How to Avoid Landing in SMS SPAM?

In a world where fast and direct communication is essential, SMS has established itself as an indispensable marketing tool. With an open rate of over 95% within the first three minutes of receipt, SMS allows businesses to instantly reach their customers. However, the rise of anti-spam filters, particularly on Android, poses new challenges for marketers. How can you overcome these obstacles and optimize the effectiveness of your SMS campaigns? Here are our recommendations. Discover the impact of this filter and the tips from your SMS provider to avoid the SPAM category for your professional SMS messages!

The use of SMS campaigns has been widely democratized over the past several years, and a legal framework has been put in place to prohibit the sending of commercial SMS messages on Sundays and public holidays, as well as requiring senders to include “STOP” in their commercial SMS messages, in order to give recipients the option to stop receiving their Pro SMS.

We check our phones approximately 221 times a day, and 40% of recipients show interest in receiving commercial SMS messages (discounts, store offers, perks…). An ideal context for including an SMS campaign in your communication strategy.

Also worth noting is that 43% of French people have made a purchase after receiving a promotional SMS on their phone. Recipients are therefore eager for these commercial SMS messages, which allow them to be instantly informed of offers and discounts.

Recipients can easily unsubscribe from mailing lists thanks to the STOP SMS integrated into commercial SMS messages (a legal requirement).

The consequences of an SMS campaign that lands in SPAM:

• Lack of visibility: a message not received in the main inbox means a recipient who won’t see your SMS within 4 minutes of receipt. This directly impacts your visibility with your customers.

• Recipients not informed of discounts/offers: your recipients (unless they regularly check their SPAM inbox) will not be informed of your company’s latest promotional news, and may miss out on a product or service.

• An impacted customer relationship: an SMS campaign is an excellent way to strengthen your customer relationship. If your recipients don’t receive your campaign, it can damage your customer relationship and image, especially if you rely solely on this communication strategy — which is why diversifying your communication channels is so important!

The anti-spam filter on Android

Android’s anti-spam filter uses artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to detect and block suspicious SMS messages. By analyzing elements such as message content, sending frequency, sender name, and included URLs, Android determines whether a message should be flagged as spam. It is therefore crucial to understand these criteria to prevent your messages from being blocked.

Our tips to avoid ending up in SPAM:

• Sender name: the sender name should remain the same for every campaign, and you should avoid using uppercase letters.
• SMS content: the use of uppercase letters is an important criterion in this algorithm, so they should be avoided as much as possible. This applies to both the message itself and your website URL. The URL should also be secure.
• Sending frequency: are you familiar with the expression “being spammed”? In this context, it refers to how often you send your campaigns. Space out your campaigns and don’t overwhelm your customers with commercial SMS messages.
• Segment your recipient base: to avoid being filtered as spam, it is essential to target your messages in a relevant way. By segmenting your audience and sending relevant, personalized messages, you not only increase your engagement rates but also reduce the risk of your SMS messages being considered spam.
• Send your campaigns via a premium route: Premium SMS routes will guarantee you optimized delivery, as well as the ability to receive opt-out requests (stop)

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You can also optimize your communication strategy through a multichannel campaign combining voicemail drops and an email campaign. This allows customers to be reached on the platform that suits them best, improving customer relationships and fostering loyalty.