Deliverability is the name of the game in mobile marketing, and following carrier guidelines is the best way to ensure your perfectly crafted message reaches its intended recipient. But what does that actually mean?
In addition to the messaging best practices provided by the CTIA, mobile carriers have strict rules around how you obtain your contacts and subsequently communicate with them. If your traffic is being delayed or blocked, you may be committing one of these common errors.
Here are the top 5 missteps we’re seeing, and how to fix them.
1. Your Call To Action / Opt-in Flow Needs Tweaking
When completing checkout, submitting a required form, or providing requested info, is joining your SMS list a separate and optional box in the process? Did you include all the required disclosures and a link to your SMS Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy when advertising your text-to-join keywords? If not, your traffic is at risk of being blocked!
The Fix: Remember to always provide the option to Opt-In as a separate optional checkbox, and include this verbiage anywhere you advertise your text-to-join keywords.
2. You’re Sending Mystery Links
Are you using a public link shortener (like bit.ly) to hit that 160 character limit? Or sending from an unbranded shortened subdomain? If your link looks shady, so will your delivery!
The Fix: Make sure all links can be identified to your Company AND were included in your initial registration with the carriers. You can send links from your original domain, or utilize a custom shortened domain to maximize your character count (and increase CTR by up to 34%!) If you are a Mobiniti customer, a custom shortened domain is included with your messaging plan!
3. You’re on an Unverified Phone Number
Do the carriers know who your number belongs to, and how you are using it? If you have not yet registered your phone number (10-DLC, TFN, or short code) with the carriers, your traffic is likely already being blocked (and costing you more!)
The Fix: Register with the carriers to ensure your traffic is whitelisted. If you are a current Mobiniti customer, you can do this right from your dashboard and track the status of your application.
4. You’ve Changed Your Use Case
Did you start out providing informational alerts, and are now sending happy hour specials? Did you shorten your Company name, or start using a DBA? Are you now sending on behalf of one of your clients, along with your own traffic?
The Fix: Any changes in your use case should be submitted to and approved by carriers beforehand to avoid message blocking and audits.
5. You Have a Restricted Use Case
Are you sending messages about alcohol, tobacco, vapes, financial information, stock tips, or bingo? Or does your traffic look that way? These messages will likely be blocked if not properly registered and restricted.
The Fix: If you do not have a restricted use case, make sure your messaging does not include things like ‘drinks’, ‘loans,’ or ‘offers’, that may be blocked by mistake! And if you do have a restricted use case, make sure you are properly registered, verified, and age-gating your text messages (if necessary).
How Mobiniti Can Help
If you’re a Mobiniti customer, you’ll receive compliance and delivery support at every step of the way. Our SMS experts review your opt-in, messaging, and use case with you to ensure you are carrier-compliant before we submit your application, meaning you will get verified and sending with fewer bumps down the road!
We provide transparent deliverability metrics right from your dashboard and proactively monitor your stats in the background. This means we’ll see snags before you do – and jump right in to address any issues!
Working with the right provider is key – don’t guess at these guidelines or wait in a ticketing queue while your deliverability suffers. Reach out today to Schedule a Demo or chat with our SMS experts to Learn More.
