What is SMS marketing, and how can you use it?

Short message service (SMS) marketing allows you to send promotional messages, time-sensitive information, reminders, feedback requests, and more directly to your customers’ mobile phones via text messages of up to 160 characters.  Much like email marketing, customers must opt-in to receive SMS marketing messages from businesses. With exceptionally high open rates (SMS open rates are 98%, versus 22% for Email marketing), SMS is a cost-effective marketing channel with high ROI.

Send welcome offers to new customers

Reach out to customers with branded and personalized messaging delivered straight to their inbox.

Offer relevant discounts to boost sales

Enhance sales and engagement by offering discounts on relevant products through SMS. These messages capture customer interest and drive purchases effectively, making your promotions targeted and impactful.

Create urgency with limited-time offers and deals

Notifying customers of an upcoming sale deadline can drive quick decisions and increase conversions, ensuring they don’t miss out on the opportunity.

Promote new products, services, or events

Boost engagement by inviting customers to exclusive events via SMS, or ask them to be among the first to try out your new products and services.

Send personalized offers to each customer

Enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty with personalized offers sent through SMS. With a personalized offer, you can make customers feel valued and drive repeat visits, strengthening their connection with your brand.

Notify loyal customers of rewards and gifts

Send personalized updates to loyal customers about their rewards or gifts via SMS. A free gift can increase their engagement with your loyalty program and encourage continued membership.

The main benefits of SMS marketing

Because the vast majority of people keep their mobile phones close to hand, SMS marketing allows you to reach your customers in real time, wherever they are. Here are some of the key benefits:

Instant engagement

90% of text messages are opened within three minutes, which means SMS marketing is arguably the fastest, and most reliable way to reach your customers.

Easy to measure

You can track every aspect of your SMS marketing activity, from read rate to conversion, which makes it easy to understand how your campaigns are performing.

No internet? No problem

SMS messages don’t rely on an internet connection. They are sent via cellular networks, which means your messages get delivered even if your customers don’t have internet access.

Cost-effective

SMS marketing campaigns cost less than many traditional forms of marketing and advertising. They also typically see higher engagement rates and higher ROI than many other marketing mediums.

Global reach

95.5% of the world’s population own a mobile phone, and most of these phones (if not all) can send and receive text messages. This means you have the potential to reach almost all of your customers, anywhere in the world.

Versatile

There is a huge range of SMS use cases. You can use text messages to communicate onboarding information, promotions, delivery updates, tracking information, appointment confirmations, and more.