RCS marketing gives a campaign three things SMS cannot: a verified identity, a rich format and per-message engagement data. Each of those is also a way to get it wrong. The rules below are drawn from the programmes that run on SimplyRCS and from the mistakes that show up in their opt-out rates.
1. Write the SMS fallback first
Every RCS send falls back per recipient to SMS or MMS on phones that cannot take it, so the plain-text version is not an afterthought, it is the floor. Write it first, make sure it works alone, then build the rich version on top. A campaign designed rich-first tends to produce a fallback that reads like a broken message. How RCS falls back to SMS explains the mechanics.
2. Send from a verified sender, and give marketing its own agent
The verified name, logo and checkmark are why an RCS promotion gets opened where an SMS from a short code is ignored. Keep promotional traffic on a promotional or multi-use RBM agent with its own consent, separate from the agent that sends passcodes and order updates, so an opt-out from offers never silences a delivery notice.
3. One card, one action
A rich card carries an image, a headline, a line of copy and up to four buttons; the campaigns that convert use one. "Shop the drop", "Book a table", "Claim the reward". Extra buttons split the tap rate without adding conversions. RCS rich card examples shows the pattern.
4. Carousels for choice, cards for decisions
A carousel of two to ten cards is for showing a range: three models, tonight's specials, the bundle. A single card is for a decision the customer has already half-made: the reminder, the reorder, the cart they left. Sending a carousel where a card would do buries the action.
5. Get consent that names the frequency
RCS marketing needs the same express written consent as SMS marketing, and the promise you make at opt-in, about what and how often, is the one you keep. State it, store it with the timestamp and the wording, and honour STOP everywhere. How RCS consent works sets out the record to keep.
6. Keep to hours, and to the promised cadence
Inside 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. local time by law; mid-morning to early evening by sense. A few sends a month is the ceiling most lists tolerate for promotions, and the opt-out rate per send is the number that tells you when you have crossed it.
7. Test on real handsets before the list sees it
RCS renders differently on Android and iPhone, and an image that is perfect on one crops on the other. Send every campaign to a test group of real phones first. The free sender ID test puts your verified sender on your own team's handsets for exactly this purpose, and the builder's preview shows both renders plus the SMS fallback before you send.
8. Template with variables, not copy per send
Build the card once with the name, the product, the amount and the deadline as variables. A templated campaign is faster to launch, consistent across sends, and it is what makes the fallback rule practical, because the plain-text version is templated alongside it.
9. Measure at the tap and the conversion
An RCS read receipt and an email open are not the same measurement, so compare channels where both are measured the same way: taps per suggestion and conversions attributed to the thread. Watch the delivered-as-RCS share too; if it is low, the format is not the problem, the audience or the message type is. What is the ROI of RCS turns the numbers into cost per outcome.
10. Stop when the opt-outs say so
Every list has a frequency past which each send loses more future customers than it wins. The opt-out rate per send finds it. When it climbs, cut cadence or tighten segmentation before doing anything else.
The practices in one table
| Practice | Why it matters | Where it goes wrong |
|---|---|---|
| Fallback first | The plain text is the floor every recipient gets | Rich-first design, broken SMS |
| Verified sender, own agent | Identity is why the message is opened | Offers on the transactional agent |
| One card, one action | Focus converts | Four buttons, no clear ask |
| Carousel for choice | Shows a range | Carousel for a single decision |
| Consent with frequency | The promise you keep | A pre-ticked box |
| Hours and cadence | Attention is finite | 7 a.m. promotions, weekly blasts |
| Real-handset test | Renders differ | Preview only |
| Templates | Speed and consistency | Copy per send |
| Taps and conversions | The only comparable layer | Reads vs email opens |
| Opt-out rate | The stop signal | Ignoring it |
Frequently asked questions
What is the most important RCS marketing best practice?
Writing the SMS fallback first. Every RCS campaign is also an SMS campaign for the recipients whose phones cannot take RCS, and a programme designed rich-first produces a fallback that reads like a broken message. The plain-text version has to work on its own before the rich version is built on top of it.
How often should you send RCS marketing messages?
At the frequency you promised at opt-in, and no more than a few times a month for promotions. The opt-out rate per send is the measure: when it rises, the cadence or the segmentation is wrong. Transactional messages are sent when something happens and are not part of the marketing count.
Should RCS marketing use the same sender as transactional messages?
No. Promotional traffic belongs on a promotional or multi-use RBM agent with its own consent, separate from the agent that sends passcodes and order updates. That way a customer who opts out of offers keeps receiving the messages they need, and a marketing complaint cannot put the transactional sender at risk.
How do you measure RCS marketing?
At the tap and the conversion, per message, plus the share of sends delivered as RCS rather than fallback. Read receipts are useful for sequencing but are not comparable to email opens, so cross-channel comparisons should be made at the click and conversion layer where every channel is measured the same way.