Rich SMS definition, what is it exactly ?

Are you looking for new marketing practices for your business? Discover rich sms with Octopush. 

What is rich sms? 

Rich SMS definition is an SMS that includes a hypertext link. The hyperlink calls the sms recipient to join a hyper-personalized web page called a landing page. A web page that presents an offer for its visitor. 

Often, when you send a rich sms from a virtual messaging platform, you also have the possibility to create your own landing pages. This is for example one of the services we offer at Octopush: the possibility to create and fully customize as many landing pages as you want. 

What does a rich sms look like? 

Put in the simplest way possible, a rich sms definition will look like a normal sms, but with a hyperlink at the end. There are two types of hyperlinks that can be added to rich sms. 

First, we have the clean URLs, which is the most classic form of links that is directly copied into the body of the message and appears textually to the recipient.

Then there are the short URLs, which are a much shorter form of link in order to obtain a smaller series of characters. Thanks to the latter, you can save more characters for your sms itself. At Octopush, note that you have at your disposal a URL shortener to obtain short URLs very easily. 

Nowadays, rich sms 2.0 is widely used in SMS marketing campaigns. The benefits that companies can get from it are indeed numerous. 

Which cell phone to read a rich sms? 

All cell phones have the possibility to receive rich sms. However, to be able to read it correctly, certain conditions must be met. 

• The recipient must have a cell phone (or a mobile device) with Internet access functionality. 
• The recipient must have access to the Internet at the time they click on the landing page URL. 

Why are rich sms interesting for companies?  

First of all, note that rich sms allows you to bypass the 150 characters of simple sms. Indeed, managing to clearly communicate information with such a limited number of characters is far from easy. This makes the use of rich sms much more advantageous. Because the information you want to communicate can be integrated into the landing page. 

In a way, rich sms can therefore become real marketing weapons. They allow companies to launch sms campaigns with a much better lead conversion rate. All this, without forgetting the considerable optimization of the customer experience and the perfectly clear call to action stated in the landing pages. 

In short, what makes rich text messaging so special is its ability to be combined with landing pages to attract and convert prospects, build customer loyalty and get them to take action (buy, rent, subscribe, register, etc.)

And what are RCS messages in all this? 

We can say that RCS messages are an evolution of rich sms. Instead of containing a simple hyperlink, RCS messages can share rich multimedia content. This includes photos, videos, files and even payments. In a way, we can say that RCS messages are the Android version of Apple’s iMessage and merge WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and WeChat into SMS format. 

In short, RCS or Rich Communication Services is another update of SMS with branding, rich media, interactivity and analytics. With RCS, companies can deliver an interactive and branded mobile experience. All this, right in their customers’ SMS inboxes.

Why is RCS messaging good for business? 

With rich SMS definition services, businesses are no longer limited to the simplicity of text messages to communicate with their customers. Instead, the experience is much richer and more interactive with the ability to send multimedia content.  

If you choose to use RCS messaging for business communication, you have the ability to create interactive experiences through simple interfaces. All at the same level of interactivity as chat or instant messaging services.