Short message service (SMS), or text messaging, is one of the most direct ways to reach your audience. People read texts almost the moment they arrive, which is why SMS open rates are famously high (often cited around 98%) and response rates tend to far exceed email's. Used well, it's a powerful addition to your marketing mix.
Advantages of SMS
A single SMS holds up to 160 characters (longer messages split into segments), so your audience can read it in seconds. Because people keep their phones with them and notice texts immediately, SMS is perhaps the quickest way to reach your audience, and with the vast majority of people texting regularly, the reach is enormous.
That immediacy is exactly why SMS works, and also why it's tightly regulated. Before you launch any campaign, get the foundation right.
First, Get Compliant: Consent and A2P 10DLC
Text messaging is far more regulated than it used to be, and skipping the rules means your messages get blocked before anyone reads them.
- Get clear consent. US law (the TCPA) requires express written consent before you send marketing texts. People must knowingly opt in, every message should identify your business, and you must include an easy opt-out (such as replying STOP) and honor it right away.
- Register for A2P 10DLC. If you text US customers from a standard 10-digit business number, carriers now require you to register your brand and each campaign with The Campaign Registry, which you do through your SMS provider. As of December 1, 2024, carriers block unregistered 10DLC traffic outright, so without registration your texts simply won't get delivered. (Dedicated short codes and toll-free numbers have their own verification processes.)
Your SMS platform will walk you through registration. It's largely a one-time setup that protects your deliverability, and it's not optional anymore.
10 SMS Marketing Strategies
Strategy #1: Build Your Mobile List
Before you can text anyone, you need a list of contacts who have opted in. As with email, always ask people to opt in, typically by texting a keyword to your number. Most businesses use a registered 10-digit number or a toll-free number for this; dedicated 5- or 6-digit short codes also exist but are pricier and mostly used by large brands.
Build your opt-in list across your other channels too: your website, emails, and in-store signage. A great way to lift opt-ins is to offer a free gift, like a report or a discount, delivered via a text with a link. And ask subscribers when they'd like to hear from you (and note their time zone) so you can schedule sends appropriately.
Strategy #2: Engage Your Audience
Only ever text people who opted in, and even then, engage them personally. Generic, spammy blasts underperform; personalized, relevant messages get responses.
A straight product promotion may fall flat over SMS, but people genuinely appreciate exclusive discount or coupon codes. You can also engage them based on location, texting an offer when they're near your store, for instance, which is great for retail. And offering a small gift in exchange for a referral or a quick testimonial is a simple way to build loyalty and relationships fast.
Strategy #3: Reach a Younger Audience
The 18-to-49 market is a sweet spot for many advertisers, and it's ideal for SMS. Millennials and Gen Z grew up with phones in hand and are heavy texters, so meeting them in their messages just makes sense.
Strategy #4: Link SMS with Your Other Marketing
The best campaigns integrate channels. Promote your SMS opt-in in your print and digital ads, on social media, and on your website to grow your text list. In the other direction, include links in your texts that send people to new videos, articles, or other content, building credibility and loyalty.
Strategy #5: Send at the Right Time
Timing matters. Response rates vary by time of day, and the best window depends on your audience, so test to find yours. Generally, before and after work hours and around lunch tend to perform well. And respect quiet hours: don't text people late at night (consent rules generally limit marketing texts to between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. in the recipient's local time).
Strategy #6: Send Heads-Up Previews for Emails
People carry their phones everywhere, and unlike email (which many check only every few hours), a text is seen almost immediately. A quick text letting contacts know an important email is on its way can be welcome, especially if the email contains a report they want, results, a schedule change, or a contest.
Strategy #7: Follow Up Email Campaigns
Pairing SMS with email is a one-two punch. Sending a text after an email can lift your overall response, since people get both on the same device, and because both channels are two-way, you can spark a real conversation you wouldn't get from other media.
Strategy #8: Reach People Locally
SMS shines when your audience is near your product or service. If you know where and when they'll be, you can reach them at the right moment, an approach often powered by location targeting or geofencing today. A retailer might text in-store customers about products with a short expiration or new arrivals, prompting them to ask a sales rep, who can then close the sale.
Strategy #9: Send Exclusive Offers Found Nowhere Else
People love to feel like insiders. Make your SMS subscribers part of an exclusive club by sending offers you don't promote anywhere else, not on social, not on your website. It's a welcome kind of interruption: you're breaking into their day, but with something they genuinely value.
Strategy #10: Follow Up E-Commerce Sales with SMS
Building relationships doesn't end at the sale; it's where loyalty and repeat business begin, and too few companies follow up well. SMS is perfect for after-sale communication. Most modern e-commerce SMS platforms (like Klaviyo or Postscript) can automatically send order confirmations, shipping alerts, and tracking numbers, and let customers opt in to texts right at checkout.
Next Steps
SMS is a fast, high-engagement channel that can build sales and loyalty when done right. To start: sign up for an SMS marketing platform, such as Twilio, EZ Texting, SimpleTexting, Klaviyo, Attentive, or Postscript, that handles opt-ins and A2P 10DLC registration for you. Add an SMS opt-in to your website and other marketing, make sure you're compliant, and then put these strategies to work.
If you'd like help building a compliant, effective SMS program, get in touch with our team.
This is part of our guide to marketing your small business online.
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