Overview
Inside Real Estate has gathered tips and tricks for optimizing deliverability rates when sending text messages via the Smart CRM. Some of these best practices described will take some time to have an effect, but the sooner you change your SMS practices, the more robust your lead and sphere engagement will be! It’s important to note that carriers (such as AT&T, Verizon, and more) set their own filtering rules to automatically screen texts - with these best practices you can learn how to avoid many of these carriers’ automatic spam filters that determine if a text actually gets delivered.
How to Prevent Text Message Delivery Failures
Introduce Yourself
Make sure to specify who the text is coming from.
How does BoldTrail help? The system automatically adds Agent information to texts not part of a conversation.
Please Note: This is an example text only.
Get Permission
Get permission to message a new lead when the lead comes from outside of BoldTrail. Try and verify with the lead through verbal or written confirmation that it’s okay to send them messages about listings and more. This will lower the likelihood that a lead reports your phone number as spam.
If a contact informs you they don’t want to receive messages, manually unsubscribe them. If you fail to do so, you may be subjected to TCPA violation fines. To learn more about TCPA compliance, click here.
How does BoldTrail help? There are certain keywords that will automatically unsubscribe the lead in BoldTrail such as:
Stop
Unsubscribe
Stopall
Cancel
End
Quit
However, if a lead makes it clear they do not want to receive messages, but they haven’t said the correct keywords, you can manually unsubscribe them from their contact profile.
Standard opt-out language will be included in outbound texts once every 5 text messages or every 15 days (whichever comes first). If the lead has responded in the last 24 hours, the standard opt-out language will not be included in every fifth text message.
Please Note: If a contact uses one of the unsubscribe keywords, you will not be able to resubscribe them manually. They will need to text in a subscribe keyword (such as SUBSCRIBE, START, and YES).
Keep Messages Short & Sweet
Do not send messages longer than 220 characters and avoid excessive, repetitive messages (e.g. 25+ messages with the same or similar content).
For the best response rates and deliverability, send short, engaging (think a call to action) messages. With longer and more frequent messages you run the risk of contacts opting out or automatically deleting your messages.
Carefully Craft Message Content
Do not include URLs that have been shorted in your text messages (these may look malicious to someone who doesn’t know what the link is).
Do not include multiple emojis or unnecessary special characters or capitalization
Avoid sending links that look like they may be malicious or phishing
Craft brief messages that quickly and effectively get your point across.
How does BoldTrail help? The system will block longer messages from being sent.
Do not send content that is illegal, harmful, abusive, or violent.
To learn more about forbidden content click here.
How Inside Real Estate Helps Deliver Your Messages
Every message sent from BoldTrail will identify the sending Agent’s name and brokerage unless it is sent as part of a conversation.
A conversation is defined as a reply to an inbound text that occurs within 24 hours.
Example: ‘Message sent by <AGENT NAME> with <ACCOUNT NAME>. If you'd rather not communicate by text message, reply with STOP’
The signature will be applied to every text until there is a back-and-forth conversation between the lead and the Agent in the last 24 hours
The first text message sent to all US phone numbers will be checked against third-party databases to ensure they’re capable of receiving text messages. If they are not (such as a landline) the contact will be automatically unsubscribed. Only valid cell phone numbers should receive text messages.
Please Note: Canadian phone numbers will not be screened at this time - Coming Soon!
Mass text messages will be limited to two segments (320 characters).
STOP/OPT-OUT language will be sent as part of outbound messages every 5 messages or 15 days (whichever comes first).
Mass texts/Campaign texts are limited to one per lead per day.
Text messages have a character limit of 220.
SMS signature and opt-out language do not count towards the 220-character limit.
Best Practices
Here are some behaviors that may cause carriers like AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile to flag Smart Numbers as senders of spam.
Texting leads the same or similar content repeatedly to the same lead.
e.g. Sending the same or almost the exact same worded text message
to a lead 2 days in a row.
Texting leads too frequently.
e.g. Mass texting all leads subscribed to text messaging in the CRM every single day for a week straight.
Here are some lessons learned from these experiences to avoid looking like
spam to the phone carriers.
Vary the content of the text messages.
e.g. Don't change only 1 or 2 words in the sentence, write something totally new.
Space out the timing of the text messages
e. g. Don't text a lead every single day for a week straight
Use the pre-made templates in BoldTrail to invite your contacts to opt-in!
Ensure your Smart Number opt-out rates are as low as possible.
An opt-out is any time someone replies with “STOP,” “UNSUBSCRIBE,” “END,” “CANCEL,” “QUIT,” or “STOPALL.” If one of your contacts has indicated that they don’t want to receive your text messages, don’t wait for them to reply “STOP.” We recommend you manually unsubscribe that content from your CRM database, immediately upon receiving the request. The fewer opt-outs you receive, the higher your “trust score” with mobile carriers will be.
Avoid any behavior triggering a rapid spike in outbound messages or potential opt-outs.
This can be done by only sending meaningful, applicable messaging content to your opted-in contact and by limiting mass text messages to small groups of contacts at a time.
Map out your text message marketing campaigns
Ensure that your Smart Campaign text actions used for automated follow-up are manageable, by spacing them out for optimal effectiveness.
Don’t apply a campaign with SMS text actions to hundreds or thousands of contacts simultaneously.
When bulk-importing leads, we require SMS opt-in to send mass and campaign text messages. For all other lead sources, be careful to avoid applying campaigns with text actions to your contacts in large groups simultaneously - try to break them up into smaller chunks if possible.
Diversify your messages
Have you tried CORE Video Powered by Bombomb? Take advantage of the FREE video messaging tool
Frequently Asked Questions
Is cold texting leads in BoldTrail leveraging automated or mass messaging considered spam-like behavior?
To the carriers, “spam” is a vague statistic for how often customers on their wireless network opt-out from your text messages (or the likelihood thereof). There are a lot of potential homebuyers who value your services and will gladly opt into your text messages when asked. We encourage our users to leverage BoldTrail automated and mass messaging tools. However, it is wise to do so in bite-sized chunks rather than all at once. Rapid spikes in outbound messaging often trigger the carrier’s automated spam filters. Additionally, it’s important to acknowledge the source of your leads - someone who has never heard of you is more likely to opt-out of your messages, so be careful and send messages less frequently to contacts you’ve never met. It’s also critically important to consider the quality of your content, and to customize your messaging whenever possible. Personalized messages that indicate you know your customer and care about your long-term relationship with them are more likely to land you deals.
What type of content should I be sending to avoid spam filtering?
Vary the content of every message.
Leverage BoldTrail's system merge tags to address the recipient by name.
If you’re cold texting someone, customize the message to ensure it’s applicable to the recipient.
Resources to Learn More about Text Deliverability Best Practices
Learn more about preventing messages from being blocked here.
Learn more about acceptable content here.
Have more questions? Please reach out to Customer Support via the blue chat bubble to the right or by emailing support@insiderealestate.com!