Customer Communications

SMS vs RCS: Which is Better for Marketing?

By Chris Wallbank 30 July 2024

There are more messaging technologies available to marketers now, from standard text messages (SMS) to Rich Communication Services (RCS) and WhatsApp. Which should you use to increase campaign effectiveness?

This is the first article in a short series comparing the technologies, so you have a cheat sheet for making informed decisions about which channels to use.

Here, I compare SMS and RCS.

What’s the difference between SMS and RCS?

What is SMS?

SMS, or Short Message Service, is the most widely used text messaging service globally. Introduced in the early 1990s, SMS lets users send and receive messages of up to 160 characters. Today, there are over 16 million SMS messages sent every minute. Its simplicity, reliability and compatibility with all mobile devices have made it a cornerstone of mobile communication and marketing.

What is RCS?

Rich Communication Services (RCS) is the IP-based, next-generation messaging protocol designed to replace SMS. Developed by the GSMA, it enhances traditional SMS by adding rich media capabilities like high-resolution images, videos, audio messages and interactive features. RCS aims to offer a more engaging and visually appealing messaging experience akin to popular apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.

How do SMS and RCS compare?

Now let’s compare the headline capabilities that are important to marketers.

Usability
  • SMS – Is straightforward and ubiquitous, making it easy to use and highly reliable. However, its simplicity limits its functionality to plain text messages, with no support for media or interactive elements.
  • RCS – Provides a more sophisticated user experience by enabling interactive features like read receipts, typing indicators and the ability to send rich media. This makes communication more dynamic and engaging.
Reach
  • SMS – Boasts unparalleled reach, with virtually all mobile phones supporting it regardless of operating system or carrier. This universal compatibility ensures you can connect with almost anyone.
  • RCS – While growing in adoption, it’s not yet as universally supported as SMS. Its reach is expanding, but it still relies on carrier and device compatibility, which can limit its effectiveness in some regions. It’s worth noting that Apple has announced it’ll be adding RCS and RBM within their own ecosystem. Market research also suggests that by 2028, there’ll be over 2.2 billion RCS active subscribers globally.
Media capability
  • SMS – Is limited to plain text and cannot natively support multimedia content. Any attempt to send images, videos or other media requires using MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service), which often incurs additional costs and is less reliable.
  • RCS – Supports a wide range of media, including high-resolution images, videos and audio. This allows for more creative and visually appealing campaigns.
Engagement
  • SMS – Due to its simplicity, messages often have high open and response rates. However, the lack of interactive features can limit deeper engagement.
  • RCS – Messages can include interactive elements like rich cards and rich cards carousels with CTAs like suggested actions/replies, which significantly boost engagement. The ability to create more immersive experiences can lead to higher conversion rates and better customer interaction.
Branding
  • SMS – Branding opportunities are minimal, typically limited to the content of the message itself. There’s no support for branded templates or rich media.
  • RCS – Allows you to fully brand messages with logos, colours and custom templates, creating a more professional and cohesive brand presence in communications. Additionally, a verified sender feature allows brands to enhance the legitimacy, brand recognition, improve UX and deliver fraud reduction, to help forge stronger, more trusting relationships with customers.
Device support
  • SMS – Works on all mobile phones, regardless of age, manufacturer or operating system. This universal support ensures messages can reach any mobile user.
  • RCS – Support is growing but is still not as universal as SMS. Compatibility depends on both carrier and device support, which can vary widely.

Which should you choose for your next marketing campaign?

For organisations looking to increase campaign effectiveness, RCS offers several compelling advantages over SMS:

  1. Enhanced customer engagement – With interactive features and rich media, RCS messages can capture attention more effectively and drive higher engagement than SMS.
  2. Improved brand presence – You can use branded templates and multimedia content to create a more polished and professional image, enhancing brand recognition and loyalty.
  3. Better analytics – RCS offers more detailed analytics than SMS, such as read receipts and interaction tracking, so it’s easier to measure campaign effectiveness.
  4. Increased conversions – The interactive nature of RCS messages, including suggested replies and quick actions, can streamline interactions and lead to higher conversion rates.

While SMS remains a reliable and universally supported messaging service, RCS offers advanced features that can enhance marketing efforts

For organisations looking to create more engaging, visually appealing, and interactive marketing campaigns, RCS represents the future of mobile messaging. However, considering the current limitations in reach and device support, a combined approach using both SMS and RCS may offer the best of both worlds – ensuring broad reach while leveraging advanced capabilities where possible.

Maximise Customer Contact By Using Engage Hub’s Waterfall Technology

Working across all channels – SMS, email, WhatsApp, and more – you can ensure the highest rate of contact on the customers desired channel, based on their preferences and previous interaction.

The service allows you to automatically select the most appropriate communication channel then, it automatically moves through other available channels until a successful contact has been made.

Learn more about delivering effective cross-channel campaigns here.

See other posts by Chris Wallbank

Product Manager

As a Product Manager, Chris is responsible for the business management of Engage Hub’s product and its commercial success. With over 5 years of experience working within the customer engagement space, Chris is perfectly placed to help evolve a vision for the product that not only meet customer needs but also drive innovation to fulfill their future demands. Working alongside the Product team, Chris helps to translate business strategy into a product vision, whilst working closely with the Marketing Team to plan and carry out product launches to deliver innovative services for our customers.

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