How Brands Can Use SMS Without Being Annoying

What Makes SMS Marketing Annoying for Customers

SMS open rates exceed 90%, but that doesn’t mean customers want to hear from you. Most brands still manage to annoy their subscribers and lose potential revenue in the process. To keep your texts effective, make every message personalized, relevant, and worth opening.

Generic sales, walls of text, vague offers, and a lack of personalization all lead to annoying your customers, instant unsubscribes, and lost conversion potential.

SMS Marketing Best Practices

The last thing you ever want is a fine from the FCC. Before you send your first SMS message, you need to ensure that your SMS tool supports a simple unsubscribe process. When you collect phone numbers, you must clearly disclose that the customer is agreeing to marketing messages. 

Double opt-in is a sure way to avoid any complications regarding rules and regulations. After initial opt-in, send a confirmation message to ensure the user wants to continue. 

Once you’ve covered compliance, the real challenge begins: sending messages people actually want to receive.

Write Relevant, Personalized Text Messages

The entire purpose of SMS marketing is to provide immediate value to your customers. Exclusive discounts for SMS lists are a great way to increase engagement and boost revenue because consumers usually open their messages immediately. This makes SMS perfect to engage with them about time-sensitive matters. Confirmation messages and shipping updates put your customer at ease and build trust. 

Using first names and referencing past purchases helps make messages feel less intrusive and boosts higher click rates. Here is an example of a relevant, personalized SMS message:

“Hey Jack! Your order is on the way!
For 25% OFF, Use Code: VIP2025
Track your order here: avalonretention.com/track”

Segment & Target Effectively

Blasting out the same SMS message to your entire list is a recipe for disaster (or unsubscribes). The biggest part of ensuring that your texts are relevant is to segment your list. Popular SMS segments for ecom brands include high-intent shoppers, VIP customers, and lapsed customers. Segmentation turns SMS from interruption into insight as customers only see what actually matters to them.

Targeting high-intent purchasing behavior is a best practice for SMS marketing. Offer these VIP customers new product alerts and exclusive promotions. 

Most SMS tools include Smart Sending features that automatically prevent message overlap, so you don’t overwhelm subscribers.

Here’s an example to re-engage lapsed customers:

“Hey Jack! It’s been a while.
Here’s 25% OFF All Products just for you!
Claim Here: avalonretention.com/services”

Keep Messages Short & Timely 

Nobody likes to see walls of text pop up on their phone. SMS messages should be concise, ideally under 160 characters. Your text should include the offer, the brand name, and the link. SMS isn’t for storytelling or long-form copy; it's for sparking immediate action.

Schedule campaigns during proven engagement windows (weekdays 9 AM–12 PM, 5 PM–9 PM) and segment by time zone for local relevance. Automated flows triggered by behavior (e.g., abandoned carts, post-purchase follow-ups) keep messages timely without being intrusive.

Who Actually Responds to SMS Marketing

When in doubt, study your target customer. Gen Z and millennials are the most responsive to SMS marketing. They prefer text messages over email, keep their phones within reach, and appreciate fast, convenient communication. This demographic is also always on the go, which makes the convenience of SMS marketing perfect for reaching them.

Key Takeaways

SMS marketing works when it respects attention, not hijacks it. Send messages that are relevant, concise, and human. If you follow these simple tips, your brand will stand out for the right reasons. 

At Avalon, we help e-commerce brands use SMS to deepen relationships, not damage them. Because when your texts feel personal, your customers actually look forward to hearing from you.