SMS marketing is often overlooked as a marketing tool, but it can actually be very effective. When it’s done right, it feels personal and timely, like a text from a brand you actually want to hear from. But when it’s done wrong, it’s intrusive, annoying, and one STOP message away from being ignored forever.
The truth is, most brands don’t fail at SMS because the channel doesn’t work. They fail because of a few very common, very fixable mistakes.
Mistake #1 – too many texts
This is the fastest way to lose trust.
SMS is intimate. You’re landing directly in someone’s pocket, next to messages from friends, family, and colleagues. That’s a privilege, not an invitation to text constant sales, updates, and reminders.
When you send too many texts, message fatigue sets in quick. This leads to lower open rates, opt-outs rising, and customers seeing your brand as a nuisance.
Instead, we suggest:
- Define a clear use for SMS (promos, alerts, reminders – but not all!)
- Set frequency caps based on your customers’ tolerance
- Prioritise quality over quantity
Mistake #2 – Not segmenting audiences
Sending the same message to everyone is one of the most expensive mistakes a brand can make.
Your audience are not a herd of sheep. New subscribers, loyal customers, lapsed buyers, and VIPs all have different needs, therefore they should be getting different texts.
When you miss the opportunity to segment your audience, messages inevitably feel generic and irrelevant, leading to low conversion rates and customers who lack interest in your content.
Rather than seeing your audience as one, we suggest segmenting them by:
- Purchase history
- Engagement level
- Location or time zone
- Lifecycle stage
This way, you can send less messages but have higher performance.
Mistake #3 – Bad timing and long messages
Even a great message can flop if it lands at the wrong time or tries to say too much.
SMS isn’t email. You don’t have room for paragraphs, disclaimers, and multiple call to actions. And timing matters more than most brands realise.
Long messages at 2am mean your messages are either being ignored or deleted – it’s that simple.
To avoid landing in the bin, here’s what you need to do:
- Send messages at the time of day when your customers are most likely to engage
- Keep the copy short, scannable, and to the point
- Only feature one clear message with one clear point
When you work with an agency like us, they’ll test and refine the timing and length of the messages, using performance data to make the best decisions.
Mistake #4 – Not tracking your conversions
High open rates feel good, but they don’t bring any money in.
One of the most common issues we see is brands running SMS campaigns without a clear way to measure what’s actually working.
Without tracking conversions, you have no visibility into ROI, decisions aren’t based off data, and it’s hard to justify spend.
Instead, we suggest building measurement into SMS from day one, by:
- Setting up proper tracking links and attribution
- Defining metrics other than opens (e.g. clicks, conversions, revenue)
- Regularly reviewing performance and optimising based on the results
When you know what’s driving action, SMS becomes much more reliable and scalable.
How we can build an SMS strategy your customers will look forward to receiving
When it’s done well, SMS marketing doesn’t feel like marketing at all. It feels respectful, helpful, and personal.
It’s about putting strategy before volume and relevance before reach.
If you’re not sure how to actually do this, get in touch. We can help.