How Top Brands Successfully Used SMS Marketing to Increase Engagement

Looking for a faster and more personal way to engage with your audience?

SMS marketing campaigns may be the answer.

Let’s take a closer look at what SMS marketing is, why it’s important, and some industries and brands that use it.

SMS marketing means sending promotional or transactional messages via text to engage with your leads and customers.

These messages are usually short and to the point — and may include personalized offers, reminders, or alerts to inspire action. For example, “Shop the BOGO sale now” or “Find a ride”.

Some of the top benefits of SMS marketing include:

• High open rates: SMS messages have a 98% open rate, making them more effective than email in capturing attention.
• Direct communication: SMS allows for real-time customer interaction so you can deliver time-sensitive information effectively.
• Personalization opportunities: SMS marketing campaigns send personalized messages tailored to customer preferences, driving engagement.
• Cost-effective: SMS is a cost-effective way to reach large audiences compared to traditional marketing.
  Increased engagement: Short, concise messages encourage higher engagement rates since recipients can read and respond quickly.
• Wide reach: With access to mobile phones, SMS marketing reaches a broad audience regardless of internet access.
• High conversion rates: SMS marketing inspires strong conversions, especially when you offer promotions, deals, or reminders.
• Customer loyalty and retention: Regular, personalized messages can foster loyalty by keeping customers informed and engaged.

SMS marketing gives you a direct and immediate way to communicate with your target audience.

Plus, many prospects and customers in the US enjoy being contacted by SMS. In fact, 47% of millennials and 44% of Gen Zers say they like being contacted by brands via text messages.

This means you could be missing out on a prime opportunity to engage with your audience if you don’t use SMS marketing.

Still — you might wonder, which industries use SMS to connect with customers?

Read on to find out.

Brands in the following industries send personalized, timely messages that capture their audience’s attention and inspire action.

In the retail industry, brands use SMS marketing to encourage customers to shop for sales and view their latest product drops. These campaigns are especially impactful during holidays (think Black Friday) and special promotions.

SMS marketing helps recruitment agencies send personalized texts about job openings and relevant shifts based on qualifications.

For example, a travel nursing agency may reach out to travel nurses for hire about new opportunities, promotions, or shifts.

Restaurants and coffee shops use SMS marketing to boost foot traffic and online orders. For instance, Starbucks and local eateries love enticing their audiences with mouthwatering item descriptions and time-sensitive deals.

In the healthcare sector, organizations use SMS to promote wellness visits, facilitate patient forms, and send important alerts. For example, patients in a nutrition program might get an alert that says, “Time to take your Zepbound medication and log your meals for the day!” Tools like a solo practice EMR can also support this by helping streamline patient communication.

Travel brands use SMS marketing to boost engagement by promoting everything from historical tours of Normandy to wild safari tours in Africa. By sending messages about special promotions or last-minute deals, they keep customers informed and excited about booking a trip.

Get inspired by the following brands that successfully use SMS to boost engagement and conversions:

Starbucks uses push notifications and SMS alerts to inform users about special promotions, product launches, personalized offers, and rewards.

Customers can download the Starbucks app or opt-in to get text messages on their mobile devices. They can also earn loyalty points and use them on future purchases.

Domino’s Pizza uses SMS to simplify the ordering process. With campaigns offering exclusive deals and even allowing customers to order via emoji, Domino inspires more engagement and sales.

Hilton Hotels uses SMS to encourage two-way communication between guests and staff.

In fact, it recently announced that it plans to implement text-based guest services across all 7,000 of its hotels by the end of 2024. Guests will be able to communicate with the hotel via the Hilton Honors app, SMS, WhatsApp, and other messaging platforms so they can make requests before and during their stay.

This adds a whole new level of personalization to the customer experience.

Speaking of experiences, digital concierge service providers, like Uber, use SMS to build ongoing customer relationships. Recipients often receive ride notifications, deal alerts, and nudges to upgrade their subscriptions.

Uber also sends ride availability notifications around the same days and times its customers typically order rides — optimizing their experiences and nudging them to order.

Major online retailer PatPat uses SMS marketing to send gamified experiences (think “Spin the Wheel!” invites) and new deal alerts.

It also specializes in using fear-of-missing-out (FOMO) SMS messaging like, “Hurry! Expires soon!” to encourage customers to shop or pay for the items in their shopping carts.

Feeling the urge to test your own SMS marketing campaigns?

Consider implementing the following tips.

Promote smooth, secure SMS delivery by integrating APIs with CRMs and customer databases.

Using an API management gateway simplifies the process, promotes data security, and enhances communication efficiency, leading to better customer interactions.

Use an AI paraphrasing tool to trim down long SMS messages while maintaining clarity and relevance. Short messages are quick to read, increasing engagement and inspiring your audience to take action.

Always get permission from customers to send SMS messages.

In some states, there are strict regulations surrounding SMS marketing. For example, New York requires businesses to get clear, explicit permission before sending any marketing messages. If you’re operating an LLC in New York, make sure to follow these rules closely.

Use personalized calls-to-action (CTAs) to inspire engagement and make it easy to take action.

For example, sending magic links can encourage quick signups, while inviting users to participate in a gamified experience can drive conversions.

Use SMS to send brief polls asking customers about their preferences and ideal contact times.

Refer to the feedback to tailor future campaigns, increase messaging relevance, and improve response rates.

VBOUT offers customizable templates to streamline your SMS marketing. Take advantage of these templates to enhance message consistency, save time, and boost engagement across your campaigns. You can also use AI SMS content to generate copies in seconds.

You can also use VBOUT for email marketing, AI chatbot messaging, social media management — and more!

Experiment with different CTAs to identify which ones resonate best with your audience.

Use the results from your experiment to optimize your messaging strategy and inspire more engagement.

Use customer data to send personalized offers on special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries. This makes customers feel seen and valued and encourages them to engage with your brand.

The bottom line? SMS marketing gives you an effective way to engage with your audience.

With its high open rates, direct communication, and personalization capabilities, you can stay in touch with your customers and encourage repeat purchases.

Ready to implement SMS marketing campaigns for your brand?

Consider using VBOUT. Our platform offers customizable SMS marketing templates, streamlined management tools, and integration capabilities to help you create effective campaigns effortlessly.

Try it for free now. No credit card is required.

Here’s to your success!

About the author

With over 20 years of digital marketing and e-commerce expertise, Shane Barker founded TraceFuse. He is well-versed in the Amazon ecosystem and brand reputation management. His insights have been featured on platforms like E-Com Engine Partner Spotlight and the 2 Sellers and a Microphone Podcast, highlighting his significant impact on these industries.