Did you know that an unbelievable 90% of SMS messages are opened and read (this is in comparison to 20% to 30% of email marketing messages )?
Meanwhile, it’d take less than a small paragraph and less than five minutes to set up an SMS marketing campaign.
While SMS marketing is an affordable way to connect with your customer base, it’s also remarkably effective and result-oriented.
Well-designed SMS marketing plans -- backed by thoughtful campaign flows and a fair degree of marketing relevance -- can help build brand awareness, drive sales, and turn customers into lifelong fans or evangelists.
In fact, more than 67% of customers signed up to receive mobile alerts. Attentive customers drive more than 20% of revenue for eCommerce brands.
On average, SMS marketing campaigns generated $71 for every dollar spent for eCommerce campaigns. More than 96% of marketers vouch for the effectiveness of SMS marketing campaigns.
What is SMS Marketing?
SMS messages are characterized by plain text or rich text messages that are sent directly to customers’ mobile devices).
These customer number lists (for sending SMS messages to) are strictly permission-based -- carefully curated, and grown over a period of time.
Preceded by strong (but short) copy or messaging, the SMS message usually prompts customers to take action -- such as to subscribe for specific opt-in forms on websites or eCommerce stores, visit campaign-relevant landing pages, and maybe quickly write a review or post a comment on social media accounts.
You can use SMS marketing for announcing new product offers, shipping updates, order updates, reveal holiday discounts, send offers, flash sales, and customer-exclusive offers.
Let’s take a look at some SMS Examples for eCommerce marketing:
Smashing Examples of SMS Marketing
Some SMS marketing campaigns can be ever-lasting and ongoing; others are temporary or seasonal. Either way, SMS marketing -- when done right -- is effective. See some of these smashing examples of SMS marketing to learn how:
Homesick
Homesick sells candles, custom wicks, Soy Wax Blends, scents, and more.
Here’s an example of a specific campaign using SMS marketing -- as a channel.
Notice how the SMS message is aimed to elicit the FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) aspect of scarcity marketing, mentions a specific offer (for a stated time period), use of images and emojis, and a targeted call to action at the end of the message.
Of course, no one dislikes coupon codes (40% Off) and a good deal.
Schoolyard Snacks
SMS messages that stay on brand, speak the language of the respective target audiences always work better than anything generic.
However, not all SMS messages have to “make people take action”, there are certain brownie points you get just for “staying in touch”. Just by nurturing your target audiences, you tend to stay “top of mind”. In marketing speak, it’s called “mindshare” and that’s precious.
Schoolyard Snacks sells healthier alternatives to school snack favorites such as flavored cereals, cheese puffs and more.
See how Schoolyard Snacks sends out SMS updates with just a “heads up” on new products, nudging you towards conversations, and alerting you to watch out for more SMS updates and email marketing messages.
If nothing, you’ll remember the brand.
Perfect Keto
Perfect Keto sells meal plans, food, and supplements.
While Perfect Keto sells food and meal plans (closely related to the Keto Diet), here’s an example of an SMS campaign with the use of targeted angle, featuring one of the many benefits of their custom food plans and products.
Plus, notice a customzied banner, an “early access” prompt, a time-specific offer, use of product images as a part of the visuals, an offer, and even an option to “text back” -- making it natural for potential customers to open up a channel for communication through SMS.
Snif
Snif is an eCommerce brand that sells scents, fragrances, scented candles, and more.
Notice that their SMS campaigns use an actual person in the SMS message. When you run campaigns, use the contemporary capabilities of SMS messages on smartphones now-a-days, such as images, links, and more.
Notice the use of a “Menu style”, interactive and two-way communication with SMS messages on one of their SMS campaigns. This is a post-order nurturing message after an order has been placed where the message is sent out as an update to notify customers about their order update status.
Bloom Nutrition
The eCommerce brand Bloom Nutrition specializes in selling vitamins, supplements, gummies, and accessories.
In an example of how targeted and niche communities are nurtured, Bloom Nutrition makes use of an expansive set of campaigns and messages built to nurture communities, provide answers, for community self-help, and for promotions (of course).
Panoramata now gives you access to examples and live SMS marketing campaigns to provide you with never-ending SMS marketing campaign ideas and SMS marketing examples you can learn from. This is on top of inspiration lists, benchmarking features, the ability to track your customers’ SEO profiles, and to track competitor landing pages.
Which of these SMS marketing examples do you like? What are the different ways you can think of to make SMS marketing work for your eCommerce brand or business?
