SMS marketing drives some of the highest open and click-through rates across all digital channels, but it also comes with challenges: Strict character limits, mobile-first UX, and carrier restrictions. That’s where short links come in. Whether you’re sending SMS messages or WhatsApp blasts, a link shortener like Bitly helps you stay compliant, on-brand, and performance-driven.
Shortened URLs reduce character count, improve deliverability, and unlock valuable link tracking and campaign performance data. In this post, we’ll explore how enterprise teams can use branded links, custom domains, and real-time link analytics to optimize their SMS marketing strategy without compromising user experience.
Note: The brands and examples discussed below were found during our online research for this article.
The role of short links in SMS marketing
Most SMS marketing guides will tell you that every character counts. That’s why short SMS links are essential. They’re not just a formatting trick to save space; they’re a powerful tool to increase trust, improve the user experience, and drive more measurable actions from your SMS campaigns.
Whether you’re sending promotions, event reminders, or product drops via text messages, the link inside that message carries the weight of your call to action. A well-placed, branded short link doesn’t just fit the format. It elevates the entire experience and can boost results across your marketing strategy.
SMS campaigns rely on link engagement
Almost every SMS marketing campaign hinges on one thing: getting recipients to take action. That action usually starts with a link: Click to buy, register now, view this offer, or learn more. Without that link, your message is just a blip on the screen.
This is where link shorteners like Bitly become mission-critical. A short, trackable link makes your CTA clear, encourages action, and allows you to track clicks and monitor link performance in real time. With Bitly, you can even automate this process across large campaigns using our API or connect to workflows through tools like Zapier.
Long URLs waste space and look untrustworthy
SMS limits messages to 160 characters, and when you’re working with long, clunky URLs, that space disappears fast. A long url might take up half your message, leaving little room for persuasive copy or personalization.
Worse, long links filled with UTM parameters or affiliate tracking codes can look suspicious to recipients. These lengthy links feel impersonal and unprofessional, and on mobile devices, they’re nearly impossible to examine quickly. Avoiding this overload is the main goal when applying short link psychology.
Using branded links or a custom domain gives you full control. Instead of a generic, anonymous link, recipients see a trustworthy short URL tied to your brand. That visual signal can boost confidence and help protect against deliverability issues caused by spam filters.
Short links improve click-through rates
Short, branded links can boost CTR by up to 34% compared to generic or long URLs. In the context of SMS, where engagement is already high, that’s a significant lift.
Because short links are easily readable on mobile, they naturally lead to better customer engagement. Paired with real-time reporting, you can quickly identify top-performing messages and optimize future sends. Less is more, but only if you’re shortening the right way: With a tool like Bitly that’s built for functionality, automation, and scale.
How short links improve the SMS user experience
In SMS marketing, clarity and convenience are everything. That’s why short links aren’t just a behind-the-scenes tool for marketers; they’re a key part of the user experience.
When a recipient opens your SMS message, they’re likely on a mobile device with a small screen and limited attention. A long, cluttered link creates visual noise. It’s harder to read, harder to trust, and more likely to break when forwarded or displayed in SMS threads, pop-up notifications, or split messages.
Shortened URLs solve this by creating a cleaner, tighter layout that puts the call to action front and center. Whether it’s a promo, signup, or link to a landing page, a compact URL ensures your message stays clear, clickable, and effective.
Short links reduce the risk of broken redirects, cutoff errors, or unreadable formatting caused by too many characters. With tools like Bitly, you can build mobile-optimized short links ready to scale across SMS campaigns and WhatsApp messages alike.
Why branded links outperform generic shorteners
Not all short links are equal. While generic services from free URL shorteners can shorten your long links, they don’t offer the same impact or protection that branded short links provide.
A branded link includes your business name or domain—like yourbrand.co/offer—which immediately signals trust and credibility. In contrast, something like shorturlcompany.biz/xYz21123 looks anonymous and spammy, especially in a text message.
That visual difference matters. Users are more likely to click when they recognize your brand in the link, especially in mobile formats where trust is everything.
There’s also a backend benefit: Many SMS providers and mobile carriers deprioritize or flag messages that use generic link shorteners that phishing or spam campaigns exploit. This setup can hurt your deliverability and prevent your message from even reaching the user.
By using branded links with a custom domain, you improve both your brand perception and your message’s technical reputation, which can lead to higher open rates, more link clicks, and better campaign performance.
With Bitly, creating custom domains and managing branded links is seamless. You get full control, advanced link tracking, and integration with your existing SMS marketing stack, making it the best choice for enterprise teams focused on both trust and performance.
Use cases for short links in SMS
Short links aren’t just for marketing. They’re a powerful tool across a wide range of enterprise SMS campaigns. From e-commerce to internal operations, branded links improve clarity, customer engagement, and link tracking at scale. Here’s how leading organizations use them:
E-commerce promotions and flash sales
Drive urgency and increase conversions with compact, branded calls to action (CTAs).
Example: “Get 20% off today only: shop.brand.com/sale”
Event reminders and RSVPs
Simplify confirmations and boost attendance with one-tap actions.
Example: “RSVP now: events.brand.com/rsvp”
Customer support and feedback flows
Route users to feedback forms, help docs, or post-purchase surveys via a quick short URL.
Example: “Tell us how we did: help.brand.com/review”
Internal alerts and operational updates
Keep teams informed with quick, readable links for IT, HR, or logistics updates.
Example: “Review outage update: brand.it/ops”
How Bitly supports SMS campaign performance
Enterprise SMS marketing needs more than just a basic link shortener. It demands a scalable, secure, and insight-rich platform. Bitly empowers marketing, CX, and IT teams to create, manage, and optimize short links that drive performance across every message. Whether you’re running flash sales, support follow-ups, or SMS notifications, Bitly delivers the data, automation, and reliability you need.
Real-time analytics for link performance
Bitly Analytics’ real-time dashboard gives you instant visibility into link clicks across every SMS campaign.
Track metrics like:
- Device type (mobile vs desktop, iOS vs Android).
- Geographic location (city/country).
- Click count by date.
- Cumulative click count.
Bitly also integrates with Google Analytics and other tools for deeper insight, so you can see how SMS messages drive traffic, conversions, and campaign performance across channels.
Link tagging for campaign reporting
With Bitly, you can assign tags to each link for smarter reporting. Easily filter and compare performance across:
- Product launches vs. seasonal promos.
- Customer support vs. transactional messages.
- Individual SMS campaigns or internal use cases.
Tagged links help you surface trends, segment by use case, and evaluate ROI at scale, all while keeping your marketing efforts organized.
API access for automation at scale
For enterprise teams managing high-volume sends, Bitly offers robust API access to automate short link creation and tracking.
Use the API to:
- Dynamically generate personalized links.
- Add UTM parameters and custom domains programmatically.
- Connect with custom toolsets not already covered by the 55 pre-built integrations on the Bitly Marketplace.
This setup allows developers to build bespoke workflows for SMS marketing campaigns, operational alerts, or customer engagement without manual steps slowing things down.
With Bitly, every link you send becomes a strategic asset that’s optimized, measurable, and perfectly fit for mobile.
Tips to optimize your short links for SMS
Want to get the most from your short links in SMS marketing? These tactical tips can help boost click-through rates, improve user experience, and reduce issues across devices and carriers:
- Use branded slugs like /save20 or /join-event instead of random strings to build trust and reinforce your CTA.
- Align link destinations with your CTAs. If your SMS message says “Claim your offer,” don’t send users to your homepage. Link directly to the landing page or deal.
- Test link placement. Placing your short URL at the beginning vs. the end of a message can change how it appears in message previews and notifications.
- Keep slugs short and readable. Avoid symbols or confusing abbreviations. Remember that clarity drives clicks.
- Use your branded domain for consistency. Yourbrand.co will always appear more secure than the name of a generic URL shortener for SMS.
- Preview links on mobile devices to check for formatting issues or line breaks, especially for longer CTAs.
- Tag your links in Bitly to segment and track performance by campaign, audience, or product.
- Automate shortening links via the API for dynamic content, like personalized discounts or triggered messages.
Best practices for enterprise SMS marketing with short links
Once you’ve integrated short links into your SMS marketing strategy, the next step is optimization at scale. Below are three best practices to ensure your SMS links work harder.
Always use branded domains
Generic URL shorteners may save characters, but they can damage trust and hurt deliverability. Even if you compare all free link shortener plans, you’ll still find that many carriers deprioritize or filter messages with non-branded short URLs.
With Bitly, you can easily set up a branded domain (like yourbrand.co) and create custom slugs that reflect your brand voice, like /save20 or /claim-offer. This approach strengthens brand recognition in every message, so it can boost click-through rates and protect your sender reputation.
Use tags to organize and report on campaigns
Our link tagging feature lets you group and analyze links by theme, campaign, department, or any other rubric. For example, you can tag customer support links separately from ecommerce promotions or internal HR alerts. These tags create channel-level insights and help with marketing attribution, especially when integrated with your CRM, Google Analytics, or BI tools.
Monitor link performance across platforms
To truly measure ROI, you need to view your SMS performance in context. Bitly’s real-time analytics help you track link clicks, device types, and geography, but it doesn’t stop there. Integrate Bitly with analytics platforms to compare SMS messages against other channels, like email, paid ads, WhatsApp, or push notifications.
Why does this matter? Because channel comparison helps you double down on what’s working, adjust your marketing strategy, and allocate resources where they’ll have the most impact. With Bitly, you gain a centralized view of your campaign performance, making your entire link management approach smarter and more strategic.
Get more out of every SMS with Bitly
Short links aren’t just a space-saver—they’re a strategic driver of SMS marketing success. Branded links build trust, short URLs improve the user experience, and real-time analytics track every click. You’ll boost deliverability, streamline campaign performance, and keep every message aligned with your brand.
Whether you’re sending eCommerce promotions, customer feedback surveys, event invitations, or critical internal alerts, Bitly gives enterprise teams the control, security, and insight to optimize every link at scale. You can create branded links that reinforce trust, use QR Codes to bridge online and offline engagement, and tap into advanced analytics for real-time visibility into link clicks, device types, locations, and audience behavior.
Ready to turn every SMS into a high-performing touchpoint? Log in to Bitly today and find the right fit for your team.
