SMS + Email
Customers prefer to engage in different ways. This lesson explains how to send SMS and email marketing campaigns in tandem to drive the most ROI.
SMS Marketing Guide
SMS marketing is powerful. With the winning formula, brands can send hyper-targeted messages to each and every customer at the perfect time, maximizing ROI and lifetime value. Plus, SMS plays nicely with your brand’s other marketing channels, including your email efforts.
When it comes to building out an SMS marketing strategy, a common misconception is that brands will duplicate efforts with both SMS and email. Rest assured, this isn’t true — in fact, each channel is more powerful when they work as companions.
Why SMS + email = better together
We found that 24% of consumers prefer to receive communications from a brand via both SMS and email, as opposed to one or the other. To drive the most ROI, your brand should launch marketing campaigns to communicate with shoppers via both email and SMS — simply tailor the message to best fit the channel and the customer.
Your SMS subscriber list is typically a highly-engaged group of customers. Because SMS requires users to opt-in, the audience typically prefers to receive messages from a brand via text. By leveraging both the broad reach of your email lists, and the high engagement with SMS, brands can use both channels in parallel to drive more conversion.
How to integrate SMS with email
If you’re just getting started with SMS, a good place to start in building your subscriber list is with your email list. Send an email offering your list an exclusive offer (with more to come) for signing up to receive texts. Plus, let them know the additional benefits of SMS, including transactional messages, loyalty updates, and new product introductions.
When deciding how to divide up SMS and email messages, think about the strengths of each channel, and how you can connect them. For example, email is better for long-form newsletters and announcements, while SMS is good for shorter, timelier messages. Use SMS to alert subscribers that the latest newsletter is out, or that there’s a special deal waiting in their inbox. Likewise, you can text about sales, but also follow up with a promo code in email.
Best practices for SMS + email
- Create unique content for email and SMS. If you’re frequently sending out the same information and messaging on both, you’ll likely get an unsubscribe from one or the other, or worse, both.
- Make sure any messages you send on either channel are providing value for your customer, and that you are clearly communicating that value. For example, instead of texting “The August Newsletter just dropped: check your inbox!” you could briefly explain why they want to open it (new products, discounts, etc.).
SMS and email marketing can be a powerful combination for driving traffic and conversions. If you always keep the wants, needs, and bandwidth of your customer in mind when crafting messages, you’ll be able to create a supercharged marketing strategy.
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