sms

What this skill does

# 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)
- Privacy policy + terms include SMS disclosures?

### 4. Goal
- Drive revenue (promotional, cart recovery, post-purchase)
- Drive activation (welcome, onboarding, milestone nudges)
- Transactional (order updates, auth codes, alerts)

---

## When SMS Beats Email

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)

1. **Express written consent** required for marketing SMS. Implied consent doesn't count.
2. **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.
3. **Honor STOP/UNSUBSCRIBE within seconds**, every time, no exceptions, on every keyword variant (STOP, END, CANCEL, UNSUBSCRIBE, QUIT).
4. **Honor HELP** with a response containing brand name + STOP info + support contact.
5. **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.
6. **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](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.

Optional Send 2 (24h later): Reminder + best-seller showcase

### Abandoned Cart (highest-ROI flow for ecom)

- Send 1 (30 min after abandon): "Forget something? Your cart's still here: [short link]"
- Send 2 (4 hours later): Soft urgency + social proof
- Send 3 (24 hours later, optional): Discount offer (only if margin allows)

**Note**: Discount on first message trains customers to abandon. Reserve discount for Send 2 or 3.

### Browse Abandonment

- Send 1 (1 hour after browse): Product + "Thinking it over?" + link

### Post-Purchase

- Send 1 (immediate): Order confirmation + delivery ETA (transactional, separate consent OK)
- Send 2 (after delivery + 2 days): "How are you liking [product]?" + review prompt + cross-sell

### Win-Back (lapsed)

- Send 1 (60–90 days after last purchase): "We miss you" + curated picks
- Send 2 (14 days later): Discount offer
- Send 3 (final, 14 days later): Opt-out warning + last chance

### Promotional / Campaign Sends

- Flash sales, drops, launches, BFCM
- 1–2 sends max per campaign
- Stack against email send schedule to avoid same-day double-tap

### Transactional (separate compliance bucket)

- Order updates, shipping, delivery, auth codes, account alerts
- Generally OK without sep