Transforming mobile messaging with RCS for Business

Over the past year, Rich Communication Services (RCS) messaging has gained significant momentum. This channel, positioned to replace SMS over time, is opening up key new possibilities for marketers through its support of visually rich, seamless, and interactive messaging experiences.

Following the Braze platform’s launch of native RCS, we sat down with Braze Alloys partner (and long-time RCS backer) Google for a conversation about RCS and how this channel is paving the way for the next era of mobile marketing. Read on to learn how Braze and Google are partnering to help brands deliver more immersive mobile experiences and seamlessly integrate RCS into their cross-channel marketing strategies.

RCS messaging is booming

The evolving digital privacy landscape is making it trickier for brands to effectively reach customers through paid ads—with 41% of digital ad spend going to waste and 54.4% of adults worldwide having installed an ad blocker on their mobile devices. In response, brands and consumers alike are on the lookout for new, more engaging ways to connect.

Enter RCS for Business. This channel is quickly becoming a favorite across the board, with consumers loving its two-way messaging capabilities and brands flocking to it for its wide reach. According to Google, RCS already boasts over 1 billion users worldwide each month. And the best part? The channel lives right in consumers’ existing pre-installed messaging apps on Android and iOS devices, so there’s no need for any app downloads to use it.

RCS offers big benefits beyond SMS

During our conversation, Bec Bright, UX Designer at Google, shared what sets RCS apart from SMS. One of the biggest benefits? Trust. RCS for Business provides a visual signal (the blue verification badge) that makes it clear to consumers that there are protections in place to ensure a brand’s messaging is legitimate. This is crucial in today’s environment, where consumers are increasingly wary of scams and phishing attempts. Plus, it allows brands to send messages from a thread that includes their name and logo instead of from the unidentifiable short codes we see with SMS messages. Google also highlighted the channel’s rich and interactive capabilities, which help to create a seamless and effective experience for consumers.

For brands wondering how to dive in, Google suggests a “crawl, walk, run” approach. Start by upgrading your SMS to RCS to take advantage of verified, branded sending and more robust analytics. Next, level up with relevant rich media (think images, GIFs, videos, documents, etc.) and suggested replies or actions. Finally, when you’re ready, ramp up your conversational maturity with two-way, in-thread experiences that keep users engaged and avoid the drop-off that can happen when they have to switch to your app or website.

The blueprint for best-in-class RCS marketing

Here at Braze, we see RCS for Business as a key element of where customer engagement is going. To help brands prepare for what’s next, we’ve put together an actionable blueprint for best-in-class RCS marketing. Here are the steps to take to create a successful RCS program:

1. Seamlessly upgrade SMS to RCS
2. Send trusted messages
3. Create interactive 1:1 experiences
4. Pair RCS with other channels

Seamlessly upgrade SMS to RCS

When launching your RCS program, it’s crucial to choose a customer engagement platform that offers flexible setup and sending options. This is especially true if you're already sending SMS, as it allows you to control what you want to send as SMS or RCS—and, better yet, A/B test the channels against each other to maximize their impact. Since RCS is still an emerging channel, it’s not as widespread as SMS just yet, so there will likely be situations where users can’t be reached via RCS today. Look for a platform that provides SMS fallback to maximize your deliverability. This feature ensures that if a user doesn’t have RCS enabled, they still receive your message via SMS.

Send trusted messages

You could craft the most stunning message in the world, but if customers don't trust the sender, it won’t matter. This is especially important for industries like financial services and healthcare, where brands have to handle sensitive customer data as part of their communication efforts. The RCS verified sender acts as a built-in trust layer, keeping your RCS thread (and the RCS channel as a whole) a trusted, high-quality space. Haley Trost, Group Product Marketing Manager at Braze, explained, “Verified sending doesn’t just protect the customer—it protects your results through improved click-through rates and higher engagement overall.”

RCS for Business also transforms your message thread into a fully branded experience, complete with your name, logo, tagline, and contact info. You’ve invested so much time and money building your brand—by leveraging RCS, you can make sure that your messages don’t come from an anonymous short code or random number. This level of branding not only enhances recognition but also fosters trust among your audience.

Create interactive 1:1 experiences

One of the most exciting aspects of RCS for Business is its ability to allow brands to serve up interactive experiences for their customers. To make that process easier, Ian Abels, Senior Product Manager at Braze, encouraged marketers to lean into BrazeAI™ to take the guesswork out of sending 1:1 RCS messages with the perfect mix of content, products, and more. He also emphasized how brands can foster a more robust dialogue with customers using features like easy-to-tap suggested replies.

With Braze, you can bring these conversational experiences to life using Canvas, a visual programming tool that lets you easily orchestrate RCS conversations. And because Braze processes messages and suggested replies in real-time, you can respond to customers instantly and never miss a beat, supporting two-way messaging experiences that really feel like a conversation.

Pair RCS with other channels

RCS truly shines when the channel is integrated into a broader marketing mix that includes email, push notifications, and in-app messaging. Think of RCS and email as a one-two punch. Use email for broad reach and RCS for targeted follow-up. By leveraging the strengths of each channel, you can maximize your results.

Imagine that a bank needs to notify its cardholders that their credit card is about to expire. They could use email for that initial reminder. Then, for those who don’t open or act on the email, the bank can follow up with an RCS message, allowing the cardholder to confirm that their new card has shipped right from the message thread.

Another powerful channel combo? In-app messages, push notifications, and RCS, since this mix combines channels both inside and outside of your app, giving marketers more ways to connect with customers. Imagine that you’re a retail or eCommerce brand promoting a sale. Start with in-app messages to engage shoppers while they’re active in your app. If they leave the app without making a purchase, use push notifications to re-engage them. Then, if they don’t open the push or it disappears before they take action, that’s where RCS comes in.

With the Braze platform, integrating RCS into your cross-channel mix is easy—it’s one platform to manage your entire marketing program, allowing you to mix and match channels to meet the needs of your customers and your marketing campaigns. Easily orchestrate RCS with other channels like SMS, push, mobile app, email, web, and paid media to maximize your reach, engagement, and revenue.

Final thoughts

RCS is already a powerful, effective tool for customer engagement. And in the coming months, Braze is committed to staying in lockstep with Google as we work to roll out additional cutting-edge RCS for Business capabilities to our customers.

“Google is thrilled to partner with Braze, a leader in cross-channel customer engagement, to support RCS for Business natively within the Braze platform. RCS represents a revolution in mobile messaging, empowering brands to deliver richer, immersive experiences directly within consumers’ native messaging apps. Together, we're making it simple for marketers to incorporate next-generation mobile messaging into their customer journeys and we look forward to collaborating with Braze to bring this innovative channel to their customers worldwide.”

Stephen Brough

Global GTM Head, RCS for Business, Google

Interested in learning more about how RCS for Business can support effective customer engagement? Check out the Braze SMS & RCS Inspiration Guide for 20+ actionable use cases across activation, monetization, and retention that are inspired by real Braze customers.