RCS has finally entered the (Apple) chat. In September 2024, Apple made RCS available in its iOS 18 update, bringing a more modern texting experience to users who message between Android and Apple devices. While this news is positive for the consumer experience, it raises some questions about how this new messaging protocol will change mobile marketing for businesses.
In this blog, we will describe the ins and outs of RCS marketing. Specifically sharing how it differs from SMS marketing, some best use cases, and its drawbacks.
Jump right to:
- What’s the definition of RCS?
- What is RCS marketing?
- Benefits and limitations of RCS marketing
- Best use cases of RCS marketing
- Best practices for RCS marketing
<h2 id="RCS">What is the definition of RCS?</h2>
Rich Communication Service (RCS) is a modern communication protocol for text messaging that was built to replace traditional Short Message Service (SMS). It offers a more feature-rich messaging experience between mobile phones. For example, it allows users to send longer video content, share high-resolution images, and view read receipts on their native texting apps. It’s different from Apple’s iMessage but offers very similar features.
<h2 id="Marketing">So, what is RCS marketing?</h2>
RCS marketing refers to businesses sending promotional campaigns to mobile phone users via RCS. Using RCS to send marketing messages gives businesses the option to use features like high-resolution media, image carousels, interactive buttons, and verified sender profiles.
While SMS marketing is still the most used text marketing tool because of its reach and availability, it’s anticipated that RCS marketing campaigns will become more popular as marketers crave the visual, trusted, interactive, and data-rich experience that RCS business messaging provides.
RCS vs. SMS vs. MMS marketing
Let’s take a look at RCS vs. SMS vs. MMS marketing, specifically the key characteristics of each mobile message type and how they differ. Once you understand those characteristics, it’s easier to understand how a marketing message may appear different to each sender.
- Format: SMS messages only support plain text. MMS messages support smaller multimedia attachments. RCS messages support rich multimedia.
- Features: SMS and MMS alone (without the use of an SMS platform) don’t offer interactive features. RCS, on the other hand, lets you view read receipts, see typing indicators, offer clickable buttons, and create verified sender profiles.
- Length: SMS is limited to 160 characters. MMS allows up to 1,600 characters. RCS has no strict character limit.
- Mobile carrier support: SMS is universally supported across mobile carriers. Some mobile carriers don’t support MMS and RCS.
- Send method: SMS and MMS are sent via a cellular network. RCS is sent using mobile data or WiFi.
Now that you know the core differences, let’s take a look at how they compare from a visual standpoint.
✨Curious about learning more? Take a deeper dive into RCS vs. SMS or RCS vs. MMS.
<h2 id="Benefits">Benefits and limitations of RCS marketing</h2>
Let’s dive into the five top benefits of using RCS marketing, as well as a few limitations of its current form and adoption.
RCS marketing benefits:
- Create an on-brand text messaging experience. One of the top benefits of RCS business messaging is that it allows for a more branded messaging experience. That’s because it allows companies to build verified sender profiles. These profiles enable businesses to include their logo and colors in the contact details section of each chat.
- Enhance customer engagement. RCS allows brands to include more interactive and rich media in their messages. You can share engaging videos, image carousels, mobile tickets, and more directly in a message to boost interaction. This ensures that more customers interact with your message.
- Improved conversion rates. When you boost engagement with your marketing content, you can also boost conversions. When executed properly, an engaging RCS message can improve your conversion rates. In fact, national sandwich company Subway increased its conversion rate by 140 percent after implementing RCS.
- Increasing user adoption but low business competition. As of 2024, there are over 1 billion RCS users across the globe. This number is expected to increase with Apple’s adoption of RCS. While the number of consumers using RCS grows, brand adoption is still relatively low. This provides a great opportunity for brands to be pioneers in the RCS space and stand out from other brands.
- SMS as a fallback option. Another major benefit of RCS is that if a user doesn’t have RCS enabled, a message will still be delivered via SMS. This is called an SMS fallback and can help brands ensure their marketing text messages are sent and received.
RCS marketing limitations
- A higher number of resources may be needed. A more visual experience could require additional resources and stakeholders. For example, you may need a copywriter to write the text, a graphic designer for images, and a developer to code the links.
- RCS is still not universal. Although RCS adoption is increasing, the reality is that some mobile carriers don’t support it. Additionally, some countries don’t support it either, making it harder to reach customers in those locations.
<h2 id="Use">6 best use cases of RCS marketing (+ examples)</h2>
Here are six of the top use cases for RCS direct marketing, including examples of how it can look.
Sale promotions
Use an RCS marketing message to promote a seasonal, limited-time, or BOGO sale for your business. This promotional message type is common for business-to-consumer companies because it can boost sales quickly by giving them a discount.
In the following example, a running store promotes its annual fall sale to customers using RCS.
Event invites
Another great use case for RCS marketing is for event invites. Get the word out about your upcoming event, share an exclusive offer, or send event reminders. All of these promotional event invites can boost attendance or engagement.
In the following example, a German restaurant invites its text subscriber list to a cookout for Oktoberfest. It includes a poll on what attendees are most excited about to build anticipation.
Product launches
Another great way to use RCS marketing is to launch a product. Product launch texts can help your business alert customers to new products, collections, or features. With RCS, you can make sure that the image is high-quality or create an image carousel of a few items in a new collection.
In the following example, a furniture store uses RCS to promote a new sofa that it has in stores and online.
Abandoned cart messages
If you own an online business, you’ve dealt with abandoned carts. One of the best strategies to recoup lost revenue from abandoned carts is to send abandoned cart text messages. You can offer an incentive like free shipping or a discount to encourage customers to complete the purchase. With RCS, you can include a highly visual message.
Loyalty program
Another way companies use RCS is to promote their loyalty program or share offers with their loyalty members. This helps your text marketing subscribers feel special and encourages them to make a repeat purchase.
Company announcements
One of the benefits of RCS is that it supports longer messages. You can use this to your advantage to include a short company announcement directly to your customers’ SMS inbox.
These messages can promote a sale, announce a new feature, or share an accomplishment.
<h2 id="Best">Best practices for RCS marketing</h2>
Let’s discuss some of the best practices for RCS marketing.
- Gain customer consent to text. RCS marketing is no different from SMS marketing in that you need to gain consent to text your customers. This consent, called an opt-in, is required by law. You need express written consent to send promotional texts.
- Keep messages to the point. Even though there’s not a strict character limit, you don’t want to send novels via text message. Text messaging was built to exchange short messages back and forth. Even though RCS provides an upgraded experience, it doesn’t mean that it should change. Short, digestible, witty messages will go a long way in selling your product.
- Make it visual. One of the best features of RCS is the ability to seamlessly send high-quality images and videos. Use this to your advantage to show off your products and convince more people to buy them. You can easily add multiple images with a carousel or a short-form video explaining your product.
- Include a CTA. No marketing message is complete without a call to action. Keep this in mind when sending your RCS texts as well. The beauty of RCS is you can also include visual CTA buttons within your messages to increase the click-through rate.
- Tailor messaging. The best marketing messages feel personalized and relevant to each individual customer. As a result, another best practice is to create customer list segments and tailor messaging appropriately.
- Test and analyze. A/B testing has been around in the marketing world for decades because it helps identify what works. Use this to your advantage when RCS marketing. You can test different visuals, CTA buttons, colors, and more to find what drives the best results for your brand.
- Timing and frequency matter. An RCS text is sent directly to customers’ native text messaging app. This direct line to customers is helpful for brands, but it also means your business must pay attention to the timing and frequency to not overwhelm them. Be mindful to not send marketing messages before 8am or after 9pm. Additionally, don’t send dozens of messages each week.
The business choice is yours: The modern marvel or the old reliable
RCS is a promising new, feature-rich protocol that allows marketers to bring a more visual and on-brand experience to text message marketing. However, it may require more resources to execute and doesn’t reach everyone quite yet.
On the other hand, SMS remains a cornerstone of application-to-person messaging due to its unparalleled reach. An SMS marketing strategy is simple to use and gives you widespread reach regardless of device, carrier, and location. Both SMS and RCS bring unique strengths to the table, and which one is better depends completely on your business.
But, if you’re looking for an SMS marketing platform packed with features that will make your experience as a marketer easy – look no further than Textline. Textline is a feature-rich, secure texting messaging platform for teams. Our platform offers the ability to connect many channels, sync to your CRM, and reach customers at scale. Try Textline today free for 14 days.
