Rich Communication Services (RCS) marketing is a form of text message marketing that delivers interactive, branded messages directly in subscribers' native messaging apps.
Unlike traditional SMS marketing, which limits you to plain text, RCS supports images, tappable buttons, carousels, and verified sender branding, all in the same place where people receive their regular texts. Your messages arrive from a verified brand name instead of a random phone number, and because RCS handles opt-out options and special characters natively, you can use the entire 3,072 characters for the content of your actual message.
Key features of RCS marketing
RCS brings a set of capabilities to text message marketing that standard SMS doesn't support. Here's what makes it different from a marketer's perspective:
- Verified branded sender: Messages display your verified branded sender identity instead of a random phone number, building recognition and trust with every text.
- Rich media support: Include high-resolution images, GIFs, videos, and audio directly in your messages, without relying on MMS or external links.
- Interactive elements: Add interactive text messaging elements, like carousels, quick replies, and tappable buttons, that let customers take action without leaving the conversation.
- Read receipts: See when recipients view your messages, an engagement signal SMS doesn't provide, and use that data to refine timing, content, and audience segmentation.
- Automatic SMS fallback: Recipients whose devices don't support RCS, either temporarily or permanently, receive an SMS version automatically, so you don’t miss any opportunities to reach people when you need to.
How brands use RCS marketing
RCS expands what marketers can achieve with a text message. Here are just a few ideas for using it to your advantage:
- Product launches and early-access drops: Transform a one-image MMS campaign into a truly shoppable experience, with high-resolution image carousels showing off a new product’s details, a short video demonstration of the product in action, a countdown timer showing when the offer expires, and a CTA button for easy navigation.
- Abandoned cart recovery: Instead of sending a plain-text reminder, combine a product image of the item left behind with product details, a relevant testimonial, and a CTA button that takes the subscriber directly to check-out.
- Post-purchase flows: Follow up on a recent purchase with a review request that includes quick-reply buttons ("Loved it" / "Had an issue"), letting customers respond in one tap and feeding that signal back into your future segmentation and personalization efforts.
- Loyalty and VIP programs: Send personalized reward updates with a branded card image and a "Redeem now" button, making the value of the program visible and immediately actionable.
Benefits of RCS marketing
RCS doesn't replace what's already working in your text marketing program. It gives you more to work with on every send. Here are some ways it changes what's possible in your campaigns and flows:
- Higher engagement: Interactive elements like carousels, buttons, and quick replies give recipients more ways to act directly in the message thread, without visiting a separate page or app.
- Stronger brand recognition: Every message arrives with your logo, brand name, and a verified sender badge, so recipients know immediately who it's from.
- Richer performance data: Read receipts, button engagement data, and conversation completion rates give you a clearer picture of what's working than SMS click data alone.
- More usable character count: RCS handles opt-out options and special characters natively, so your full message space goes toward your actual content.
- Automatic SMS fallback: For recipients whose devices don't support RCS, an SMS version sends automatically, so your reach doesn't shrink when you add the channel.
With Klaviyo, RCS runs on the same data as your existing SMS program. You can trigger messages based on real-time events like abandoned carts or purchases, incorporate RCS into existing campaigns and flows on other channels, and track RCS engagement alongside other metrics in one unified view.
Ready to give your customers more ways to act on every message you send? Get started with Klaviyo today.