• By Charlie Davies
• SMS Marketing

10 SMS Marketing Mistakes That Are Costing You Customers

SMS marketing delivers exceptional results—when done right. Unfortunately, common mistakes can destroy subscriber trust, trigger spam filters, and waste your marketing budget. Even worse, some errors violate compliance regulations and expose businesses to legal risk. Here are the 10 most costly SMS marketing mistakes and how to avoid them.

1. Sending Messages Without Proper Consent

Sending SMS without explicit opt-in consent isn't just bad practice—it's illegal. TCPA violations can cost up to $1,500 per message. Always obtain clear, written consent before sending marketing messages. Never assume implied consent from phone number collection or previous business relationships. Make opt-in explicit and documented.

2. Over-Messaging Your Subscribers

SMS feels more personal than email, making frequency crucial. Bombarding subscribers with daily messages drives opt-outs fast. Most businesses find success with 2-4 messages per month, plus transactional messages. Monitor opt-out rates—if they spike after campaigns, you're messaging too frequently.

3. Sending Generic, Non-Targeted Messages

Blasting the same message to everyone wastes the personalization power of SMS. Sending maternity product promotions to men, or retirement planning to college students, feels irrelevant and annoying. Segment your audience by demographics, purchase history, and behavior. Targeted messages convert 3-5x better than generic broadcasts.

4. Forgetting to Include Opt-Out Instructions

Every marketing message must include clear opt-out instructions, typically "Reply STOP to unsubscribe." This isn't optional—it's a legal requirement. Omitting opt-out instructions violates TCPA regulations and frustrates subscribers who want to unsubscribe. Make opting out easy and respect requests immediately.

5. Using Spam Trigger Words and ALL CAPS

Excessive capitalization and spam words ("FREE," "ACT NOW," "WINNER," "URGENT") trigger carrier filters and annoy recipients. While not completely banned, overusing these tactics makes messages look like spam and reduces deliverability. Write naturally and focus on value rather than hype.

6. Sending Messages at Inappropriate Times

Texts at 3 AM or 11 PM create instant opt-outs. Send messages only between 8 AM and 9 PM in the recipient's local time zone. For multi-timezone lists, schedule sends by region. Late-night or early-morning messages feel intrusive and disrespectful, destroying goodwill and trust.

7. Not Identifying Your Business

Recipients should immediately know who sent the message. Starting with "Flash Sale 50% off!" without business identification causes confusion and spam reports. Always include your business name in messages or use a recognizable sender ID. Transparency builds trust and improves engagement.

8. Using Broken or Suspicious Links

Link shorteners that look suspicious (random characters), broken links, or links to non-mobile-optimized pages ruin campaigns. Test every link before sending. Use trusted link shorteners. Ensure landing pages load quickly and work perfectly on mobile devices. Every link failure is a lost conversion.

9. Neglecting to Maintain List Hygiene

Sending to inactive or invalid numbers wastes money and damages deliverability rates. Regularly clean your list by removing bounced numbers and inactive subscribers. Low engagement and high bounce rates signal spam to carriers, reducing overall deliverability. Clean lists perform better and cost less.

10. Not Tracking Metrics or Testing Campaigns

Sending messages without tracking delivery rates, click-through rates, conversions, and ROI is flying blind. You can't improve what you don't measure. Test different message lengths, call-to-actions, send times, and offers. Data-driven optimization is the difference between mediocre and exceptional SMS marketing results.

Quick SMS Marketing Checklist

• • Obtained explicit written consent
• • Identified your business clearly
• • Included opt-out instructions
• • Sending between 8 AM - 9 PM local time
• • Personalized and targeted content
• • Tested all links on mobile
• • Avoided spam trigger words and excessive caps
• • Maintained reasonable message frequency
• • Tracking key performance metrics

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the biggest SMS marketing mistake?
Sending messages without proper consent. This violates TCPA regulations and can result in massive fines. Always obtain explicit opt-in consent before sending any marketing messages.

How do I know if I'm messaging too frequently?
Monitor opt-out rates. If opt-outs spike after campaigns (above 3-5%), reduce frequency. Survey subscribers about their preferences. Most consumers prefer 2-4 messages monthly.

Can I fix my SMS marketing after making mistakes?
Yes, but rebuilding trust takes time. Clean your list, improve content quality, reduce frequency, and focus on providing genuine value. Transparent communication about changes helps recovery.

Conclusion

SMS marketing mistakes are costly—lost customers, wasted budget, damaged reputation, and potential legal issues. By avoiding these common errors and following SMS best practices, you'll build a sustainable, profitable SMS marketing channel that customers appreciate. Remember: respect, relevance, and value are the foundations of successful SMS marketing.

Ready to fix your SMS marketing mistakes and start seeing better results? Implement these corrections today.