SMS and Direct Messaging
Direct messaging has the highest chance of being seen and driving revenue of any marketing channel. A text message lands directly in a person's pocket. It is immediate, personal, and almost always read. It is also the most highly regulated marketing category and the one where the most care needs to be taken to stay within government regulations.
People are more protective of their phone number than their email address. Building a quality SMS list requires patience, tact, and an established brand presence that has already earned trust. The reward for doing it right is a direct line to your customers.
The go-to DM channel is SMS (Short Message Service). SMS is short form, character-limited, and stripped of the visual richness of email. What feels like a limitation is, in fact, the most compelling asset. People who opt-in to Direct Messaging generally prefer the immediacy of a text over the process of searching an email inbox. SMS is direct, urgent, and impossible to ignore. The message arrives, the phone buzzes, and the open rate is north of 90%.
SMS
Direct messaging regulations are geographically dependent. The rules that govern what you can send, how you obtain consent, and the penalties for violations are determined by where your customer is located — not where the message originates
Compliance
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Explicit Opt-In — A phone number on file is not consent. The subscriber must actively agree to receive SMS marketing, separate from email consent. No opt-in, no message.
Frequency Disclosure — Subscribers must be told at signup how often they'll hear from you. "Msg frequency varies" meets the minimum. Specificity builds trust.
Sender Identification — Every message must identify who is sending it. Your brand name belongs in every SMS.
STOP Keyword — Every message must reference the ability to opt out. When a subscriber replies STOP, they are immediately removed. Non-negotiable.
Message and Data Rate Disclosure — "Msg & data rates may apply" is required in opt-in confirmation messages in most markets
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The Telephone Consumer Protection Act is the strictest and most litigated SMS regulation in the world. Explicit written consent is required before any marketing message is sent. Violations carry penalties of $500–$1,500 per message sent without consent. There is no grace period and no minimum threshold — one unsolicited message is a violation.
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Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation applies to all commercial electronic messages including SMS. Express consent is required before sending. CASL also requires sender identification and an unsubscribe mechanism in every message. Penalties can reach $10 million CAD for businesses.
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The General Data Protection Regulation requires that consent be freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous. SMS consent must be obtained independently from email consent. Subscribers have the right to withdraw consent at any time and have their data removed.
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The Spam Act covers all commercial electronic messages including SMS. Consent, sender identification, and a functional unsubscribe mechanism are all required. The Australian Communications and Media Authority enforces compliance.
Multimedia Messaging Service is the visual upgrade to SMS. MMS supports images, GIFs, and short video. The same direct delivery to the phone — with a product image, a promotional graphic or a short clip. The trade-off is visual impact versus increased cost. When the visual content earns its place, MMS outperforms. When it doesn't, SMS is the cleaner choice.
MMS
Direct Messaging as a Campaign Tool
SMS and MMS are powerful tools in your marketing toolbox when utilized effectively. They are an opportunity to interact with your target audience in real time, which makes them dynamic. But only if used in a precise, selective manner. If you overplay Direct Messaging, you lose the attention of your audience — or worse, lose permission to send entirely.
The inbox forgives occasional indifference. The phone does not. Every direct message needs to earn its place. Frequency, timing, and relevance are not afterthoughts — they are the difference between a channel that converts and one that gets blocked.
Direct Messaging in practice:
Time Sensitive Events — Flash sales, new product alerts, holiday promotions, and limited availability offers. The character limit forces clarity and the urgency is built in. A direct link and a clear call to action are the only two requirements. Make the point and get out.
Subscriber Exclusives — Your SMS subscribers have given you something more valuable than their email address. Reward that with early access, pre-order privileges, and offers that exist nowhere else. Exclusivity is the currency of direct messaging. Spend it wisely.
Interactive Campaigns — Giveaways, quizzes, event invitations, and social challenges. Engagement-driven messages build brand affinity and remind your subscribers why they opted in. The goal isn't always a sale — sometimes it's staying top of mind until the moment the sale is right. Use these sparingly.
WhatsApp is a free, app-based messaging platform with over two billion active users globally. Unlike SMS and MMS which work natively on any phone, WhatsApp requires the recipient to have the app installed. Messages are delivered over internet rather than cellular networks, which changes the cost structure and expands international reach.
For businesses, WhatsApp operates through WhatsApp Business — a dedicated business account that integrates with platforms like Klaviyo via the WhatsApp Business API.
Where it fits — WhatsApp is the dominant communication platform in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia. If your audience is international or skews toward demographics where WhatsApp is the default messaging app, it is a powerful and cost-effective channel. It is also worth considering for businesses with a tech-savvy, highly engaged audience regardless of geography.
Where it doesn't — For small businesses targeting a domestic US audience, the app requirement creates a meaningful barrier. Most customers will have SMS natively. WhatsApp list building requires an extra step that SMS doesn't. For most North American businesses starting out, SMS and MMS deliver better ROI with less friction. WhatsApp is a channel to grow into as your audience and needs evolve.