Most businesses already know SMS marketing works. The real question is whether it makes sense for your specific goals and audience.
Text messages cut through the noise, but they also come with limitations like character counts, higher costs per message, and the very real risk of annoying people if you overdo it.
The channel works best when you treat it as a precision tool rather than a megaphone. SMS isn't the perfect place for lengthy product announcements or brand storytelling.
It's for the moments when timing matters, like a flash sale ending in two hours, a delivery arriving today, or an appointment scheduled for tomorrow. Used strategically, SMS marketing complements email and social media marketing rather than competing with them.
That said, getting SMS marketing right means understanding both the technical basics and the strategic decisions. Do it well, and you'll see strong engagement. Do it poorly, and you'll burn through your subscriber list fast.
Keep reading to learn the core strategies that make SMS campaigns effective, plus practical tips for implementation and integration with your broader marketing efforts.
What are SMS marketing campaigns?
SMS marketing uses text messages to communicate with customers about promotions, order updates, reminders, and other time-sensitive information. Unlike email or social media, SMS goes directly to someone's phone –– the device they're most likely to check within minutes of receiving a notification.
The mechanics are fairly simple. Customers opt in to receive messages from your business, usually by texting a keyword to a short code or checking a box during checkout.
From there, you can send promotional offers, shipping notifications, appointment reminders, or other updates. Messages are limited to 160 characters, which keeps them short and scannable.
What makes SMS effective is the combination of high visibility and immediacy. People check their phones constantly, and most will open a text message within minutes of receiving it.
SMS also fits naturally into customer retention strategies. While it's great for acquiring new customers, the real value shows up when you use it to keep existing customers engaged by reminding them about abandoned carts, alerting them to restocks, or offering exclusive deals to loyal buyers.
Combined with marketing automation tools, you can trigger these messages based on customer behavior without manually sending each one.
Common uses of SMS campaigns
SMS campaigns are powerful tools for various business needs. They can be utilized for promotions, offering exclusive deals directly to customers' phones, ensuring high visibility.
Reminders are another effective use, such as appointment confirmations or event updates, keeping your audience informed timely.
Additionally, SMS is ideal for order confirmations, providing customers with real-time updates on their purchases. Customer service through SMS allows for quick query resolutions, enhancing customer satisfaction.
Lastly, surveys via SMS can gather valuable feedback, offering insights into customer preferences and improving service offerings.
SMS vs Other Marketing Channels
Marketing Channel | Average Open Rate | Message Length | Best Use Cases | Speed to Customer |
SMS | Very high (often 90%+) | Short (≤160 characters) | Time-sensitive alerts, promotions, reminders, order updates | Immediate |
Moderate (20–40%) | Long-form | Newsletters, product education, onboarding, long-term nurturing | Slower | |
Push Notifications | High (varies by app usage) | Very short | App engagement, real-time alerts, reminders | Fast |
Social Media | Variable | Short to medium | Brand awareness, community building, content distribution | Variable |
Why you should consider an SMS campaign
SMS fits into your marketing mix differently than email or social media. It's not a channel for long-form content or building brand awareness.
Instead, it excels at direct, immediate communication when timing matters. If your business sends order confirmations, appointment reminders, or limited-time offers, SMS makes sense. If you're focused primarily on storytelling or visual content, it might not.
The decision to create SMS marketing campaigns should be based on whether your audience will actually find the messages useful. People are protective of their phone numbers and their text message inboxes.
They'll only stay subscribed if you're sending content that's relevant, timely, and not excessive. A successful SMS marketing strategy is a retention tool that keeps customers engaged.
Here's what makes SMS marketing worth considering for most businesses:
Immediate delivery for time-sensitive messages
The first reason why you should consider using an SMS campaign is that you can use it to deliver time-sensitive SMS messages to your target market.
For example, if there is a sale or promotion coming up, you can use SMS marketing to help you. Or, if you want to update a customer on an order they might have placed, such as a shipping notification, you can use SMS marketing.
Low barrier to creation
You could also use an SMS campaign because these messages are very simple to create. Remember that text messages tend to be short and sweet. You don't have to put a lot of effort into the information you include.
It is very easy to craft several text messages that you can share with your target market, so consider using SMS campaigns to help you save time on your digital marketing methods.
Built-in personalization and segmentation
Text message marketing platforms let you segment your SMS subscriber list based on purchase history, location, preferences, or behavior.
You can send different promotional SMS campaigns to different groups, making your messages more relevant. Personalization options like including a customer's name or referencing their last purchase can increase engagement and conversion rates.
Easy integration with existing tools
Most SMS platforms integrate with marketing automation and CRM tools you're already using. This means you can trigger text messages based on customer actions, like abandoning a cart or making a purchase.
SMS becomes another automated touchpoint in your customer journey rather than a standalone channel that requires constant attention.
Measurable results
SMS campaigns provide clear metrics like delivery rates, click-through rates, and conversion tracking. You can see exactly how many people received your messages, how many clicked a link, and how many completed a purchase. This makes it easier to calculate ROI and refine your strategy over time.
Examples of SMS campaigns from top brands
Starbucks Rewards, Domino's Pizza, and Ikea have successfully leveraged SMS campaigns to engage their customers.
Starbucks Rewards uses SMS to send personalized offers and updates, enhancing customer loyalty. Domino's Pizza employs SMS for order confirmations and exclusive deals, ensuring timely communication with customers. Ikea utilizes SMS to inform customers about new product launches and promotions, driving traffic to their stores.
These brands demonstrate the effectiveness of SMS marketing in maintaining customer engagement and boosting sales. By studying their strategies, businesses can learn how to craft impactful SMS campaigns that resonate with their audience.
What are the benefits of SMS campaigns?
Understanding why SMS works is one thing. Knowing what specific advantages it brings to your marketing strategy is another.
While high open rates get most of the attention, SMS offers several operational and strategic benefits that make it valuable beyond just visibility. The benefits of SMS marketing messages include:
- High engagement rates: SMS consistently outperforms other channels in terms of open and response rates. Most text messages get read within minutes of delivery, and click-through rates are significantly higher than email, making it one of the most reliable ways to get your message seen.
- Universal accessibility: Nearly everyone has a mobile phone capable of receiving texts, regardless of smartphone model, operating system, or app downloads. You don't need customers to install anything or check a specific platform — SMS just works.
- Immediate response and action: The urgency built into text messages encourages quick decisions. Whether you're driving traffic to a landing page, prompting a purchase, or getting confirmation for an appointment, SMS pushes people to act now rather than later.
- Permission-based audience: SMS subscribers have explicitly opted in to hear from you, which means you're working with a high-intent audience. This creates better engagement than channels where people might follow you passively or ignore your messages entirely.
- Two-way communication potential: Unlike one-way channels like email, SMS enables real conversations. Customers can reply with questions, feedback, or requests, creating opportunities for personalized support and deeper engagement.
- Works alongside other channels: SMS doesn't replace email or social media — it strengthens them. You can use texts to drive email signups, promote social content, or re-engage customers who haven't responded to other outreach. It fills gaps that other channels leave open.
What are the drawbacks of an SMS campaign?
Even though SMS marketing can be an effective digital marketing method, there are a few drawbacks as well. Some of the biggest drawbacks of using SMS marketing include:
Can be expensive
An SMS marketing campaign can be expensive. Even though it might not necessarily cost a lot of money to send out text messages, the price can go up if you want to include images and videos.
Or, if your messages are more than 160 characters, you might find that the price is significantly higher. If you want to have an effective SMS marketing campaign, you need to have plenty of money you can spend on it.
Can annoy customers
While SMS marketing is a great way to communicate directly with your target market, you also run the risk of annoying your customers. If you send out too many messages to too many people, they may decide to unsubscribe from your text message list.
You need to think carefully about how to strike a balance between reaching out to your target market too much and not reaching out to them enough. You do not want to drive your target market away.
Can be difficult to track data as efficiently
With SMS marketing, you might find that you have a difficult time tracking information related to your digital marketing strategy.
You might send a lot of messages to someone, but how do you know that they have opened them? How do you know if someone is visiting your website because they got your text message?
You may need to invest in some advanced tools to make sure you track the results of your SMS marketing campaign. That way, you can figure out what is working and what is not.
It is important for you to think about the benefits and drawbacks of an SMS marketing campaign before you decide to deploy it as a part of your digital marketing tactics.
SMS campaign strategies
SMS marketing can be unforgiving. Send too many messages, and people opt out. Send irrelevant content, and they ignore you. Miss compliance requirements and you face penalties.
The margin for error is smaller than with email or social media because people guard their text inboxes more carefully. But that's also why SMS performs so well when you get it right — you're reaching people who actually want to hear from you, and they're paying attention.
Here are the SMS campaign strategies that help you stay relevant, maintain engagement, and get results:
Segment based on behavior, not just demographics
Basic segmentation, like location or age, has its place, but behavioral segmentation drives better results.
Group subscribers by purchase history, browsing activity, engagement level, or where they are in the customer journey. Someone who bought from you last week needs different messages than someone who hasn't purchased in six months.
Use your SMS platform's automation features to trigger messages based on specific actions, like abandoned carts, repeat purchases, or product views.
Balance promotional and transactional messages
If every text is a sales pitch, people will tune out or unsubscribe. Mix promotional messages with transactional ones like order confirmations, shipping updates, or appointment reminders. Transactional messages build trust and keep your brand top-of-mind without being pushy.
A good rule of thumb is to send at least one or two value-driven or informational messages for every promotional text.
Set clear expectations at signup
Tell people exactly what they're signing up for. How often will you text them? What kind of content will they receive? Being upfront reduces unsubscribes and complaints later.
If you're planning to send weekly promotions, say so. If it's just order updates and occasional sales, make that clear. You can set these expectations on your signup form, in your welcome message, or both.
Test text message timing and frequency
There's no universal best time to send SMS. It depends on your audience and what you're promoting. Test different send times to see when you get the highest engagement.
For most businesses, late morning (10-11 AM) and early evening (6-8 PM) work well, but your results might vary. Most SMS marketing services include A/B testing features that let you experiment with timing and measure results.
As for frequency, start conservative. One to two messages per week is a safe baseline for promotional content. Monitor opt-out rates and adjust accordingly.
Make every message actionable
SMS isn't the place for lengthy explanations. Every message should have a clear purpose and a specific action you want the recipient to take.
Include a direct link, a clear CTA, or simple instructions. Skip the fluff and get straight to the point. For example, you might say, "Your order shipped. Track it here: [link]" or "Sale ends tonight. Shop now: [link]."
Stay compliant without overthinking it
SMS compliance isn't complicated if you follow the basics:
- Always get explicit consent before adding someone to your list
- Include your business name in every message so recipients know who's texting them
- Provide a clear opt-out method in every message (usually "Reply STOP to unsubscribe")
- Process opt-outs immediately
- Don't text people between 9 PM and 8 AM unless it's time-sensitive and they've specifically opted in for those alerts
Build your list strategically
A small, engaged list beats a large, uninterested one. Offer incentives for new subscribers, such as a discount, early access to sales, or exclusive content. Promote your SMS list through email, social media, at checkout, and on your website.
Don't buy lists or add people without permission. It's against regulations and destroys your credibility.
Integrate SMS with your other marketing channels
SMS works best when it's part of a larger strategy. Use texts to drive email signups, promote social content, or re-engage customers who haven't responded to email. Coordinate your messaging across channels so you're not bombarding people with the same offer everywhere.
Enable two-way and conversational messaging
Two-way messaging means customers can reply to your texts, not just receive them. This opens doors for questions, feedback, and opt-out requests without forcing people to find another channel.
Most SMS platforms support two-way messaging by default, but you need a system for monitoring and responding to incoming messages –– whether that's a dedicated team member or automated responses for common questions.
Conversational text messaging takes this further by enabling real back-and-forth exchanges, similar to how you'd text a friend or colleague. Instead of simply sending messages, you can have an actual conversation that feels personal and helpful.
Conversational SMS works well for customer service, appointment scheduling, or answering detailed product questions. Some businesses handle this manually with a support team, while others use chatbots or automated workflows to handle common inquiries and escalate complex issues to a human.
Integrate your SMS campaign
In the end, it is important for you to have a strong SMS marketing campaign. You may also want to integrate your SMS campaign with some of your other digital marketing strategies. It might be helpful to use SMS marketing to encourage people to sign up for your email marketing list as well, which is a great way for you to build your email list.
Be sure to customize your SMS marketing campaign to meet the needs of your target market. That way, you can increase purchases on a landing page. At Mailchimp, we can help you integrate your SMS campaign into the rest of your digital marketing strategy. Reach out to us today to learn more about how we can help you.
Key Takeaways
- SMS marketing can deliver time-sensitive messages and updates, such as sale promotions or shipping notifications.
- Creating SMS campaigns is simple, as the messages are short and do not require significant effort.
- SMS messages can be personalized to target specific customer segments, increasing conversion rates.
- Drawbacks of SMS campaigns include potential high costs, risk of annoying customers, and challenges in tracking campaign data efficiently.