A recent report by DecisionTelecom takes a deep dive into how SMS marketing is now a core part of marketing strategy, with artificial intelligence (AI) enhancing its impact.
Based on insights from 546 marketing professionals, The State of SMS Marketing: Adoption, AI Integration, and Future Outlook revealed key trends, strategies, and challenges shaping SMS marketing today.
DecisionTelecom’s CEO Sergii Diachenko details in this interview SMS adoption across industries (with retail and tech leading), AI use cases for personalization and automated targeting, and key challenges like SMS fatigue and compliance.
Demand Gen Report (DGR): Why do you think SMS marketing has become a core strategy for B2B companies in 2025?
Sergii Diachenko: In B2B, you’re often trying to reach busy decision-makers who receive hundreds of emails every day, so speaking from experience, email is not the way to get to them. SMS gets read almost immediately. It’s fast, direct, and when done right, really effective. Companies have realized it’s not just a B2C thing, but a great way to send reminders, updates, or even nurture leads in a more human, timely way.
DGR: What are some proven strategies for improving engagement rates in B2B SMS marketing campaigns?
Diachenko: I always prioritize personalization. You have to speak to the person, and not just another name on the list. That means using their name, referencing things they’ve interacted with before, and making sure the conveyed message actually contributes to their work. That is followed by timing—we’ve seen a big difference when texts go out at the correct moments that align with a customer’s behavior or part of their journey. And you have to keep it sweet and short. Respect their time.
DGR: Which industries or types of businesses benefit most from incorporating SMS into their B2B marketing strategy?
Diachenko: We’re seeing great results in tech, logistics, and finance, basically anywhere there’s complexity or urgency. For example, a logistics company can use SMS to keep partners updated on supply chain changes in real time. Even in sectors like healthcare or education, where coordination is key, SMS helps cut through the noise.
DGR: How does personalization impact the success of B2B SMS marketing, and what role does AI play in achieving it?
Diachenko: It makes all the difference. If you send the same message to everyone, most people will ignore it. But when the message feels like it was meant just for them, people pay attention. Scaling this effort with manual labor is a hassle that AI can help tremendously. It analyzes behaviors, preferences, and even job roles to help us send smarter, more relevant messages. Our marketing team is now free to brainstorm strategy and spend more time on creative endeavors.
DGR: What are the most effective ways AI is currently being used in B2B SMS campaigns?
Diachenko: Honestly, segmentation is where AI really shines right now. It helps us group people based on how they behave, not just who they are on paper. Doing this manually takes a lot of time, and we would not be able to capture any real-time changes in the pattern. AI is now in charge of automation and personalization in our work. It can decide when to send a message, what to say, and even tweak the tone based on what’s worked before.
However, to develop and deploy this AI successfully, it took major trials and errors. I always stress the importance of high quality training dataset so that you can bring the best out of the AI to work for you.
DGR: What are the most important metrics to track in B2B SMS marketing to measure campaign success?
Diachenko: Click-through rate and conversion rate are the most important. You want to know people aren’t just reading but taking action. But the opt-out rate is also key. If people are leaving, that’s a sign your message isn’t hitting the mark. In B2B, ROI has a huge impact, especially when one deal can make a real difference.
DGR: With SMS marketing delivering an average ROI of $16.70 for every dollar spent, what factors contribute most to this profitability?
Diachenko: It’s really a combination of high engagement and low cost. Compared to other channels, SMS is cheap to run and has crazy high open rates. Plus, if you’re using automation and AI, you’re keeping the human resource cost low while increasing effectiveness. Each lead in B2B is extremely valuable, so a good response can potentially pay for the whole campaign.
DGR: What are the biggest challenges businesses face when adopting SMS marketing in a B2B context, such as SMS fatigue or compliance issues? How do you overcome opt-out rates or ensure that SMS campaigns remain relevant and don’t feel intrusive?
Diachenko: So the biggest challenge is probably balancing being helpful and being intrusive. According to our report, 43% of B2B marketers say their biggest struggle is maintaining message quality and avoiding ‘SMS fatigue.’ It’s easy to over-message or send content that feels generic, and that’s when people start opting out. You’ve got to make sure you’re sending the right message to the right person, at the right time. Frequency is another thing, too many messages, and people will tune out.
Compliance is another challenge, especially across different regions with different data protection laws. If you are using an AI provider, make sure that you include built-in compliance and opt-out handling from day one. This is not just for compliance, but to build trust. If people feel in control, they’re more likely to stay engaged.
Additionally, we use AI to monitor the recipient’s behavior and adjust the campaign accordingly. We would not want to risk any potential lead feeling uncomfortable with our correspondence.
DGR: What trends do you see shaping the future of B2B SMS marketing over the next five years?
Diachenko: I think we’re going to see a shift toward more two-way conversations, with the power of AI. We found that one in every six companies (60.4%) is actively using AI in their SMS campaigns. I believe that with the current and growing popularity, SMS campaigns will be utilized for even more purposes—customer support, sales follow-ups, and even lead qualification. That will be a big shift from the one-way blasts we used to see.
CRM integration is inevitable, and the messages will get even smarter. Honestly, in my opinion, SMS will just become a more seamless part of the overall customer experience.
DGR: How do you foresee AI technology further evolving SMS marketing capabilities in the B2B space?
Diachenko: Our report showed that the most common use cases of AI are automated segmentation and targeting (31.3%), content personalization (27.2%), and handling customer replies (26.4%). I strongly believe that this development is still evolving, and AI will keep getting better at understanding intent. That means messages will get more contextual, more personalized, and more responsive.
For example, if someone clicked a pricing link but didn’t convert, the AI might follow up with a testimonial or offer to chat. It’s going to feel less like marketing and more like a helpful assistant nudging you at the right time. At Decision Telecom, we’re investing heavily in these capabilities because the future of SMS is not just smart, it’s conversational.
