ReachMobileUsersSending an SMS seems old-fashioned and reminiscent of a bygone era, but they still exist and are reliably delivered to mobile phones, smartphones and mobile devices.

Considering that our constant companion, the smartphone, achieves opening rates of almost 100%, it makes SMS an excellent addition to emails which are sometimes overlooked by users – SMS hardly ever.

It should be noted, however, that messages must be communicated briefly and directly since there is a character limit. In other words, you have to be succinct. Although most text messages are only opened 3 minutes after receipt, you should still consider the best time to send them: messages after 9 p.m. or weekends could be considered a nuisance. To create trust, pay attention to the sender’s name as recipients want to know who is writing to them. Personalizing your SMS makes them feel valued and recognized as an individual.

To save time, you can send marketing SMS automatically via marketing automation campaigns and easily implement various SMS marketing use cases, like the following:

  • Common are transaction notifications, such as booking confirmations, appointment reminders or pick-up notices. These are always gratefully received and can be sent just as automatically as a transaction email. Time-critical messages arrive quickly and reliably as SMS, for example, transaction notifications on the status of an order or notification of a delivery delay. For time-sensitive deliveries that the recipient doesn't want to miss, for example, a hot meal or a bulky delivery of furniture that shouldn't be left on the sidewalk, it's wiser to send an SMS instead of an email. If users receive such messages via SMS, it creates trust in your company, and thus increases customer loyalty.

  • Sadly, as we all know, full shopping carts are often left at checkout. but you could recover abandoned shopping carts via SMS as it is a very personal channel. For example, ask your customers why it failed and offer your support if they still have questions or doubts. You can then use the link to the shopping cart to remind them of the items they left behind.

  • SMS marketing is particularly suitable for time-critical messages, and this also includes various forms of alerts. These can be used in SMS marketing in a wide variety of contexts. For example, they can be used as reminders for upcoming events “Tonight's concert starts at 20:00. We look forward to seeing you!”; to promptly inform you about changes “Change of plan: Today’s flight departs from Terminal 2”, “The conference has been rescheduled at short notice.”; or to coordinate appointments “The delivery service is now near you! Please coordinate the specific delivery time with the driver now”. Online shops can also send the back-in-stock alert as an SMS: "The product you want is back in stock! Order now before it sells out again!”

  • Why not ask the user in an SMS whether they liked the product they bought? A satisfaction follow-up conveys a feeling of appreciation, and the results can be used for market research purposes and to personalize communication with the user. Satisfaction follow-ups via SMS are suitable, for example, for the F&B industry. The SMS marketing is integrated with the POS system and a few minutes after payment the user receives an SMS with the request to rate the branch, the service or the dishes ordered. Satisfaction follow-ups via SMS are also an effective tool for products that are directly related to mobile communications, for example, when purchasing an app. In this example, the feedback given via SMS could immediately flow into the app environment and be noticeable the next time the app is used: a surprising but extremely positive experience for users.

  • Like other channels, SMS can be used for the “classic” advertising of product offers, or via MMS with the option of integrating pictures as well. SMS is an excellent way to send coupons and voucher codes for the e-commerce sector. Thanks to the great attention and high opening rates that the SMS enjoy, the redemption rate of SMS coupons also increases. Similar to email marketing, offers in SMS marketing can also be individualized with individual texts, dispatch times and dispatch frequencies for each user.


By Daniela La Marca