Which Messaging Platform is Best for Your Business, SMS or RCS?

In the world of SMS or RCS marketing, reaching the audience in the quickest and most effective manner at the right time is the key to holding the interest of the audience. Imagine two scenarios: in one, the customer has to ask the business for a product delivery update, and in second the customer gets updates on product delivery at every stage, from purchase to transit to delivery. Which brand is the customer likely to purchase again or recommend? The majority answer is going to be the second one. This is the power of messaging. 

The world of messaging is a powerful one, and businesses have multiple options to reach their audiences effectively. The two most popular means are the traditional SMS (Short Messaging Service) and the more modern RCS (Rich Communication Services). The ease of use and effective performance are the two key benefits of the messaging platforms that the users love. 

SMS or RCS, choosing the right platform for your business has a great impact on your marketing success. The right messaging platform influences how you engage with the customers, bring in more business, drive sales, and build brand loyalty.

Choosing the right option from SMS vs RCS is crucial for effective customer communication for any business. In the following points, we will discuss about what are SMS marketing, and RCS marketing, what are the benefits and drawbacks of each, and give insights into which platform might be best for your business. 

Understanding SMS or RCS marketing

The Short Messaging Service is a simple text messaging service. It allows sending short text messages to customer’s mobile phones. It is one of the most widely used and well recognized forms of texting and a default messaging service.

Businesses typically use SMSs to send information to customers about promotions, alerts, reminders, product introductions and other important updates. The reason of popularity of SMS is its simplicity of use and high reliability. 

Advantages of SMS 

• Highest open rates of almost 98%; most people reach SMSs as soon as they receive them. It is one of the most reliable attention grabbers. 

• It can be used without the availability of Wi-Fi or a mobile data network to receive or send the messages. 

• SMS has the widest reach; it works on all types of mobile devices, old and new, smartphones or basic feature phones. This means that businesses can reach virtually anyone who has a mobile phone. 

• SMS has a character limit cap of 160 characters, which makes them easy to read and understand.

• SMS is one of the least expensive forms of marketing without the companies having to invest in new equipment or software, which is ideal for businesses with limited budgets. 

Limitations of SMSs

• SMS does not support sending images, videos, GIFs, and other rich content.

• Because of the character limit, SMS marketing is not suitable for conveying large and detailed messages. 

• The ways to reply are limited. such as short code or trigger word, which limits the interactivity. 

There are more than 23 billion texts that are sent daily from one phone to another, which clearly indicates that SMS marketing still maintains its position in a multifaceted communication campaign. 

Understanding RCS marketing 

RCS marketing is a new, modern, and advanced type of messaging service that can be used to send multimedia messages. Using RCS marketing, businesses can include images, links, videos, carousels, call to action buttons, and other interactive elements to make the messages more attractive and engaging to the customers.

It gives the business a chance to enhance their communications with customers in a more interactive manner. RCS messaging is more akin to messaging apps like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram Messenger, etc.

Advantages of RCS 

• RCS is a messaging protocol that comes inbuilt in the phone and does not require extra software installation. It is more like a richer version of SMS. Customers can see high resolution videos, send read receipts, participate in group chats, and take the benefits of end-to-end encryptions easily. 

• Customers can make purchases directly or even book appointments by interreacting over the messages. 

• It has  an allowance of 8000 characters, which enables the businesses to send long and content rich messages easily. 

• Businesses can use RCS marketing for branding with the use of logos, color schemes, buttons, and other branding elements, thus increasing brand recognition and trust.

• RCS has many tracking features, such as read receipts, delivery confirmation, and click through data so that businesses can measure the reach and effectiveness of their marketing campaigns. 

• RCS messaging is done by a verified sender ID. This reduces the possibility of frauds and the customers know they are interacting with a legitimate id and not a messaging scam.

• RCS marketing enables the users and businesses with various features such as rich cards which can be sent as standalones and carrousels, suggested replies, suggested actions, and built-in-analytics. 

Limitations of RCS

• Lack of universal standards and requirement, of devices and networks have slowed down the adoption of RCS universally.

• It is not available on all mobile devices as yet.

• Unlike SMS, RCS needs an internet connection to get the messages. 

• Because of its advanced features RCS marketing can be expensive than SMS.

SMS vs RCS: Which is better for your business?

The choice of SMS or RCS depends on the type of business, the goals and needs, the target audience, the frequency of reaching out or contacting the consumers, and the marketing goals or the organization. Here is a breakdown of a few of the comparison features:

• 100% of mobile users have the SMS capability, but currently only a few billion of Apple and Android mobile users have RCS capabilities. Users need to manually enable RCS, which can lead to an inconsistent user experience. 

• SMS marketing is the preferred option if your audience reach is wide, and RCS is the choice when the business wants to reach smartphone users with internet access and the messages are more interactive and visually appealing. 

• SMS marketing is great for messages, alerts, and reminders without extra costs, and RCS is the way to go to give the user a rich content experience, making it ideal for promotions, product launches and personal customer engagement.

• When considering SMS vs RCS, RCS has more branding options and SMS has limited branding. Though in both you can add recipient’s name and tailored content for enhanced customer experience.

• RCS messages are encrypted, whereas SMSs don’t have any security measures in place. 

• When choosing RCS or SMS, considering analytics is a major point. RCS gives options to read receipts, gives delivery confirmations, and options for click tracking, whereas SMS gives only basic metric of delivery rates.

• SMS is more affordable, and RCS can be more expensive because of its advanced features.

Both SMS and RCS marketing have their advantages and disadvantages. Both are equally powerful, and the ultimate choice of SMS or RCS depends on the business needs and marketing objectives. Understanding the differences between SMS and RCS will help you make informed decisions about which messaging platforms best align with your marketing strategies to improve ROI and customer engagement. 

Read Also: What People Also Search for in Email Marketing?

Written By – Ritika Khanna