People check their text messages more often than any other app, averaging over 11 times daily. This high engagement makes SMS marketing a popular choice for businesses. Texting allows companies to reach all their customers, specific groups, or individuals, ensuring their messages are seen. Know more about check phone number carrier
Understanding Carrier Filtering
Carrier filtering occurs when phone carriers like AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile block text messages they deem inappropriate or spammy. This is crucial for protecting SMS messaging from spammers, ensuring legitimate businesses can effectively use this communication channel without diminishing consumer trust.
Reasons for Carrier Filtering
Carrier filtering is often triggered by customer complaints. Here are the main reasons carriers filter messages:
- Ensuring compliance with carrier policies and relevant laws.
- Protecting customers from unsolicited, abusive, or fraudulent messages.
- Minimizing the risk of legal action from dissatisfied customers.
- Preventing the misuse of messaging channels, such as P2P messages being sent via A2P streams.
Mechanisms of Carrier Filtering
Carriers keep their filtering techniques confidential to prevent spammers from finding ways around them. Unlike emails, where users can block addresses, mobile carriers block messages based on their own criteria without considering user preferences. Each carrier uses different methods, including keyword lists and advanced machine learning, to filter out spam messages.
6 Strategies to Avoid Carrier Filtering
Promotional texts can be blocked due to either spammy content or high-volume sending. Here are six strategies businesses can use to avoid this:
Adhere to the CAN-SPAM Act
The CAN-SPAM Act governs how businesses can send text messages and to whom. It allows recipients to opt out of communications and imposes penalties for non-compliance. Key points include:
– Clearly state what you’re offering.
– Clearly state your company’s name
– Enable recipients to easily unsubscribe from messages.
Obtain Explicit Consent
Before sending promotional texts, businesses must obtain written consent (opt-in) from individuals. This ensures customers want to receive marketing messages and complies with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).
Avoid Spammy Language and Special Characters
Certain words and phrases can trigger spam filters. Avoid terms related to financial incentives, freebies, exaggerated claims, and urgency (FOMO). Also, avoid using special characters, emojis, and all-caps text.
Keep Messages Concise
SMS marketing messages should be short and to the point. Although you can send messages up to 1,600 characters with MMS, one to three sentences are typically sufficient for marketing purposes.
Use Links Carefully
To avoid spam flags:
– Use branded shortened links instead of common ones like bit.ly.
– Avoid ending messages with a link.
– Include “https://” before links to avoid “naked” links.
Personalize Your Messages
Generic, repetitive messages sent to large groups are more likely to be filtered. Businesses should send valuable, personalized content using tools like segments and custom fields. Messages should sound like they come from a real person, not a bot.
