Which content is better to send via Viber, and which via SMS

The modern market is saturated with advertising, and not every, even high-quality content, is able to impress, let alone interest consumers. In the battle for seconds of attention, all possible loopholes and platforms need to be used — social media, contextual advertising, and mass mailings, including via SMS and Viber.

These are not competitors, but tools that complement and enhance each other. There are many marketing cases where it is worth considering them primarily together. And for better results, it is necessary to clearly see the advantages and limitations of each.

Which offers are best sent to users in the form of SMS, and in which cases it is more appropriate to use Viber notifications — read on.

Viber and SMS: What They Have in Common

Reach and Readability

The common feature of these communication tools is their reach, and thus the ability to “reach” many customers simultaneously.

SMS is a feature that is by default present on all phones, including feature phones. Therefore, SMS messages are received by all subscribers, regardless of location and mobile internet availability.

Viber is perhaps the most popular messenger in the world. A few years ago, the number of its users surpassed 1 billion. According to Forbes, in 2024, this app was installed on 98% of smartphones, used by Ukrainians.

Another important factor for both platforms is the high percentage of message readability. In the case of both SMS and Viber, it is around 90% within three minutes of receipt.

Personalization and Legislation

It is important to note that both tools fall under advertising legislation requirements. In other words, subscribers’ consent to receive messages from businesses is mandatory for both regular SMS and Viber SMS.

In fact, this hassle brings only advantages. In both cases, you are sending messages exclusively to “your own”. That is, to people who have already visited your salon, ordered brushes, vibrators, gift certificates, or anything else from your business.

Furthermore, having consent allows you to personalize the sending. Provided that the marketer pays enough attention to managing the customer base and knows how to optimally segment it in each case, the result can exceed expectations.

SMS and Viber: Genre Differences

Conciseness and Interactivity

SMS is initially focused exclusively on short text. In one message, you can fit no more than 160 characters in Latin, which is a value and a competitive advantage — understanding the content does not require much attention.

Viber message sending also has limitations, but up to 1000 characters, which allows for more informative announcements. Also, in Viber, you can attach an image up to 500 KB or a GIF — this makes the text visually expressive and allows you to touch emotions.

Additionally, in Viber, you can conduct surveys and add an “active action button”, called CTA. In SMS messages, you have to limit yourself to only a shortened link to the website.

Private and Business

In the past, SMS was used exclusively for personal communication, but over time, it shifted its orientation. Today, it is a channel for important notifications from official institutions. For many years, advertising messages via SMS have subconsciously been read as business-related.

Messengers, on the other hand, are perceived as personal space. It is through Viber that we get calls from friends in other countries, and numerous aunts send SMS pictures wishing “a wonderful morning and aromatic coffee”.

Considering the social perception, Viber clearly distinguishes between private and business messages. For promotional letters, there is a separate folder, which by default is pinned in the active visual zone — at the top. This means the person sees the update immediately upon entering the app.

When is it better to use Viber?

• If your target audience actively uses this app, for example, is abroad. You can also rely on fresh sociological research. For example, until recently, Viber was preferred by people 55+ and more often in rural areas, but the situation is changing rapidly. This can be determined during the consent stage by simply asking: “Which channel is most convenient for you to receive messages?”
• If you understand that 170 characters are too few. Maybe to interest a person and reveal all the advantages of your offer. Maybe to deliver important news.
• If there is creative content that should not be missed. For example, a brilliant meme that will surprise, make someone smile, and direct them to your website.
• If there is a situation that will help you attract extra attention as a socially responsible business.
• If your advertisement urgently needs an illustration. Anyone can imagine what a regular pizza looks like, but how will a designer pizza differ from a regular one? Without a photo, there will be no surprise, and without it, i.e., without emotion, there will be no desired result.
• If your content strategy does not involve concise formats. This is especially true for educational content, where recommendations or teasers to lessons, “guessing games”, work well — each niche has its own secrets of effective audience interaction.

When is SMS the better solution?

• If your client did not receive the message in Viber. This happens — sometimes people install only the web version of this messenger or, for some reason, do not use it for a long time. For such cases, SMS Club offers the possibility of cascading messages: if the promotional message was not delivered to Viber, it will automatically be sent via SMS after some time.
• If you value your customers’ time and want to maintain their loyalty. There is a layer of consumers who find typical SMS messages easier to perceive and remember than “cluttering” their minds with additional information.
• If the interaction does not require an immediate response from the customer. These are all reminders regarding bonus points, individual discounts, or sales.
• If improving service quality and preserving customers’ nerves is important to you. These are all transactional messages, notifications about order status, shipment, tracking numbers, etc.

Comparison of Key Features of Viber and SMS

Instead of conclusions:

Viber is an ideal platform for mass mailings that require visual activation of text and involve interactivity. SMS works better for restrained and concise notifications about a brand, product, or service.

Message open rates are high in both communication methods, but SMS has a higher chance of reaching the recipient on time — at least because this channel works without additional apps or mobile internet.

Which of these marketing channels is more suitable for your business? There is no universal answer here — all decisions are made based on the specific request. Reach out to professionals, as only they know exactly how to quickly recoup the cost of a mailing through its optimal setup.