What is the maximum character limit for SMS marketing

Understanding SMS character limits

When planning a successful SMS marketing strategy, knowing the maximum character limit for your messages is crucial. It not only affects the clarity of your content, but also impacts the cost and deliverability of each campaign. In this article, we explore how many characters you can send in an SMS, what happens if your message is too long, and best practices for effective SMS marketing across Europe.

How many characters fit in one SMS

The standard SMS (Short Message Service) is limited to 160 characters when using the GSM-7 character set, which covers most Western European languages and symbols. This is the maximum allowed per SMS segment. If you use Unicode characters (non-Latin symbols like emojis or non-European alphabets), the limit decreases to 70 characters per segment.

• GSM-7 encoding: 160 characters per segment
• Unicode encoding: 70 characters per segment

What happens with longer SMS messages

If your marketing message exceeds the character limit, most modern platforms like Smstools will automatically split it into multiple linked messages known as concatenated SMS. When this happens, some bytes are reserved for the linking process, so the per-segment count drops slightly:

• GSM-7 concatenated: 153 characters per segment
• Unicode concatenated: 67 characters per segment

For example, a 300 character message in GSM-7 will be sent as 2 segments of 153 characters + 1 segment with the remainder (up to 153).

Cost implications of SMS length

The cost in SMS marketing is usually based on the number of segments sent, not the number of recipients or messages composed. Sending a message over the character limit means paying for each additional segment. Keeping your texts concise saves money and ensures quicker delivery.

Tips for optimizing SMS marketing messages

• Be concise: Stay under 160 GSM-7 or 70 Unicode characters when possible.
• Test before sending: Use an SMS platform to preview segmentation and encoding.
• Avoid unnecessary emojis or special symbols to maximize your character count.
• Use links to share more information or lead customers to your site.
• Personalize your content for higher engagement without exceeding the limit.

Special cases: SMS concatenation, opt-outs, and legal notes

If you include opt-out instructions (such as 'Reply STOP to unsubscribe'), factor this into your character count. Links, legal notes, and personalization tags (first name, etc.) also use characters. Some platforms allow customizing such fields to fit within a single segment.

Why character limits matter for marketing results

Surveys show that recipients are more likely to read and respond to concise messages. Longer SMS might split into multiple notifications, which could reduce user experience. Keeping your marketing messages short not only lowers cost but also improves engagement rates and compliance with regulations.

How to send longer content: alternatives to SMS

If your campaign requires more text, consider using a combination of SMS and other channels such as WhatsApp newsletters or links to landing pages. With WhatsApp marketing, your character limit is much higher, making it ideal for more detailed content. You can also leverage email to SMS integrations or automation tools like Zapier and Make.com for multi-channel communication.

Frequently asked questions

• Can I send emojis in SMS marketing messages?
  Yes, but using emojis or non-Latin characters triggers Unicode mode and reduces your per-message limit to 70 characters (or 67 per segment if concatenated).
• Does the country affect SMS character limits?
  No, the technical SMS character limit is the same across Europe and most of the world.
• Why do some characters count as two?
  Certain special symbols may use extra bytes, especially in non-GSM-7 encoding or Unicode. Watch for curly quotes, emojis, and special dashes.
• Can I send longer SMS via Smstools?
  Yes, Smstools automatically splits and delivers long messages as concatenated SMS, but extra segments will increase your campaign cost.
• Where can I test my SMS content and segmentation?
  You can create a free account and preview your SMS content with Smstools. Try it now REGISTER

Conclusion

Staying within the SMS character limit is essential for cost-effective and engaging marketing campaigns. Use concise, well-crafted content, test thoroughly, and take advantage of automation and alternative channels to maximize your results in European SMS marketing.