SMS marketing is a powerful tool to build sustainable growth in any business by reaching customers quickly. It complements email marketing campaigns, creating a one-two punch that diversifies acquisition with an additional channel for customers to engage directly with your brand.
Unlike emails, SMS messages are rarely filtered out or overlooked because they are delivered directly to a customer's smartphone, meaning that messages are almost always seen — and read — in full.
Depending on your market, implementing a text message marketing strategy can boost engagement and revenue.
SMS marketing for ecommerce and retail brands
This is an especially valuable tool for ecommerce.
- Send reminders for abandoned carts: Automatically remind customers of their pending purchases with a text message that links to their cart.
- Personalize promotional offers: Draw attention to special deals and discounts by sending personalized SMS messages.
- Keep customers informed about order status: It's important to update customers during the delivery process, and SMS does exactly that.
SMS marketing for B2B businesses
It's not just for individuals — SMS marketing is an effective way to connect with existing and potential B2B customers.
- Send promotional offers: Reach prospects via text message with offers and discounts. This can generate sales and increase brand awareness.
- Remind them about upcoming events: Nudge customers with an SMS message that includes a link to the registration page.
- Inform customers about what's new: Let them know about your latest products or services with texts about product information or updates.
Adding SMS to Shopify with Attentive
Callisters Christmas, an online and brick-and-mortar retailer, started using SMS messaging as part of their customer experience lifecycle. They automated order confirmations, shipping details and exclusive sales offers.
These tactics increased customer satisfaction — and contributed to a double-digit bump in revenue. This channel reached a highly engaged audience with an 11% conversion rate, twice the average rates for other inbound channels.
Adding SMS to your outbound marketing strategies
While list-building can be a hassle, nurturing and leveraging these channels is vital. The right medium can significantly improve the customer experience — no matter the size of your audience. The extra effort gives you a competitive edge.
- Choose a platform: Depending on your market size, business size, goals and ambitions, you'll want to vet and review SMS tools. Klaviyo can manage both SMS and email, integrating with Shopify.
- Coordinate activities: Integrate your store and email service provider data with the new platform to keep a centralized data source.
- Encourage subscriptions: Create a clear value proposition for SMS and email communications (i.e. SMS for timely sales and notifications).
- Segment lists: Personalize messages by capturing preferences and using past purchase information to deliver custom experiences.
- Automate campaigns: Create flows and content that seamlessly integrate with the buying lifecycle for your retail brand or customer service communications.
- Analyze data: Track impact and iterate campaigns as needed.
With thoughtful strategy, creative content and the right technology, SMS marketing can help your business build a sustainable, profitable community.
Unlock new opportunities to promote your brand and add value to your customer touchpoints. Give our pros a call if you're looking for ways to enhance or evolve your digital marketing activities.