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Messaging Best Practices

Learn how to manage client messaging responsibly, including messaging compliance, formatting, and best practices to ensure clear communication and successful delivery to clients.

Kyle Goodman avatar
Written by Kyle Goodman
Updated yesterday

📝 Overview

This article provides guidance for managing all types of client messaging within the software, including text marketing, reminders, and notifications. It explains how to stay compliant with messaging regulations, format messages correctly, and ensure clients are properly opted in before receiving communications.

💬 Messaging Do’s and Don’ts

Follow these best practices to help your messages reach clients successfully and avoid delivery issues or carrier violations. The Do’s outline clear, effective communication strategies, while the Don’ts list common pitfalls that can lead to blocked messages or non-compliance.

⛔ Warning: DaySmart will not reimburse customers who ignore these guidelines or exceed text limits due to carrier blocks.

Click the arrow to learn more about the do's and don'ts of messaging

✅ Do's

  1. Write clear, concise messages (under 160 characters).

  2. Target your audience with relevant content.

  3. Always include your business name using the <company name> placeholder.

  4. Use the <unsubscribe> placeholder to ensure clients can opt out easily.

  5. Follow character count limits using tools like Twilio’s Counter.

❌ Don’ts

  1. Avoid special characters or emojis that may cause delivery errors.

  2. Avoid sending text campaigns to all clients in your database at once.

  3. Don’t send back-to-back campaigns too frequently.

  4. Avoid promoting cannabis or CBD-related products.

  5. Don’t use customer reminder numbers for marketing purposes.

  6. Avoid spam phrases like “100% off,” “extra cash,” or “click here.”

  7. Don’t use public URL shorteners (like bit.ly) in messages as they’re often flagged by carriers.

  8. Do not add secondary phone numbers to text messages. This includes What's App links/numbers.
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📨 Things to Know About Text Marketing

This section explains key compliance rules and best practices for text marketing, including how to properly format messages, obtain client consent, and use tools like QR codes to help clients opt in securely.

📝 Formatting for Text Marketing Messages

Click the arrow to learn more about text marketing message formatting

💡Pro Tip: Unsubscribing information is automatically added by the software along with placeholders like <Company Name> and <Company Phone>. Do not remove or edit these placeholders, they’ll update automatically when a text campaign sends.

All text marketing messages must include:

  • Company Name

  • Company Phone Number

  • Instructions for how clients can opt out


​Example Message:

We’re back open! Come on in and get a haircut.
​<Company Name> / <Company Phone>

🧾 How to Get Clients Opted In

Click the arrow to learn more about opting in clients

⚠️ Please Note:

  • If a client later texts unsubscribe, stop, or cancel, they’ll be opted out and will not receive further marketing texts unless they text back subscribe again.

  • The text appointment reminder notifications and text marketing messages come from different numbers and are not linked. If a client replies stop to one of those numbers, it will only stop that type of message. If the customer subscribes, unsubscribes, then subscribes again with the word "subscribe," the second activation attempt for "subscribe" will not work. They will need to reply with "start" to the number they unsubscribed from.

Opting all clients into text marketing without consent is illegal.
As of February 21, 2024, DaySmart customers will no longer be able to mass opt in clients to text marketing.
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Below are approved ways to get clients properly opted in. Clients must opt in voluntarily to receive marketing texts. They can do this by texting one of the following keywords (not case-sensitive):

  • subscribe

  • start

Ways to invite clients to opt in:

  • Ask at the front desk during checkout or appointments.

  • Display a sign or QR code linking to the opt-in number.

  • Include an opt-in invitation in email campaigns.

📱 QR Code for Text Marketing Opt-In

Click the arrow to learn the QR code setup steps

While not officially supported, you can create a QR code to make it easier for clients to subscribe.

  1. Go to a QR code generator site such as QR Code Generator (TQRGC).

  2. Select SMS as the code type.

  3. Enter your business’s text marketing number in the Number field.

  4. In the Message field, type SUBSCRIBE.

  5. Save or print the generated code for your business.

  6. Display the QR code at checkout or on promotional materials.

  7. Test the code to confirm it opens a text message ready to send.

❓ FAQs

Find answers to common questions or additional details that may not be covered in the main instructions.

Click the arrow to view frequently asked questions

Why is mass opt-in illegal?

Click the arrow to view the answer

Due to changes in legal guidelines, clients must give explicit consent to receive marketing messages; automatic enrollment violates federal regulations.

What happens if a client texts “stop”?

Click the arrow to view the answer

They’ll be immediately unsubscribed from all text campaigns.

Can I resend to unsubscribed clients?

Click the arrow to view the answer

Only after they text back subscribe or start to opt in again.

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