SMS marketing is one of the most effective ways to communicate with your customers, with high engagement and conversion rates. It’s also more cost-effective and personal than other marketing channels, allowing you to build stronger customer relationships without spending a lot of money. In this blog post, we’ll walk you through the basics of SMS marketing and provide some best practices and examples to help you build an effective SMS marketing program.

What is SMS Marketing?

SMS (Short Message Service) marketing is a marketing strategy that uses text messages to build relationships with customers and deliver promotional information. The goals of SMS marketing are to generate leads, encourage recipients to click on links, and share information about their orders or profiles. SMS marketing messages often include elements that make it easy to make a purchase, such as copywriting, emojis, eye-catching images, and links. These messages are typically sent to large subscriber lists.

How SMS Marketing Works

Strategically, email marketing and SMS marketing are similar. The goal of SMS marketing is to sell, educate, or build loyalty, just like email marketing. SMS is an owned marketing channel, where the sender has complete control over the list of phone numbers and distribution, and can send one-to-one or one-to-many messages, depending on the goal. As with email marketing, it’s important to get consent from your customers before sending marketing messages via SMS. Shopify makes it easy to collect SMS consent at checkout. To enable this feature, follow these steps:

Once you have consent from your subscribers, you can test different SMS marketing campaigns:

• New product announcement
• Special offers like limited-time sales and free shipping
• Subscriber-only benefits
• Flash Sale
• Text-to-Win Competition
• Loyalty Program
• Product Launch Notification

SMS marketing requires a shortcode, which is an easy-to-remember five or six-digit phone number that acts like your company's email address.

To receive SMS messages, buyers must text a keyword (e.g. HOTSAUCE) to this shortcode. Since signing up for SMS messages requires this intentional action, it’s a great way to build a high-intent subscriber list with fewer fake numbers.

Before you can start sending promotional messages in a full-fledged mobile marketing campaign, you need to build a list of phone numbers with your customers' consent.

Since this list is usually collected from potential and existing customers, if you don’t have enough traffic to your website, it may be too early to consider SMS marketing. It’s a good idea to invest time in building your contact list first.

Below is an example of how athleisure brand Alo Yoga builds its SMS subscriber list by offering a discount to new website visitors.

SMS marketing is especially effective during peak shopping seasons, when email spam increases, paid advertising costs rise, and consumers’ attention is distracted. SMS marketing is also a great way to automate customer communications. Write your text, set a trigger, and your marketing tool will automatically send the message at the right time.

Best SMS Marketing Software

Shopify store owners can easily get started with SMS marketing thanks to apps tailored to different purposes.

All SMS marketing platforms in the Shopify App Store have built-in compliance features. Here are four popular options:

• Postscript . You can create automated, customized bulk SMS messages. Rates vary depending on usage.
• Klaviyo . Klaviyo's triggers feature lets you send SMS messages using historical and real-time customer data.
• Attentive . It's a platform used by big brands like Sephora, Coach, and Williams-Sonoma, which have hundreds of thousands of subscribers.
• Yotpo . A popular SMS marketing app with a pay-as-you-go pricing plan.

9 Great SMS Marketing Message Examples

Here are some examples to inspire your SMS marketing strategy:

1. Flash Sale Message

Short and concise SMS is a great way to promote a one-off flash sale or major promotion. Since you are communicating with customers who have voluntarily subscribed, most recipients are likely to respond positively.

Use line breaks, emojis, and product images to make your promotional content easier to understand.

2. A text that raises expectations

It’s important to build some anticipation before you start your flash sale. A few promotional text messages sent a few days before the event can help increase conversions. Many people like to think about their purchases in advance, so it’s a smart strategy to let your favorite customers know before the sale starts.

3. Feedback request message

SMS is a format ideal for conversational commerce and is an effective way to increase interaction with your customers.

For example, when developing a new product idea, you can send an SMS to your customers asking for their opinion. When they respond, you have the opportunity to have a 1:1 conversation with them and share the story behind it, which increases the likelihood of them making a purchase.

4. Restock notification message

This message notifies customers that out-of-stock items are back in stock. This is a gentle but effective way to re-engage previous visitors. You can combine it with free shipping offers or pre-order options to drive engagement. Transactional messages are impactful and easy to automate.

5. Giveaway Event Message

If you want to get more leads through SMS marketing, run a text message sweepstakes or contests. This type of marketing strategy is a way to expand your customer base with minimal effort.

Some studies show that up to 46% of participants will share a contest without any additional incentives, but you can increase organic sharing of your giveaway by offering rewards like additional entries.

You can easily set up a giveaway across your current marketing channels. Just add the shortcode to the following channels:

• Advertising (print and digital)
• Social Media Accounts
• Product Packaging
• Webinar
• Blog or Feature Article
• Landing page of the website
• In-store signage

When a user signs up for a sweepstakes, they are automatically subscribed and can be contacted via future SMS campaigns.

6. Best For Customer Marketing (BFCM) message

Schedule your messages around popular shopping dates and events, such as the holiday season. A timely SMS marketing campaign that capitalizes on the excitement surrounding an event like Black Friday will encourage recipients to act quickly before the sale ends.

7. Welcome message

When someone joins your list, you can send them a series of welcome messages. Describe your product in concise language, provide links to additional content or popular items, and offer coupons.

Access to discounts and coupons is one of the most common reasons for signing up for marketing text messages. According to data, a 10% discount is enough of an incentive to attract most subscribers.

8. Unpaid Messages

Abandoned Cart SMS is a message sent to people who added products to their shopping cart but did not complete their purchase.

You can follow up with customers who have abandoned their carts using SMS or email to encourage them to make a purchase. However, people are more likely to check SMS push notifications than miss an email in a crowded email inbox, so SMS messages for abandoned carts may yield better results.

9. Cross/Upsell Messages

Strategic upselling and cross-selling can help increase your average order value (AOV) and customer lifetime value (CLTV). This involves sending product recommendations based on a customer’s previous purchase history, a tactic commonly used in email marketing that can be replicated in text messaging.

For example, if a customer purchases a specific product, you can send a message recommending related products that go well with that product. This can encourage the customer to make additional purchases and ultimately increase sales revenue.

SMS Marketing Best Practices

Obtain prior consent

If your prospects or existing customers do not consent to receiving text messages, you may face legal issues. SMS marketing is regulated by U.S. law, and marketers must adhere to codes of conduct under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the CAN-SPAM Act . Additionally, sending text messages without permission can be seen as spam, which can reflect poorly on your company’s image.

Because people often forget that they signed up for a mailing list, it is important to maintain a record of opt-in consent.

Withdrawal is easy

SMS marketing relies more on customer trust than any other channel. You can build this trust by making it easy for customers to sign up and unsubscribe from your SMS list.

Although offering an easy unsubscribe option may result in fewer recipients, it ensures that the ones who remain are actually interested in what you have to offer. As a result, you can expect higher engagement rates and ultimately better conversion rates.

Promotional messages are moderate

It is important to be patient with your customers, as promotional SMS messages can be easily unsubscribed. Most messages should be about order-related information or notable dates or events, and promotional messages should be sent as infrequently as possible, no more than once a week.

Considering the circumstances

When designing your SMS marketing campaigns, avoid the temptation to send random messages to your subscribers. Contextually relevant messages are more likely to keep your subscribers engaged and encourage clicks.

For example, if you have an event scheduled for Friday night, send a text on Friday afternoon. If you want to run a special event at a bar, send a message on a weekday at 3 or 4 p.m. Keeping your message short will reduce the chance of it being considered spam and will lead to better results.

Personalized messages

Many SMS marketing tools can leverage data about your customers to segment your SMS list and personalize your messages. Segmentation can be based on previous purchase history, browsing behavior, location, or even when your customers typically shop. By segmenting your list, you can send more personalized messages, which can lead to higher engagement and conversion rates.

For example, if you run a clothing store and have a group of loyal customers who have previously purchased summer dresses, you can text them when your new summer collection arrives. Or, if you have a group of customers who primarily shop in the evenings, you can schedule a text with a promo code for when they are likely to be browsing.

SMS Marketing vs. Email Marketing

Email and SMS marketing are both powerful marketing tools, but they serve different purposes and are effective in different situations.

When using email

Email is a versatile medium that can contain rich content such as text, images, and links, making it ideal for sharing detailed or extended content such as:

• Newsletter
• Blog Posts
• Product Description
• Brand and Company Updates
• Long form marketing content

Depending on your customer’s preference, you can include this content in the body of your email for immediate consumption and improved mobile accessibility. However, for a more concise experience, we recommend providing an overview in your email and including a link to view the full content on your website.

Email is also very useful for nurturing leads over time. You can create a series of emails that gradually guide your prospect through the buying process, providing increasingly more promotional information at each step.

Email can also include more branding and design elements than SMS, helping to reinforce your brand identity.

When using SMS

Text messages are often read within minutes of receiving them, making them ideal for time-sensitive communications. For example, you can use SMS to send flash sale notifications, appointment reminders, and shipping updates.

SMS is also great for sending short, punchy messages to encourage a response, such as a one-day discount code.

Additionally, SMS marketing can be more personal and interactive. Customers can easily respond to messages, creating a two-way conversation that can turn prospects into sales leads. While emails can also respond, this is not standard practice and may be less natural to subscribers.

Email and SMS marketing each have their own strengths. The key is to use each channel strategically, depending on your goals and audience preferences.

4 Benefits of SMS Marketing

1. High participation rate

Among the various marketing channels, SMS boasts high open and click rates. Since SMS marketing requires customer consent, your list will only include customers who are willing to be contacted.

Shopify seller Bushbalm has been using SMS marketing to drive engagement for several years. Their automated welcome message series regularly sees click-through rates of over 50%.

In contrast, the brand achieves an average open rate of 25% and click-through rate of 2% with its marketing emails.

2. Easy to write

Anyone who has ever written a mass email to customers knows how much effort goes into crafting the perfect subject line or writing the right copy to get people to click.

The small SMS window on mobile devices only allows for a few lines of text and images, with design and branding elements replaced by emojis and GIFs.

3. Strengthen customer relationships

SMS marketing helps build a more personal and loyal relationship with your customers. Text messages are inherently easy to respond to, which encourages real conversations. Marketing SMS messages have an average response rate of 45% , which is much higher than email.

Messaging is no longer a one-way street. Customers expect quick responses and want the option to engage in conversations. These two-way conversations go far beyond the scope of traditional customer service.

Using the chat support app:

• Understand your customers better and recommend relevant products
• Increase average order value through upselling and crossselling
• If out of stock, guide customers to related products
• Help customers pay

4. Customers' preferred method of communication

The immediate and personal feel of SMS marketing appeals to both large and small businesses and to customers alike. After email, SMS and other types of smartphone messages are the preferred way to hear from businesses . The right SMS marketing tool can help you connect with your customers and get more sales.

Use text message marketing

Many online marketers shy away from SMS marketing because they think it’s expensive and invasive. But it’s not. By applying the principles mentioned above, you can stand out from the noise, increase conversions, and improve customer loyalty.

SMS Marketing FAQs