Austin, Texas — Dec. 9, 2025 —TrueDialog, the enterprise-grade SMS platform powering mission-critical communications for higher education, sports organizations, financial services, and leading brands, today announced the release of its 2025 SMS Marketing Benchmarks & Best Practices Report, the industry’s most comprehensive analysis of real-world text messaging performance.
Based on data drawn from the one billion texts sent through TrueDialog’s platform, the report provides marketers with new data on timing, message composition, engagement behavior, unsubscribe patterns, and regional responsiveness.
“SMS continues to outperform every other channel in immediacy, engagement, and ROI,” said John Wright, CEO of TrueDialog. “As brands determine how to plan for 2026, this report gives marketing leaders the empirical data they need to reach audiences more effectively and stand out in increasingly competitive inboxes.”
Key Findings From the 2025 SMS Benchmark Report
Consumers overwhelmingly welcome SMS from brands
TrueDialog’s analysis found that 94% of all responses were neutral-to-positive, with less than 1% showing negative sentiment. Audiences are also increasingly willing to stay engaged: 87% of recipients did not opt out during a 7-day interaction window.
The most crowded time to send is Tuesday at 11 a.m. ET
Brands heavily favor late-morning weekday sends—especially Tuesdays—suggesting that off-peak windows could represent untapped opportunity for higher engagement.
Unsubscribes spike at 9 p.m. ET
Even when messages fall within legal sending windows, nighttime outreach drives significantly higher opt-outs. The highest unsubscribe rate—22.5%—occurred when brands initiated conversations in the evening. Mid-afternoon messages saw the lowest unsubscribe volume.
Brands are maximizing the 160-character limit—but skipping emojis
The average message length was 153 characters, proving most organizations use the full space available while remaining concise. Yet only 2% of messages included emojis, despite evidence that emoji usage increases opens and engagement. Short code messages averaged 159 characters, while long codes averaged 143.
Regional engagement varies—and Canada leads the way
Alberta, Canada topped the charts with a 31% response rate, while Oregon and Minnesota dominated the list of most positive texters. These geographic insights offer additional avenues for localized optimization.
A Roadmap for 2026: Data-Driven SMS Best Practices
The report outlines actionable recommendations marketers can implement immediately, including:
- Building compliant subscriber lists with clear opt-in disclosures
- Leveraging emerging technologies like RCS to deliver richer experiences
- Optimizing send times to avoid peak unsubscribe windows
- Crafting concise, high-performing messages under 160 characters
- Adding emojis strategically to increase engagement
- Selecting enterprise-ready platforms with direct carrier connections for throughput, compliance, and reliability
“With crowded email inboxes and declining social reach, SMS is becoming the cornerstone of modern customer engagement,” said Amanda McGuckin Hager, Chief Marketing Officer at TrueDialog. “These insights offer marketers a competitive advantage as they plan for 2026 and look for new ways to create meaningful, measurable interactions.”
Download the Full Report
The 2025 SMS Marketing Benchmarks & Best Practices Report is available for download today here.
About TrueDialog
TrueDialog is the enterprise SMS platform transforming how organizations connect with customers through text-messaging—today’s most engaging and responsive channel. Through superior features, industry-leading security, and direct carrier connections, the platform delivers enterprise-grade reliability while reducing messaging costs by up to 75%. TrueDialog is trusted by thousands of brands, including Coca-Cola, Hilton, Kansas City Chiefs, Northern Tool, SubjectWell, and Tulane University. TrueDialog combines powerful capabilities with simplified implementation. Based in Austin, Texas, TrueDialog helps organizations build stronger relationships through reliable, cost-efficient messaging. To learn more, visit www.truedialog.com.
Contact (For Media Only):
Jodi Bart Holzband
Classic Bart PR & Communications
jodi@classicbart.com
