suede-sms

Suede SMS Programs

Suede SMS designs consent-aware message programs for commerce, mobile, and SaaS use cases where immediacy can earn its interruption cost. It combines sequence logic, sender identity, cadence, carrier constraints, and measurement without claiming legal certification or sending messages.

Before Starting

Check for product marketing context first: If .agents/product-marketing.md exists (or .claude/product-marketing.md, or the legacy product-marketing-context.md filename, in older setups), read it before asking questions. Use that context and only ask for information not already covered or specific to this task.

Gather this context (ask if not provided):

1. Business Type

• B2C ecom / DTC, B2B SaaS, mobile app, services, fintech
• Order volume or list size (SMS economics depend on scale)
• Geographic mix (US, EU, both — compliance differs dramatically)

2. Current State

• Existing SMS program (platform, list size, opt-in rate, opt-out rate, revenue/send)
• Email program (SMS works best as a layer on top, not a replacement)
• Phone number type: short code, toll-free, long code (10DLC)
• Sequences already running (so a new flow does not double-tap the same contact)

3. Compliance Posture

• US: A2P 10DLC registration complete? (Required since 2022 — without it, your messages get filtered)
• Opt-in mechanism in use? (Checkbox, keyword opt-in, double opt-in)
• Privacy policy + terms include SMS disclosures?

4. Goal

• Drive revenue (promotional, cart recovery, post-purchase)
• Drive activation (welcome, onboarding, milestone nudges)
• Transactional (order updates, auth codes, alerts)

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When SMS Beats Email

SMS is not "another email." Use it where the channel's properties win:

Use Case	SMS or Email?	Why
Abandoned cart recovery	SMS first	98% open rate within 3 min vs 20% for email in 24h
Order/shipping updates	SMS	Customers want it now, on their phone
Flash sale / limited drop	SMS	Urgency channel; immediate read
Auth codes / 2FA	SMS (or app)	Latency-sensitive, must arrive in seconds
Welcome series	Email primary, SMS layer	Email carries the long-form content
Educational nurture	Email	Too much text for SMS, costs add up
Newsletter	Email	Wrong channel for SMS
Win-back lapsed customers	Both	SMS for the strong nudge, email for the offer detail
Post-purchase upsell	SMS	High open rate, ride the purchase momentum

General rule: SMS earns the right to interrupt because of opt-in. Use it for messages that genuinely benefit from immediacy. If it could wait 24 hours, send it via email.

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Compliance — Read First

Compliance is the foundation, not an afterthought. A single TCPA class-action settlement runs $5M–$40M. The basics:

US — TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act)

1. Express written consent required for marketing SMS. Implied consent doesn't count.
2. Clear disclosure at opt-in must include: program name, frequency expectation ("up to 4 msgs/month"), STOP/HELP instructions, "Msg & data rates may apply," link to terms.
3. Honor STOP/UNSUBSCRIBE within seconds, every time, no exceptions, on every keyword variant (STOP, END, CANCEL, UNSUBSCRIBE, QUIT).
4. Honor HELP with a response containing brand name + STOP info + support contact.
5. Quiet hours: no marketing sends before 8am or after 9pm in the recipient's local time. Carrier rules and state laws (e.g., Florida, Oklahoma, Washington) are stricter than federal — default to 9am–8pm recipient-local.
6. Keep written consent records with timestamp, opt-in source, and exact disclosure text shown. Auditable.

US — A2P 10DLC Registration (required since 2022)

Application-to-Person 10-digit long codes must be registered through The Campaign Registry (TCR) via your SMS platform. Without registration:

• Throughput is throttled (or zero)
• Carriers filter your messages
• You'll see "delivered" status but recipients won't get them

Registration covers: brand identity verification, campaign use case (marketing, account notification, OTP, etc.), sample messages, opt-in mechanism, opt-out language. Sample message text from registration must match what you actually send.

EU/UK — GDPR-derived consent

• Explicit opt-in required (no pre-checked boxes)
• Right to withdraw consent must be as easy as giving it
• Data subject access requests apply to SMS records
• ePrivacy Directive layered on top of GDPR

Canada — CASL

• Express consent + sender identification + unsubscribe in every message
• Implied consent allowed for existing business relationships within 24 months
• Penalties up to CAD $10M per violation

For full compliance details, edge cases, opt-in copy templates, and STOP/HELP response templates: see references/compliance.md.

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Phone Number Types (US)

Type	Throughput	Cost	Use Case	Trust
Short code (5-6 digit)	100+ msg/sec	$500–$1,000/mo + setup	High-volume marketing	Highest (carrier-vetted)
Toll-free (1-8XX)	~3 msg/sec	$10–$30/mo	Mid-volume, B2C support	Medium-high (carrier-verified)
10DLC (regular long code)	1–250 msg/sec	$2–$10/mo	SMB, conversational, transactional	Medium (requires A2P 10DLC reg)

Rule of thumb: list <10K = 10DLC. List 10K–100K = toll-free. List 100K+ = short code.

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Core Principles

1. Every send has a real cost

SMS isn't free. At $0.0075–$0.04 per send + carrier fees, a 100K send costs $750–$4,000. This forces relevance — you can't "blast." Segment hard.

2. Opt-in is your most valuable asset

Opt-in rate from email → SMS is typically 5–25%. A high-quality SMS list of 10K beats a low-quality list of 100K. Optimize opt-in quality, not volume.

3. Each message must justify itself

The recipient gave you their phone number. Every send should pass: "would I be glad I got this text?" If no, don't send.

4. Brevity + clarity

160 GSM-7 characters = 1 SMS segment. 161+ chars = 2 segments (you're billed for 2). Emojis force UCS-2 encoding (70 chars per segment). Plan for segment count.

5. One CTA, one link

Short links are mandatory (klvy.co, txt.attn.tv, branded short domain). Track UTM params on every link.

6. Sender identity, every send

"From [Brand]:" or branded short code at the start of every message. Even on automated flows. Recipients can't see "from" address — they need it inline.

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SMS Sequence Types

Welcome / Opt-In Confirmation (immediate)

Send 1: Confirmation + reward (immediate)

From Acme: Thanks for joining! Here's 10% off: ACME10. Use at checkout: acme.co/sale. Reply STOP to opt out.

Optional Send 2 (24h later): Reminder + best-seller showcase

Abandoned Cart (highest-ROI flow for ecom)

• Send 1 (30 min after abandon): "Forget something? Your cart's still here: [short link]"
• Send 2 (4 hours later): Soft urgency + social proof
• Send 3 (24 hours later, optional): Discount offer (only if margin allows)

Note: Discount on first message trains customers to abandon. Reserve discount for Send 2 or 3.

Browse Abandonment

• Send 1 (1 hour after browse): Product + "Thinking it over?" + link

Post-Purchase

• Send 1 (immediate): Order confirmation + delivery ETA (transactional, separate consent OK)
• Send 2 (after delivery + 2 days): "How are you liking [product]?" + review prompt + cross-sell

Win-Back (lapsed)

• Send 1 (60–90 days after last purchase): "We miss you" + curated picks
• Send 2 (14 days later): Discount offer
• Send 3 (final, 14 days later): Opt-out warning + last chance

Promotional / Campaign Sends

• Flash sales, drops, launches, BFCM
• 1–2 sends max per campaign
• Stack against email send schedule to avoid same-day double-tap

Transactional (separate compliance bucket)

• Order updates, shipping, delivery, auth codes, account alerts
• Generally OK without separate marketing consent if directly related to a transaction the user initiated
• Still subject to A2P 10DLC registration in US

For full sequence templates with copy and timing: see references/sequence-templates.md.

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SMS Copy Guidelines

Structure

1. Sender ID ("From Acme:" or brand short code) — required
2. Hook — first 5 words decide if they read on
3. Value — what's in it for them, specifically
4. CTA + short link — single action, single URL
5. Compliance footer — "Reply STOP to opt out" (required on opt-in confirmation and at least quarterly thereafter; carrier-recommended on every promotional message)

Length

• 160 chars (GSM-7) = 1 segment. Aim here.
• 70 chars (UCS-2) if you use emojis, accented characters, or curly quotes — you'll pay for more segments.
• 161–306 chars = 2 segments (concatenated SMS). Acceptable for richer messages, but you're paying double per send.
• MMS (image + up to 1,600 chars) = 3–5× the SMS cost. Use sparingly for high-impact moments.

Voice

• Conversational, not corporate. SMS feels personal — write like you're texting a friend.
• No subject line, no formatting, no marketing-speak.
• Emojis are fine in moderation (one per message, situationally).
• ALL CAPS reads as shouting. Avoid except for explicit codes (e.g., "Use ACME10").

Never ship these strings — they are the SMS defaults a model reaches for unprompted, and several are expensive too, since a leading emoji flips the message to UCS-2 and halves the segment to 70 characters. Replace each with the specific thing: the product they left, the amount off, the date it ends.

• "Don't miss out!" / "Hurry, ends soon!" / "LAST CHANCE" / "Time is running out"
• "Hey [Name]! 👋" / "Hey friend!" / "Psst..." / "We miss you 😢" / "It's been a while!"
• "Exclusive offer just for you" / "You've been selected" / "Tap here" with no statement of what is on the other side
• Flame, siren, alarm-clock, or party-popper emoji as the opener

Personalization

• First name token if available (boosts CTR ~20%)
• Recent product/category browse-based
• Location-based offers (where applicable)

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Platform Selection

Evaluation examples, not guaranteed integrations — this pack ships no SMS connectors. Before recommending one, verify vendor documentation, authenticated access, per-message cost, carrier support, consent storage, quiet hours, STOP/HELP behavior, and send limits.

Platform	Best For	Cost Tier	Verify Before Use
Klaviyo SMS	DTC ecom already on Klaviyo email	$$	Store integration, consent, attribution
Postscript	DTC Shopify ecom, deep integration	$$	Store integration, consent, attribution
Attentive	Mid-market+ ecom, full-service	$$$	Store integration, consent, attribution
Twilio / Plivo	Custom builds, transactional, devs	$ (raw API)	Number registration, throughput, callbacks
Brevo SMS	EU-focused, email + SMS combo	$	Regional coverage, orchestration, suppression
SimpleTexting	SMB, simple needs, ease of use	$	Regional coverage, consent record
Customer.io	Behavior-based automation + SMS	$$	Regional coverage, orchestration, suppression
AudienceTap	Specialized DTC capture	$	Capture method, consent record, carrier coverage

Quick picks:

• Already on Klaviyo for email + DTC/ecom → Klaviyo SMS (no second platform to learn)
• Shopify ecom, want deeper SMS-specific features → Postscript
• Building custom SMS into a product → Twilio
• B2B SaaS doing transactional/auth → Twilio or Customer.io

For platform deep-dives (features, pricing, integration paths, A2P registration): see references/platforms.md.

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Measurement

Key Metrics

Metric	What it tells you	Healthy range (ecom DTC)
Opt-in rate	Top of funnel health	5–25% of email subscribers
CTR	Message relevance	8–15% (vs ~3% email)
Conversion rate (per send)	Revenue impact	1–5% per promotional send
Revenue per send (RPS)	Channel economics	$0.20–$2.00
Opt-out rate per send	Audience fatigue	<2% per send, <0.5% for promotional
Cost per send	Channel cost discipline	$0.0075–$0.04
List growth rate	Audience momentum	5–15%/month early, 1–3% steady-state

What to track in analytics

• UTM tag every link: utm_source=sms&utm_medium=sms&utm_campaign=[campaign-name]
• Conversion attribution: SMS-driven sessions, last-click revenue, assisted conversions
• LTV impact: SMS subscribers vs email-only subscribers (typically 1.5–3× LTV for SMS opt-ins)

What to A/B test

• Send time (afternoon vs evening, local time)
• Copy length (short SMS vs MMS with image)
• Discount amount and trigger (immediate vs delayed)
• Personalization tokens (with first name vs without)
• CTA copy ("Shop now" vs "See it" vs "Last chance")

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Output Format

When the user asks for an SMS plan, return these six sections, in this order, with these headings:

1. Compliance check: Are they registered for A2P 10DLC (if US)? Is the opt-in mechanism compliant? Flag blockers first.
2. Strategy: Which SMS flows to build first, ranked by ROI for their business model.
3. Sequence designs: For each priority flow, one block per message, in this exact shape:

Trigger: [event that fires this message]
Delay: [time after the trigger]
Copy: (NN chars, N segments, GSM-7|UCS-2)
[the message exactly as it would send, sender ID and compliance footer included]
CTA link: [short link + UTM params]
Segment: [who receives this, who is excluded]
Compliance footer: [STOP language present / not required here, and why]

4. Platform recommendation: Based on stack, list size, and complexity.
5. Measurement plan: KPIs, benchmarks, A/B test queue.
6. Compliance footer: Required disclosures, STOP/HELP response templates.

Keep recommendations specific. Don't say "send an SMS at the right time" — say "send 30 min after cart abandon, 4 hours later if no purchase, 24 hours later with discount."

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Pre-delivery self-check

Run this on the messages you just drafted, not on the user's program — section 1 above audits the program, and nothing else checks the copy. Any failure means the plan is not deliverable: name the failing item and fix it before presenting.

• Every message carries the sender ID inline
• Every message shows its character and segment count, and stays inside the segment budget you declared
• Opt-in confirmation and at least one message per quarter carry STOP language
• Every send time falls inside 9am–8pm recipient-local
• No personal phone number appears in any draft
• The drafted copy is consistent with the sample text declared at A2P registration

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Common Mistakes

1. Treating SMS like email — sending daily promotional blasts. Opt-out rates spike, list dies.
2. Not tracking conversions — you can't justify channel ROI without attribution.
3. No throttling on bulk sends — burst sends trigger carrier filtering. Use platform throttling.

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Boundaries

• Do not send or schedule messages, import or purchase lists, register numbers, change carrier settings, or mutate consent records without verified live state and explicit approval.
• Do not treat this skill as legal advice or claim compliance. Require documented consent, sender identification, quiet-hour, opt-out, suppression, and jurisdiction review before activation.
• Do not invent consent, delivery, revenue, or attribution data, and do not place personal phone numbers in drafts or reports.

Routing

• Use suede-emails for the email side of a coordinated lifecycle program.
• Use suede-site-alchemy for phone-number capture experiences.
• Use suede-churn-prevention for approved win-back strategy.
• Use suede-analytics to define delivery, response, and revenue measurement.
• Use suede-ab-testing to design the send-time, copy-length, and offer tests queued in the measurement plan.
• Use suede-deslop before any message goes to a real recipient.
• From those skills, route SMS sequence design, copy, and consent-aware cadence back to suede-sms.