13 SMS Message Campaign Strategies & Examples

SMS message campaigns have the ability to attract attention and drive action instantly. Yet not just any text message can drive the results you want to see. The right strategy can mean the difference between a wildly successful campaign and a 0% conversion rate.

Strategic text message marketing optimizes everything from timing and frequency to personalization and messaging. Discover how to craft successful SMS campaigns that boost customer engagement, generate conversions, and achieve key business goals.

Effective SMS Message Campaign Strategies

No matter which type of text campaign you launch, implement these SMS campaign strategies to get your message across and improve your results.

List Building

Use these tactics to grow your SMS list and attract more subscribers.

1. Advertise Text-to-Join Campaigns 

Make subscribers want to be on your contact list with text-to-join campaigns. Like the name suggests, these campaigns, let people join your subscriber list by texting a keyword to your phone number or short code:

• Keep the campaign simple with a keyword like "JOIN."
• Make it more memorable by using a branded keyword.

Incentivize new subscribers to join by offering a free gift or a discount coupon for your product or service.

2. Segment Audience Data 

Just because SMS marketing platforms let you text subscribers at scale doesn't mean you have to send the same message to everyone on your list. Instead, get to know your audience and add subscribers to specific groups.

For example, you can segment your audience by:

• Demographics (e.g., location)
• Engagement (e.g., subscribers with the highest click-through rate)
• Behavior (e.g., your most loyal customers)

Then, customize your messages for each target audience. Each message you send will be more relevant to the recipient.

3. Don’t Forget Compliance

Avoid adding people to your list if they haven't opted in to receive your marketing messages. Like email marketing, SMS is a permission-based marketing channel that requires compliance with national and global regulations.

Take time to familiarize yourself with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). Following these marketing laws is the key to protecting your brand and creating a positive customer experience.

Campaign Messaging

Keep these strategies in mind as you fine-tune your campaign messaging.

4. Prioritize Personalization

Not every message you send has to sound exactly the same. Include personalization to make marketing messages more relevant and improve engagement and response rates.

Many SMS platforms can automatically add personal touches like customers':

• First names
• Behaviors (e.g., upcoming appointment details)
• Preferences (e.g., most frequently purchased product)

5. Keep It Short and Sweet

A short message service segment is just 160 characters long. While your SMS messages can certainly go longer, additional segments give subscribers more to read and can increase campaign pricing.

Keep messages short and sweet so subscribers can read and take action quickly from their mobile phone. Include a single call to action (CTA) like "Shop now" or "Get your discount" to prompt next steps.

6. Use Text Keywords

SMS campaigns don't have to be a one-way communication channel. Instead, invite subscribers to engage with your brand by sending specific text keywords to your phone number or short code.

Then, set up automated workflows to trigger an action, such as subscribing people to an exclusive list, sending a special discount, or participating in a contest. Keywords are ideal for driving high engagement.

Timing and Frequency

Use these tactics to send or schedule SMS campaigns at the right time and frequency.

7. Get the Timing Right

To get the best results from your SMS message campaigns, you have to send them at the right time for your audience. Your SMS analytics hold the answer. They can reveal:

• When subscribers are most likely to read and engage with campaigns
• When subscribers engage most and least
• How many messages are too many messages (i.e., when people begin to unsubscribe)

Then, put these insights to work. Automate your campaigns to send at the ideal time and frequency for your audience.

8. Create a Sense of Urgency

Sometimes it doesn't matter how great your offer is. Subscribers may ignore it and never take action if they think they have plenty of time to consider it.

To prompt customers to act, create a sense of urgency or scarcity. Use language like "limited time offer" or "only a few spots left" to increase the likelihood of conversions.

9. Make SMS Messages Unique

Even your brand's biggest fans won't stand for boring or repetitive texts. Avoid over-messaging your audience or repeating the same content from your email marketing and social media posts.

Instead, make SMS marketing a key component of your omnichannel strategy. Make your SMS messages and incentives unique to give customers a reason to subscribe.

Campaign Optimization

Optimize campaigns and improve results based on user interactions and insights.

10. Be Mobile-Minded

As you build SMS message campaigns, remember that subscribers will read them on mobile devices. It's in your best interest to take a mobile-first approach to SMS campaign content.

Optimize SMS messages for mobile by including:

• Short, easy-to-read text with no lengthy paragraphs
• Clickable links that lead to mobile-friendly landing pages
• Visuals that subscribers can easily view on a phone screen

11. Make Data-Driven Decisions

Don't guess how subscribers are responding to your campaigns. Instead, use real-time analytics to measure metrics like:

• Delivery rates
• Read rates
• Response rates
• Engagement rates
• Click-through rates
• Conversion rates

Then, use the data to optimize existing campaigns and plan future messaging. Check your SMS analytics regularly and make data-driven decisions about your marketing strategy.

12. Run A/B Tests for Continuous Improvement

Not sure which message, timing, or frequency will work best for your audience? If analytics from previous campaigns can't you, try A/B testing instead.

When you run A/B tests, you essentially split your list and test each option on a percentage of your audience. Then, you'll know what works best with your audience—and you can use a similar tactic for future campaigns.

13. Automate Workflows and Build Custom Triggers

Save time and work smarter by introducing automation into your SMS campaigns. Set up automated workflows based on customer actions so you can start sending the right message at the right time.

Use SMS marketing templates to create new campaigns so you can avoid starting from scratch each time. Then, customize them to fit the campaign and optimize them as you gather more data.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in SMS Message Campaigns

To maximize the value of your marketing efforts, follow a few basic SMS marketing best practices. Whether you're managing enterprise communications or text message marketing for small business, avoid these common mistakes:

Ignoring Opt-Out Requests

SMS is a permission-based channel, which means subscribers should have just an easy of a time with opt-outs as they do with opt-ins. When contacts use your opt-out keyword (e.g., "STOP") make a point of unsubscribing them as quickly as possible.

Sending Too Much Promotional Content

When you send an endless stream of special offers, limited-time discounts, and flash sales, subscribers may begin to ignore your messages. Avoid creating SMS fatigue by balancing promotional messages with different types of messages like educational and entertainment content.

Using Inconsistent Messaging

If your tone and voice sound completely different from message to message, subscribers may never really get to know your brand—which can create trust issues and compromise retention. Keep your messaging and brand voice consistent throughout your SMS strategy and across communication channels.

Neglecting to Test Message Campaigns

Don't let a poorly worded or formatted message ruin your SMS marketing strategy. Before you send messages at scale, take time to test your campaigns. Preview messages to see how they'll look to SMS subscribers and use A/B testing to learn what works best with your audience.

Text Message Campaign Examples

Use these examples for inspiration as you build SMS marketing campaigns. Make sure to add your brand voice and your own unique spin to each SMS marketing message.

• Promotional Text Message Campaigns: Entice customers to shop and buy with limited-time offers, exclusive discounts, and new product launches.
• Transactional SMS Message Campaigns: Provide critical information like order confirmations, shipping notifications, and abandoned cart reminders.
• Customer Service Text Campaigns: Provide customer support and improve customer retention by sending surveys or review requests and responding to support inquiries.
• Re-engagement SMS Message Campaigns: Encourage customers to do business with your brand by sending win-back offers to inactive customers or discounts for abandoned carts.
• Loyalty Program Text Message Campaigns: Thank your best customers and boost retention by texting reward points and exclusive VIP offers.
• Event-Triggered Text Message Campaigns: Share timely messages like event notifications and appointment reminders to reduce no-shows and increase attendance.

Level Up SMS Message Campaigns with Sakari

When executed with a thoughtful strategy, SMS campaigns can increase customer engagement, drive conversions, and achieve other important business goals. To level up your campaigns, choose an SMS marketing platform with excellent usability, time-saving automation, and powerful analytics.

Set up your first SMS message campaign and test Sakari at no cost. Sign up for a free trial of Sakari and try our SMS platform for 14 days (no credit card required).

Start Your Free Trial Today!