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SMS Node
The SMS node sends a text message to profiles as they pass through a Marketing Automation flow. It works similarly to the Email node, but for the SMS channel — with its own considerations around character limits, credit costs, and delivery timing.
SMS messages sent from a Marketing Automation flow respect your consent settings — only profiles with the correct Subscription and a valid phone number will receive the message.
Before you start: Prerequisites
Make sure the following are in place before adding an SMS node to your flow:
Prerequisite | Details |
SMS subscription and credits | Your account needs an active SMS credit balance. Each SMS sent consumes credits. If credits run out, the SMS node will stop sending. See SMS Credits — Calculation and Pricing. |
Phone number attribute | Profiles must have a valid phone number stored in the designated phone number attribute. Profiles without a phone number are silently skipped. |
SMS Subscription | Profiles must hold the SMS Subscription configured in your Flow Settings → Consent. Without it, they won't receive the message. |
Sender name registered | Your sender name might need to be registered for each country you're sending to. Sender name requirements vary by country. See SMS Supported Countries. |
⚠️ Important — Credits in automated flows
Unlike a one-time SMS campaign, an active Marketing Automation flow sends SMS continuously as profiles pass through the node. Credit consumption can add up quickly if many profiles enter the flow. Monitor your credit balance regularly and consider allowing a negative balance (setting in Flow settings).
When to use the SMS node
SMS is a high-impact, high-attention channel — best used for timely, short, and action-oriented messages. Here are the most common scenarios in a Marketing Automation flow:
Appointment or event reminder
Time node (24 hours before) → SMS node → "Your appointment is tomorrow at 14:00. Reply YES to confirm." Short, timely, and actionable.
Multi-channel follow-up (email didn't work)
Email node → Wait for Event (click, 3 days) → No path: SMS node → "We sent you an email about [topic] — check your inbox or visit [link]." Escalates to SMS when email doesn't get a response.
Flash sale or time-sensitive offer
Listen node (segment: VIP customers) → SMS node → "VIP exclusive: 30% off for the next 24 hours. Shop now: [link]." SMS cuts through inbox noise for urgent offers.
Order or delivery notification
Listen node (custom event: order_shipped) → SMS node → "Your order #[order_id] has shipped! Track it here: [link]." Personalised with event data.
Welcome SMS in a multi-channel onboarding flow
Listen node (form submit) → Email node (welcome email) → Time node (1 day) → SMS node → "Welcome to [brand]! [message]" Adds a personal touch alongside the email.
Setting up the SMS node
Drag the SMS node onto the canvas and click it to open the configuration panel.
Click "Create new SMS".
Select Subscription. If this is your first SMS node in the flow, the subscription you choose here will also apply to all subsequent SMS nodes in this flow. You can change these later in Flow Settings → Subscriptions.
Write your SMS message. The SMS editor opens. Enter your message text, add personalisation tags if needed, and set the sender name.
Check settings for unsubscribe and link tracking
Review the character count and credit cost. The editor shows a live character count and indicates how many SMS credits the message will consume per profile. Keep an eye on this — exceeding 160 characters (or 70 for messages with special characters) splits the message into multiple parts, multiplying the credit cost. In example below it shows 76 characters.
Click "Finish" to save, close the SMS node editor and return to the canvas.
💡 Tip - For a detailed walkthrough of the SMS editor — including sender name, special characters, data tags, and link tracking — see Creating an SMS.
Personalisation in SMS
You can personalise SMS messages using data tags — just like in emails. Data tags pull values from profile attributes and insert them dynamically into the message.
Common data tags for SMS:
##FirstName## — "Hi Sarah, your order is ready!"
##Order## — "Order #12345 has shipped."
##Appointmentdate## — "Your appointment is on 15 June at 14:00."
⚠️ Important — Data tags affect character count
Data tags are replaced with actual values when the SMS is sent. A tag like ##FirstName## might resolve to "Sarah" (5 characters) or "Christopher" (11 characters).The actual character count varies per profile, which can push some messages over the single-SMS limit and double the credit cost. Build in a buffer — aim for under 140 characters in your template to leave room for longer data values.
Use event data in your SMS - If your flow is triggered by an event (via the Listen node), you can also use event data in your SMS — the same event data personalisation available in Email nodes. This lets you include dynamic information from the triggering event, such as a product name, event date, or booking reference.
Character limits and credit cost
SMS credit cost depends on message length and character type. Understanding this is especially important in automated flows where messages are sent at volume.
A standard 160 character SMS would look like this:
Recipient | Credit Cost | Total Per Country |
5 × Sweden | 5,5 | 27,5 |
12 × Denmark | 6 | 72 |
Total Campaign Cost | 99,5 Credits |
|
Example: Longer message (2 SMS) If your message exceeds 160 characters, it will be sent as 2 linked SMS, and the credit cost doubles per recipient.
Recipient | Credits/SMS | × SMS count | Total |
100 × Sweden | 5,5 | × 2 | 1 100 |
50 × Norway | 7 | × 2 | 700 |
Total Campaign Cost |
|
| 1,800 credits |
💡 Good to know — The cost multiplier in automation
In a standalone SMS campaign, you can estimate the total cost before sending. In an automated flow, the SMS node sends continuously as profiles arrive. If your message costs 2 credits per profile and 500 profiles pass through per week, that's 1,000 credits/week — and it adds up as long as the flow is active.
Always calculate expected weekly/monthly credit usage before activating a flow with SMS nodes.
For the full details on credit calculation, pricing, and how special characters affect encoding, see SMS Credits — Calculation and Pricing and SMS Content and Characters.
Managing SMS credits in active flows
Since automated flows send SMS continuously, keeping track of your credit balance is critical. Here's how:
Check your credit balance in the SMS section in the main SMS tool dashboard. The balance shows your remaining credits.
Monitor Node Stats on the SMS node in an active flow. The "sent" count tells you how many SMS messages have been dispatched, which you can multiply by credits-per-message to estimate consumption.
Estimate before activating. Before going live with an SMS flow, estimate how many profiles will pass through the SMS node per day/week/month, and calculate expected credit usage. Compare against your remaining balance and subscription allowance.
⚠️ What happens when credits run out?
If your SMS credit balance reaches zero, the SMS node stops sending. Profiles that reach the node will pass through it without receiving a message — they continue in the flow, but the SMS is silently skipped. The flow itself does not pause or stop. This means you could have profiles completing a flow without having received a key SMS touchpoint. Monitor your balance and order top-ups before they're needed. See Order SMS Credits.
Folder & Subscription settings
The folder and subscription settings for SMS work the same way as for Email nodes:
Folder — overarching structure for Subscription
Subscription — which SMS consent the profile must hold to receive the message. Set in Flow Settings → Subscriptions.
The subscription you select when creating your first SMS node applies to all SMS nodes in the flow. You can change it later in Flow Settings. See Navigate the Canvas.
Timing considerations for SMS
SMS is an immediate, high-attention channel. Timing matters more than with email — a message at 03:00 won't be appreciated. Keep these practices in mind:
Add a Time Frame node before the SMS node to restrict delivery to appropriate hours (e.g. Mon–Fri 09:00–18:00, or Sat 10:00–14:00). See Time Node.
Consider timezone differences if your audience spans multiple time zones. The Time node uses the timezone set in Flow Settings — make sure it's set to the timezone that represents the majority of your audience, or consider using segments to split audiences by region.
Don't send SMS too frequently. Unlike email, most people view SMS as personal. A flow that sends 3 SMS messages in a week will likely trigger unsubscribes. Space SMS touchpoints at least several days apart.
💡 Tip — SMS as a complement, not a replacement
SMS works best as a complement to email in multi-channel flows — not as the primary channel. Use email for content-rich messages, and SMS for time-sensitive, action-oriented nudges. A typical pattern: send an email first, wait for engagement, and only escalate to SMS if the email didn't get a response.
Troubleshooting: SMS not sending?
If profiles are reaching the SMS node but not receiving the message, work through this checklist:
Check this | Why it matters |
Are SMS credits available? | If the credit balance is zero, the SMS node silently skips sending. Check your balance on the SMS dashboard. See Order SMS Credits. |
Does the profile have a valid phone number? | The profile must have a phone number stored in the designated phone number attribute. Check the profile in Audience. An empty or invalid phone number means no SMS. |
Does the profile have the required SMS Subscription? | Check Flow Settings → Subscriptions. Profiles without the SMS subscription are silently skipped. |
Is the sender name registered for the profile's country? | Some countries require sender name pre-registration. If the sender name isn't registered for the recipient's country, the SMS may be blocked by the carrier. See SMS Supported Countries. |
Is the flow Active? | If the flow is Paused or Stopped, profiles won't reach the SMS node. Check the flow status. |
Check Node Stats | Click the SMS node to see how many messages have been sent, and how many profiles passed through. If "passed through" is high but "sent" is low, the issue is credits, phone numbers, or subscriptions. |
Tips & best practices
Keep messages short. Aim for under 160 characters (standard) to stay within one SMS part. Every character over the limit doubles your credit cost.
Avoid special characters unless necessary. Emojis and accented characters (ö, ä, å, é) switch the encoding to Unicode, which reduces the per-part limit from 160 to 70 characters. If your audience expects these characters, budget for the higher credit cost.
Always add a Time Frame node before SMS. Nobody wants a text at 03:00. See Time Node.
Use SMS for action, email for information. SMS works best for time-sensitive, one-action messages: "Confirm your appointment", "Your order shipped", "Flash sale ends tonight". Long-form content belongs in email.
Estimate credit usage before activating. Calculate: expected profiles per week × credits per message = weekly credit consumption. Compare against your balance and plan top-ups accordingly.
Test with your own phone number. Before activating, use the Listen node's segment filter to restrict entry to your test profile. Verify you receive the SMS with correct personalisation and formatting.
Monitor credit balance weekly on flows with active SMS nodes. Set a calendar reminder — running out of credits silently breaks the flow without any warning to the profile.
Use a Counter node to cap SMS volume if you need to control costs. Place a Counter node before the SMS node to limit how many profiles receive the SMS per day/week/month.
Related articles
Marketing Automation Nodes — Overview of every node type.
Creating an SMS — Full walkthrough of the SMS editor.
SMS Credits — Calculation and Pricing — How credits work and what affects cost.
SMS Content and Characters — Character limits, special characters, and encoding.
SMS Supported Countries — Sender name requirements by country.
Order SMS Credits — How to top up your credit balance.
Email Node — The email equivalent, often used alongside SMS in multi-channel flows.
Time Node — Adding Time Frame delivery windows before SMS.
Counter Node — Capping SMS volume to control costs.
Navigate the Canvas — Flow Settings including SMS consent and credit balance.
Key Terms Glossary — Definitions for all Marketing Automation terms.