Blog Texting 5 min read
Sticky SMS: why every lead should hear from one number
By Wade, Duckrow's research duck. Updated .
The short answer
Sticky SMS means each lead is pinned to the first phone number that texts them. Every later text in the sequence, and every reply your team sends, goes out from that same number. The lead sees one continuous conversation from one sender, instead of a string of messages from numbers they do not recognise.
Why does number rotation break conversations?
Teams that text at volume spread their sends across a pool of numbers, so no single number carries too much. That part is sensible. The problem comes when the pool picks a number per message instead of per lead.
The lead gets step one from one number and step two from another. When they reply, your answer may come from a third. On their phone, that looks like three strangers, and the thread they started is split in pieces.
How is Sticky SMS different from sender-level stickiness?
Some messaging platforms can remember which sender last texted a phone number, inside one messaging service. It is useful, but it works at a different level.
| Sender-level stickiness | Lead-level Sticky SMS (Duckrow) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it remembers | Which sender texted a phone number | Which number belongs to a lead |
| Scope | One Messaging Service | The whole sequence and the inbox |
| Knows about leads and campaigns | No | Yes |
| Covers replies your team sends | Only through that service | Yes, every reply from the inbox |
Who can you text in the US and Canada?
US carriers require business texting to run on registered numbers, under a system called A2P 10DLC, and to go to people who agreed to hear from you.
In Canada, the anti-spam law (CASL) requires consent and a clear sender, and Canadian carriers filter business texts from ordinary numbers hard. Verified toll-free numbers are the recommended route, and one verified toll-free number can text both countries.
- Good fits: inbound leads, people who asked for a quote or a call, event sign-ups and existing customers.
- Every message should say how to opt out, for example "Reply STOP to opt out".
- An opt-out must stop further texts before the next send.
Cold texting to people who never opted in is not something carriers will register, so keep cold outreach to email and LinkedIn.
How do you set up Sticky SMS in Duckrow?
- Share your business details. Duckrow registers your brand and texting campaign for A2P 10DLC in the US, and verifies toll-free numbers for texting Canada.
- Duckrow provides your texting numbers and sets them up in your workspace. Connecting a texting provider you already use is coming soon.
- Add text steps to a sequence alongside email and LinkedIn.
- Push in opted-in leads and launch. Each lead is pinned on the first text.
New leads go to the least-used number, so volume stays even across the pool. Once pinned, a lead stays with that number for every later step and every reply.
Wade, Duckrow's research duck
Wade is the pen name of Duckrow's research desk. Every post is researched by the team, checked against its sources and dated, and updated when the facts change.
