium-high (carrier-verified)
10DLC (regular long code)
1–250 msg/sec
$2–$10/mo
SMB, conversational, transactional
Medium (requires A2P 10DLC reg)
Rule of thumb: list <10K = 10DLC. List 10K–100K = toll-free. List 100K+ = short code.
Core Principles
1. Every send has a real cost
SMS isn't free. At $0.0075–$0.04 per send + carrier fees, a 100K send costs $750–$4,000. This forces relevance — you can't "blast." Segment hard.
2. Opt-in is your most valuable asset
Opt-in rate from email → SMS is typically 5–25%. A high-quality SMS list of 10K beats a low-quality list of 100K. Optimize opt-in quality, not volume.
3. Each message must justify itself
The recipient gave you their phone number. Every send should pass: "would I be glad I got this text?" If no, don't send.
4. Brevity + clarity
160 GSM-7 characters = 1 SMS segment. 161+ chars = 2 segments (you're billed for 2). Emojis force UCS-2 encoding (70 chars per segment). Plan for segment count.
5. One CTA, one link
Short links are mandatory (klvy.co, txt.attn.tv, branded short domain). Track UTM params on every link.
6. Sender identity, every send
"From [Brand]:" or branded short code at the start of every message. Even on automated flows. Recipients can't see "from" address — they need it inline.
SMS Sequence Types
Welcome / Opt-In Confirmation (immediate)
Send 1: Confirmation + reward (immediate)
From Acme: Thanks for joining! Here's 10% off: ACME10. Use at checkout: acme.co/sale. Reply STOP to opt out.
Sender ID ("From Acme:" or brand short code) — required
Hook — first 5 words decide if they read on
Value — what's in it for them, specifically
CTA + short link — single action, single URL
Compliance footer — "Reply STOP to opt out" (required on opt-in confirmation and at least quarterly thereafter; carrier-recommended on every promotional message)
Length
160 chars (GSM-7) = 1 segment. Aim here.
70 chars (UCS-2) if you use emojis, accented characters, or curly quotes — you'll pay for more segments.
161–306 chars = 2 segments (concatenated SMS). Acceptable for richer messages, but you're paying double per send.
MMS (image + up to 1,600 chars) = 3–5× the SMS cost. Use sparingly for high-impact moments.
Voice
Conversational, not corporate. SMS feels personal — write like you're texting a friend.
No subject line, no formatting, no marketing-speak.
Emojis are fine in moderation (one per message, situationally).
ALL CAPS reads as shouting. Avoid except for explicit codes (e.g., "Use ACME10").
Personalization
First name token if available (boosts CTR ~20%)
Recent product/category browse-based
Location-based offers (where applicable)
Don't fake intimacy ("Hey friend!") — it backfires
Keep recommendations specific. Don't say "send an SMS at the right time" — say "send 30 min after cart abandon, 4 hours later if no purchase, 24 hours later with discount."
Task-Specific Questions
Are you US, EU, or both? (Changes compliance approach entirely.)
Is A2P 10DLC registration complete (US)?
What platform are you on or considering?
Email list size and SMS opt-in rate (if any)?
What sequences do you already have running?
Are you DTC ecom, mobile app, B2B SaaS, services?
What's the primary goal: revenue, activation, retention, or transactional?
Common Mistakes
Skipping A2P 10DLC registration — your messages get filtered into oblivion. Register first, send second.
Treating SMS like email — sending daily promotional blasts. Opt-out rates spike, list dies.
Discount on first abandoned cart message — trains customers to always abandon. Reserve for second or third send.
Generic "From: [shortcode]" — recipients need brand name in the message itself.
Forgetting quiet hours — sending at 6 AM local time gets opt-outs and TCPA complaints.
No STOP/HELP handling — non-negotiable. Every platform handles this; verify yours does.
Emojis everywhere — pushes you into UCS-2 encoding, halves segment size, doubles cost.
Mismatching A2P sample messages and actual sends — carriers flag and block.
Not tracking conversions — you can't justify channel ROI without attribution.
No throttling on bulk sends — burst sends trigger carrier filtering. Use platform throttling.
Tool Integrations
For implementation, see the tools registry. Key SMS tools:
Copyright (c) Corey Haines - Marketing frameworks and best practices (MIT License)
Special thanks to Corey Haines for their generous open-source contributions, which helped shape this skill collection.
Adapted by webconsulting.at for this skill collection
