SMS Marketing Campaign Ideas & Examples to Learn From

Fortunately, many others have come before you and created effective, unique campaigns that you can learn from and mimic for your own business and organization. Companies have successfully used SMS campaigns to distribute discounts and coupons, rescue abandoned carts, run flash sales, build client loyalty, and send updates and reminders.

Here are some successful SMS marketing examples to help get your creative juices flowing.

Promotional SMS Examples

The nature of SMS text messages as one omnichannel lends itself well to promotional SMS campaigns. Text messages are brief, simple to send, and appropriate for more frequent usage. As we’ve already seen, open rates, response rate, and engagement are often higher with SMS campaigns when compared with other marketing initiatives.

The key to effective promotional SMS campaigns is to ensure that you create a sense of urgency so your recipient is motivated to act immediately. Without a clear call-to-action with a deadline, it can be easy for your text message to fall by the wayside.

Encourage subscribers to join your text list in exchange for a limited-time reward. Direct loyal customers to an in-person event within a particular time window for a unique experience or a once-in-a-year deal. Offer an added discount if a customer completes an abandoned order by a certain day. All of these are SMS marketing examples that can drive engagement.

SMS Discount & Coupon Examples

Although the days of clipping paper coupons out of the newspaper may be gone for good, the coupon itself as a driver of purchases is here to stay. In fact, 80% of all coupon redemptions are expected to occur on a mobile device by the year 2022.

Most SMS coupon examples have a common goal: to provide that extra incentive to make a purchase. Here are some SMS marketing examples when it comes to coupon creation:

• Attract Subscribers. Offering an initial discount is a great way to build your subscriber list; simply exchange a coupon for a phone number.
• Retain Subscribers. Regular coupons can be sent to your loyalty club members with the goal of keeping them engaged and actively subscribed.
• Drive In-Person Traffic. SMS discounts can be created to drive traffic or engagement at your brick-and-mortar store. Text an SMS coupon that must be redeemed by the end of the day by showing your phone at the register.
• Encourage Philanthropy. If your business has a favorite cause, use discounts to encourage consumer support of that cause. For example, send a coupon for each donation made.

Abandoned Cart Text Messages

Impulse shopping is common today, and it’s easy to stuff your online shopping cart full of your favorite products, pausing only before you hit that “complete order” button. More than 88% of online shopping carts are abandoned on a regular basis, representing a great opportunity for businesses to help prospects go that last mile to becoming a customer.

By sending abandoned cart text messages, you can simply remind shoppers about an abandoned cart that exists on your site. However, it may be more effective to offer an additional discount to complete the order by the end of the day to drive results. Sending abandoned cart text messages is one of many SMS marketing examples that are very effective.

SMS Flash Sale Examples

There’s nothing quite like a great deal on a deadline to get those orders pouring in. Holding an SMS flash sale is a great way to drive conversions, encourage engagement and boost purchases.

Although running regular flash sales can help you retain your subscriber base, you may want to segment your SMS target audience to offer personalized flash sales that are designed specifically for a particular group of customers.

For example, if you know one segment of your audience is women who have recently purchased a particular brand of clothing, offer a two-hour flash sale when a new item in that brand appears on your racks. An SMS flash sale can also help drive business during your slower periods. For instance, a restaurant that wants to increase traffic between conventional meal times may run flash advertising between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Text Message Loyalty Programs

Everyone loves the feeling of belonging, and running text message loyalty programs is a great way to meet that emotional need virtually. Invite subscribers to join your company’s SMS text club by opting in, offering an immediate discount or incentive for joining.

Then, offering regular ecommerce or in-person exclusive discounts helps keep existing subscribers engaged. Depending on your business, offering premium content such as links to webinars, training, informative articles, or idea blogs are other SMS marketing examples that can be sent regularly to your loyalty members.

SMS Order and Status Updates

SMS marketing examples do not have to be purely promotional all the time. In fact, it’s a good idea to use SMS text messages to improve the customer’s overall experience. For example, providing SMS order updates or shipping status through text messages is an excellent use of the channel.

Customers appreciate being kept “in the loop” especially if they are waiting on a much-desired item. Businesses can also successfully minimize complaints and poor reviews if they text explanations and apologies for errors, offering a future discount as a peace offering for the problem.

SMS Appointment Reminder Examples

If your business is service-oriented, SMS appointment reminders can be a huge helping hand when it comes to maximizing customer flow and minimizing no-shows. For example, a beauty salon can automatically send text reminders the day before an appointment. A dentist office, which may make bi-annual appointments months in advance, can text a reminder to patients about no-show fees and policies a week before an appointment.

If you’re ready to try some of these SMS marketing examples today, sign up for a free DialMyCalls account. We offer an affordable, easy-to-use platform to help you create segmented subscriber lists, run multiple SMS campaigns, and measure results. Using SMS text messages is an excellent way to build a loyal customer base that’s engaged and ready to purchase.