The Do’s & Don’ts of Promotional Texts

October 27, 2025 Marketing
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In 2025, promotional SMS is far more than a simple broadcast tool—it’s a high-leverage channel for small businesses to reach customers directly, effectively, and in real time. But the margin for errors is narrow. Done well, SMS campaigns generate exceptional engagement. Done poorly, they annoy subscribers, trigger opt-outs, and undermine your brand. Below, we dive into the data and tell stories you’ll actually care about—then give you a clear list of do’s and don’ts to guide your next campaign.

Why SMS Matters, and Why It Matters Now

Rare reach + rare attention

Recent analyses show open rates for SMS campaigns hovering around 94-98%, significantly outperforming email marketing’s ~20-30% open rates. (Infobip; Atlas; Business of Apps)
Click-through rates (CTRs) also show clear uplifts: multiple sources cite average CTRs in the ballpark of 19-35% for SMS, versus single-digit rates for email. (OptiMonk; Adam Connell)
Conversion or action rates—where a subscriber does something meaningful after clicking—are often reported in the 20-30% range (SimpleTexting; OptiMonk)

ROI and growth momentum

Businesses adopting SMS report increased marketing success: for instance, one survey found those using SMS are about 5.9× more likely to report digital-marketing success than those who don’t. (SimpleTexting)
Industry investment is growing too—marketers are increasing budgets, and SMS is increasingly seen as a core channel rather than an experiment. (Constant Contact; SimpleTexting)

Speed + immediacy

Consumers tend to read texts rapidly—many within minutes of receipt—making SMS ideal for time-sensitive offers, flash sales, or real-time updates. (Infobip; Atlas)

Implication for small businesses: If you’re running promotions, drops, urgent alerts, appointment reminders or limited-time deals, SMS should be in your mix. The high attention and responsiveness make it uniquely suited for promotional content. But that power comes with responsibility—which leads us into best practices.

Do’s of Promotional Texts

Here are what high-performing SMS campaigns consistently do right:

  • Do get explicit opt-in and set expectations.
    Offer value, tell subscribers what kinds of messages they’ll get (promos, updates, reminders) and how often. When expectations align, opt-in quality is better—and engagement follows.
  • Do segment and personalise when possible.
    As research shows, the top 10% of SMS campaigns (by revenue per recipient) often invest in segmentation and relevance. (Klaviyo)
    Even small businesses can tag preferences or past behaviour (“based on your last purchase, here’s a deal”).
  • Do include a clear call-to-action and minimal friction.
    Because users read SMS quickly, your message should be concise, urgent and mobile-optimized. Link to mobile landing pages; avoid burying the CTA.
  • Do honour subscriber preferences and allow choices.
    Give subscribers control over topics or frequency. When people feel respected, unsubscribe & complaint rates stay low.
  • Do monitor performance regularly.
    Look at metrics like open rates (if your platform supports them), CTRs, conversion rates, opt-out/unsubscribe rates, complaint rates. If something spikes (e.g., opt-out rate goes above ~3-5%), it’s a signal to pull back, adjust content or frequency. (Atlas)
  • Do choose timing carefully.
    Respect time-zones, avoid sending too early or too late, and match message when user is likely receptive (not bedtime). A forced urgency works—but frustration doesn’t.

Don’ts of Promotional Texts

  • Don’t ignore the “unsubscribe” mechanism.
    Every promotional text must allow an easy opt-out (e.g., “Reply STOP to unsubscribe”). Failure to do so opens you up to regulatory risk and damages trust.
  • Don’t blast generic messages at high frequency.
    Subscribers get fatigued. One study found that 73% of consumers would unsubscribe if they got too many texts; 69% if they got the same message repeatedly. (Ecommerce Bonsai)
    Frequency without relevance kills engagement.
  • Don’t use sender IDs, links or content that confuse the recipient.
    If your sender name doesn’t clearly represent your brand, or if links look spammy, you risk increased opt-outs, lower trust and potential blocking by carriers. (Infobip)
  • Don’t skip tracking or ignore performance.
    If you send SMS without measuring results, you’ll find yourself repeating mistakes. Use benchmarks: e.g., CTRs below ~10% suggest message fatigue, poor targeting or weak CTA.
  • Don’t neglect compliance.
    Legal frameworks (like in the U.S., e.g., TCPA) exist for a reason. Also, carriers have filtering that can suppress or block messages from numbers that don’t follow best practices. (Endear)
  • Don’t assume SMS replaces other channels.
    SMS is powerful—but it works best as part of a broader mix. Use it to complement email, social, and other channels—not replace them entirely.

The Business Case: Why This Works

Let’s tie it all back to business impact:

  • With open rates often above 90%, and CTRs frequently in 20-35% range, SMS campaigns simply reach and engage better than many other channels.
  • Because of high immediacy, you can influence purchase decisions faster (e.g., 65% of people who bought via SMS said it sped up a purchase they were already considering). (Klaviyo)
  • Better targeting, relevance and honest communication translate into lower opt-out rates (often under ~3%) and higher conversions—meaning you preserve your list, protect brand trust, and grow revenue.
  • For a small business using a platform like ours at Betwext, SMS offers direct access to your customers’ most personal device: the phone.

In short: when you do the fundamentals right, promotional SMS doesn’t just perform—it excels. And when you mess up the fundamentals, you risk higher churn, negative sentiment, or wasted budget.

Promotional texts in 2025 aren’t gimmicks—they’re strategic tools. But strategy matters. The difference between a high-performing campaign and an irritating one often comes down to discipline, relevance and expectations.

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