Bulk SMS Marketing India: A DLT Compliant Guide for Growing Businesses

The complete guide

Bulk SMS Marketing India: A DLT Compliant Guide for Growing Businesses: everything you need to know

What is bulk SMS marketing India?

Short answer: Bulk SMS marketing India is sending the same plain text message to a list of Indian mobile numbers through a registered sender ID. On Com.Bot, SMS is one-way: your business sends and customers cannot reply to the SMS itself. Each message is plain text and fits 160 GSM characters per segment, so one idea per message works best.

Bulk SMS marketing India is the practice of sending the same plain text message to a list of Indian mobile numbers through a registered sender ID. On Com.Bot, SMS is a one-way channel: your business sends, and customers cannot reply to the SMS itself. Each message is plain text and fits 160 GSM characters per segment, so a single idea or offer per message works best.

Because SMS is one-way, it suits announcements, reminders, alerts and OTPs rather than conversations. When you want a customer to respond, you include a link, a phone number or a wa.me WhatsApp link in the message. That keeps the SMS simple and moves the conversation to a channel that supports replies, such as WhatsApp.

Com.Bot offers SMS only in India and only as a DLT compliant channel. It is another marketing and notification channel your business chooses to use, alongside WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, Google RCS and the website chat widget.

• One-way SMS: business sends, customers cannot reply
• Plain text, 160 GSM characters per segment
• India only, fully DLT compliant under TRAI rules
• Use a link, phone number or wa.me link for responses
• Promotional, service and OTP message categories

Why use SMS for marketing in India?

Short answer: SMS reaches customers on the default messaging app of any phone, with no app install or internet connection needed. It suits short offers, alerts, reminders and OTPs, and customers recognise a registered sender ID. SMS is not a replacement for WhatsApp or RCS, which support replies, payments and rich messages.

SMS reaches customers on the default messaging app of any phone, without an app install or an internet connection. For a D2C brand running a festive sale, a coaching institute announcing a new batch, or a service business sending a payment reminder, SMS is a direct way to put a short message in front of a customer. It is a familiar format in India, and customers recognise a registered sender ID.

SMS also works well for time-sensitive messages. A transactional alert about an order, a service reminder or an OTP needs to arrive quickly and be read quickly. Because SMS is plain text and short, the customer sees the whole message without opening anything. That makes it useful for alerts and reminders where the action is simple.

SMS is not a replacement for WhatsApp or RCS. WhatsApp supports rich replies, buttons, payments and commerce, while RCS adds branded senders, images and carousels on supported Android devices. Use SMS when you need a short, universal notification, and use WhatsApp or RCS when the customer needs to reply, choose an option or complete a transaction.

• Works on any phone without an app or internet
• Good for short offers, alerts, reminders and OTPs
• Registered sender ID builds recognition
• Pair with WhatsApp for replies and transactions
• Use RCS for rich, branded messages on supported devices
• Keep one idea per message for clarity

How do you set up bulk SMS marketing in Com.Bot?

Short answer: Setting up bulk SMS marketing in Com.Bot starts with DLT registration of your business entity, 6-character sender ID and every message template. You then build contacts in the Com.Bot contacts CRM, choose your registered header and approved template, map {#var#} variables, and schedule or send. Add a wa.me link for replies.

Setup starts with DLT registration. In India, the business entity, the sender ID (header, 6 characters, for example LUMASK) and every message template must be registered on a DLT platform before you send. Templates use {#var#} variables for the parts that change, such as a name, order number or date. Once your entity, header and templates are approved, you can send from Com.Bot.

Inside Com.Bot, you build your contact list in the contacts CRM, which supports up to 1M to 5M contacts depending on your plan. You then create your SMS campaign, choose the registered header and the approved template, map your variables to contact fields, and schedule or send. Because SMS is one-way, there is no SMS inbox for replies; instead, you include a wa.me link or phone number so customers can continue on WhatsApp.

You can also connect SMS to the automation builder. With 1,000+ integrations, bot triggers and external actions such as API calls and webhooks, you can send an SMS when an order ships, when a payment is due or when a lead fills a form. The same platform runs your WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, RCS and website chat, so your team manages everything from one shared inbox.

• Register entity, header and templates on DLT first
• Use {#var#} variables for names, order numbers and dates
• Build contact lists in the Com.Bot contacts CRM
• Choose your registered header and approved template
• Add a wa.me link or phone number for replies
• Trigger SMS from automations, webhooks and API calls

What are the DLT and DND rules for bulk SMS in India?

Short answer: DLT registration is mandatory for bulk SMS in India: the business entity, 6-character sender ID and every template must be registered before sending. Promotional SMS goes only to numbers not on the DND (NCPR) registry and within TRAI-permitted hours. Service and OTP messages go to all numbers. SMS is one-way, so there are no reply keywords or STOP replies.

DLT registration is mandatory. The business entity, the sender ID (header) and every message template are registered on a DLT platform before sending. The header is 6 characters, such as LUMASK, and templates use {#var#} variables. Each template is registered under a category: promotional, transactional or service, and OTP. Sending a template that does not match its registered category can get it blocked.

DND rules apply to promotional SMS. Promotional messages go only to numbers that are not on the DND (NCPR) registry and within TRAI-permitted hours. Service and OTP messages go to all numbers because they relate to a transaction or a login the customer started. This is why a cart reminder or an offer is promotional, while an order confirmation, a shipping update or an appointment reminder for a booked appointment is service.

SMS is one-way, so there are no reply keywords and no STOP replies. Customers who want to respond are given a link, a phone number or a WhatsApp link (wa.me) in the SMS. Keep your templates accurate, send only to contacts who expect to hear from you, and review your categories before every campaign.

• Register entity, 6-character header and every template
• Use {#var#} variables in DLT templates
• Categories: promotional, transactional or service, and OTP
• Promotional SMS: non-DND numbers only, within permitted hours
• Service and OTP SMS: can go to all numbers
• No reply keywords, no STOP replies, no two-way SMS

What mistakes should you avoid with bulk SMS marketing India campaigns?

Short answer: The most common bulk SMS marketing India mistake is treating SMS like a chat channel. SMS on Com.Bot is one-way, so asking customers to reply with a keyword will not work; use a link, phone number or wa.me WhatsApp link instead. Also avoid category confusion, sending promotional SMS to DND numbers, and messaging contacts who did not opt in.

The most common mistake is treating SMS like a chat channel. SMS on Com.Bot is one-way, so a message that asks the customer to reply with a keyword will not work. Instead, write the message so the next step is a link, a phone number or a wa.me WhatsApp link. If you want a conversation, start it on WhatsApp and use SMS to point there.

The second mistake is category confusion. Calling a cart reminder or an offer a service message is wrong; those are promotional and must follow DND rules and permitted hours. Order confirmations, shipping updates, payment dues for an existing order and appointment reminders for booked appointments are service messages. OTPs are authentication. Registering the right category keeps your templates compliant.

The third mistake is sending too often or to the wrong list. Promotional SMS should go to opted-in contacts who are not on the DND registry. Over-messaging leads to complaints and can hurt your sender reputation. Keep messages short, one idea per SMS, and make the value clear.

• Do not ask customers to reply to an SMS
• Do not label offers or cart reminders as service messages
• Do not send promotional SMS to DND numbers
• Do not exceed 160 GSM characters without a reason
• Do not message contacts who did not opt in

How do you measure and price bulk SMS marketing India campaigns?

Short answer: Measure bulk SMS marketing India campaigns by tracking link clicks, wa.me link opens, phone calls and landing page conversions, since SMS is one-way and produces no replies. Com.Bot plans are billed per quarter: Silver ₹10,000, Gold ₹23,000, Platinum V1 ₹1,80,000. SMS message charges are billed separately; ask the Com.Bot team for current rates.

Measure what SMS can actually do. Track link clicks, wa.me link opens, phone calls and conversions on your landing page. Because SMS is one-way, you will not see SMS replies; instead, watch the WhatsApp conversations, orders or form fills that follow. In Com.Bot, you can connect SMS to the contacts CRM and automations so a click or a WhatsApp reply updates the contact record and triggers the next step.

For costs, Com.Bot plans are priced per quarter, every 3 months, never per month. In India, Silver is ₹10,000, Gold is ₹23,000 and Platinum V1 is ₹1,80,000 per quarter. Add-ons are ₹500 per month, and expert help is ₹2,500 or ₹5,000 per hour. SMS message charges are billed separately from the plan, based on the message category and the recipient's country. Ask the Com.Bot team for current SMS rates.

There is no monthly conversation cap, so you are not limited by a fair usage ceiling on conversations. For a growing D2C brand or an agency running campaigns for clients, that means you can scale messaging as your list grows. Start with a clear goal, a clean opted-in list and a registered template, then compare click-through and conversion across SMS, WhatsApp and RCS to see which channel earns the next rupee.

• Track link clicks, wa.me opens and phone calls
• Connect SMS to CRM and automations for follow-up
• Plans billed quarterly: Silver ₹10,000, Gold ₹23,000, Platinum V1 ₹1,80,000
• Add-ons ₹500 per month; expert help ₹2,500 or ₹5,000 per hour
• SMS message charges billed separately; ask for current rates
• No monthly conversation cap

Frequently asked questions