RCS lets your brand show up in the customer’s default messaging app with a logo, a verified badge, images, carousels and tap-to-act buttons. Many businesses are curious but unsure where to begin: What do we need? How long does verification take? What should the first campaign be? So this playbook walks you through launching an RCS business messaging campaign step by step, from setting up your brand agent to measuring results. Also, if you are completely new to the channel, start with our beginner’s guide to RCS messaging.
Step 1: Set a Goal for Your RCS Business Campaign
RCS can support many objectives, so pick one measurable goal for your first campaign:
- Drive sales for a new collection or offer
- Increase app installs or website visits
- Generate leads or test-drive bookings
- Re-engage inactive customers
- Improve engagement with transactional updates, such as order or booking confirmations
Set a baseline from your existing channels so you can compare results fairly. For example, “increase click-through on festive offers compared to our last SMS campaign to the same segment.”
Step 2: Prepare Your Brand Assets
In short, your RCS agent is your brand’s identity in the messaging app. Gather:
- Agent name: your brand name as customers know it
- Logo: a high-resolution square logo that works in a circular crop
- Banner image: a wide image displayed on the agent’s profile page
- Brand colour: used for buttons and accents
- Short description: one or two lines about what your business does
- Contact details: phone number, website and email
- Privacy policy and terms of service URLs
Step 3: Create and Verify Your RCS Agent
Then your messaging provider creates the agent and submits it for brand verification. After that, verification confirms that your business is real and authorised to use the brand name and logo. For example, reviewers may ask for business registration details, website ownership proof and an authorisation letter. Finally, once approved, the agent is launched on supported operator networks and your messages display the verified badge. Build in time for this step before your campaign date.
Step 4: Choose and Prepare Your Audience
- Consent: Send promotional RCS messages only to customers who have agreed to receive marketing communication.
- Segmentation: Start with an engaged segment, such as recent buyers or active app users, to maximise early results.
- Reachability check: Your provider can check which numbers are RCS-capable before sending, so you can plan fallback volumes and costs.
- Data hygiene: Remove invalid numbers and honour all opt-outs.
Step 5: Design the Creative
RCS is a visual channel, so design matters:
- Pick the right format: A single rich card for one hero product or offer; a carousel for multiple products or plans.
- Use strong imagery: Clean, high-contrast images that read well on a small screen, with minimal text inside the image.
- Write short copy: A clear title and one or two lines of description.
- Add useful buttons: “Shop now”, “View details”, “Call us”, “Get directions” or “Add to calendar”. However, limit to the actions that matter.
- Include suggested replies: Chips like “Show more options” or “Talk to an expert” invite conversation.
Keep your visual style consistent with your website and social channels so customers instantly recognise the brand.
Step 6: Plan the Conversation, Not Just the Message
RCS is two-way. Decide what happens after each tap or reply:
- A tap on “Show more options” sends a second carousel
- A tap on “Talk to an expert” routes to a live agent or schedules a callback
- Free-text replies are handled by a chatbot trained on your FAQs
- “Stop” or “Unsubscribe” replies are processed immediately
Step 7: Get Templates Approved
Depending on the market and provider, rich templates may need approval before sending. So submit them early, keep content accurate and avoid misleading claims. Prepare variants for A/B testing at the same time.
Step 8: Set Up SMS Fallback
However, not every customer will be reachable on RCS at the moment you send. Therefore, configure automatic fallback to SMS for customers without RCS capability, or for messages not delivered within a set time. Also, write the SMS version carefully: it should carry the key message and a link in 160 characters, using a DLT-registered template and whitelisted URL.
Step 9: Test Your RCS Business Messaging Campaign
- Firstly, send test messages to several Android devices and iPhones with RCS enabled
- Then check image cropping, button labels and link tracking
- Walk through every conversation path
- Confirm fallback SMS triggers correctly
- Finally, verify delivery reports and analytics are captured
Step 10: Launch in Phases
Initially, start with a small portion of your segment. Check delivery, read and click rates within the first hours, fix any issues, then roll out to the rest. Schedule sends during daytime hours when customers are most likely to engage, and avoid late-night messages.
Step 11: Measure RCS Business Messaging Campaign Results
| Metric | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| RCS reachability | Share of audience that received the rich experience |
| Delivery rate | Technical success of the send |
| Read rate | How compelling the sender and first impression were |
| Button click rate | Which actions and cards resonated |
| Reply rate | How conversational the campaign became |
| Conversion rate and revenue | The business outcome |
| Opt-out rate | Whether targeting and frequency were right |
Step 12: Scale Your RCS Business Messaging
Then compare results with your baseline and with the fallback SMS group. Also, identify which images, headlines, buttons and segments performed best, and build a library of proven templates. Then expand to new use cases: transactional updates, abandoned cart reminders, appointment reminders or feedback surveys.
First RCS Business Messaging Campaign Ideas
- Retail: A carousel of new arrivals for recent buyers, with “Shop now” on each card.
- Automotive: A video of a new model with “Book a test drive” and “Find a dealer” buttons.
- Travel: Booking confirmation card with itinerary, map and “Add to calendar”.
- Education: Course carousel with “Download brochure” and “Talk to a counsellor”.
- Banking: Pre-approved offer card for eligible, consented customers, with “Check eligibility”.
Sample RCS Business Messaging Campaign Timeline
| Week | Activities |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | Define goal and KPIs, gather brand assets, submit agent for verification |
| Week 2 | Build audience segment, check RCS reachability, design creative and conversation flow |
| Week 3 | Submit templates, write fallback SMS, configure tracking, test on devices |
| Week 4 | Phased launch, monitor results, optimise and roll out fully |
Timelines vary with verification and approval speed, but four weeks is a realistic plan for a first campaign.
Mistakes in a First RCS Business Messaging Campaign
- Treating RCS like SMS: Sending plain text on RCS wastes the channel’s strengths. Use visuals and buttons.
- Overloading cards: Too much text or too many buttons reduces clicks.
- No reply handling: Customers will reply. So make sure someone, or something, answers.
- Skipping fallback: Without fallback, customers not reachable on RCS simply miss the message.
- Measuring only delivery: The real value shows up in reads, clicks and conversions.
Google’s RCS Business Messaging documentation covers agent setup and launch requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to launch an RCS campaign?
In fact, agent verification is usually the longest step. After that, once the agent is live, a campaign can be designed, tested and launched within days.
Can I use RCS for transactional messages too?
Yes. Order updates, booking confirmations and reminders work very well on RCS, especially with rich cards and action buttons.
Do I need a separate campaign for iPhone users?
Not necessarily. Many RCS features work across supported Android and iOS devices, but test on both, as rendering can differ slightly.
What does an RCS campaign cost?
Costs depend on message type, volume and fallback. Also, ask your provider for pricing on both rich messages and fallback SMS.
Launch Your First RCS Campaign with Venera Connect
Venera Connect handles RCS agent setup, verification, creative guidance, SMS fallback and analytics. Explore our RCS solution or talk to our team.