What is SMS marketing: Guide (+ examples), benefits, tips & alternatives
People check their phones more than 4 hours daily — making text messages one of the most direct, high-impact ways to reach them. In this guide, you’ll learn what SMS marketing is, how it works, and how to craft high-performing campaigns with real brand examples as reference.
What is SMS marketing?
SMS marketing (short message service marketing) is a form of mobile marketing that allows brands to send promotional or transactional text messages via text messages. It’s used for updates, offers, reminders, and loyalty engagement. Because users have already opted in, SMS is considered a form of permission-based or inbound marketing.
Understanding the different types of SMS campaigns
SMS marketing encompasses a variety of campaigns, each with its own objective and target audience. The most common types are:
Promotion campaigns: try using SMS marketing tools for your short-term promotion events. Create a sense of urgency by putting an expiry date on the deal. Consider using ringless voicemail drop software to integrate text blast messages, ringless voicemail, and email into your campaign. If you use SleekFlow, you can integrate with Calendly to even send personalized birthday offers. Talk to us and find out how!
Transactional campaigns: includes order confirmations, shipping notifications and appointment reminders. From e-commerces to beauty salons, clinics, or even restaurants, using this kind of campaign helps the customers to know the status of their orders, show up on time or hint them to reschedule the appointment in case of changes. A friendly reminder is not just useful to customers, it builds trust.
Loyalty campaigns: they aim to reward customers for their repeat purchases or years of membership. You can, for example, use SleekFlow to generate a segmented list of customers who have spent 1000 USD in the last 3 months and send them an exclusive discount coupon.
Feedback campaigns: to solicit opinions and reviews from customers that won't open and respond to email surveys, but may not mind answering questions on SMS as it only takes them a few seconds.
Educational campaigns: to provide valuable information or tips related to the products or services offered by your company.
Benefits of SMS marketing for businesses
SMS marketing remains one of the highest ROI communication channels. Here’s why businesses, from e-commerce to hospitality, use it to connect and convert:
Instant reach: Nearly everyone owns a mobile phone.
High engagement: SMS messages boast up to 98% open rates.
Affordable automation: Schedule, personalize, and segment messages easily.
Better conversions: SMS campaigns can outperform email in response rates.
According to various studies, 86% of marketers now use SMS in their strategy — proof of its growing importance.
Best practices for SMS marketing
To maximize engagement, follow these proven SMS marketing techniques:
Identify your brand - Always include your business name.
Be concise - Keep messages under 160 characters.
Ask simple questions - Use “Y/N” or numeric responses.
Add a strong CTA - Example: “Shop Now” or “Confirm Appointment.”
Personalize & segment - Tailor messages by behavior or region.
These SMS marketing techniques ensure clarity, compliance, and conversion, especially when used alongside automation.
When to Send Your SMS Campaigns ?
Timing matters as much as content. Mid-week (Tuesday–Thursday) and mid-day (10 a.m.–2 p.m.) usually see higher engagement. Avoid late nights or dinner hours. Test send times and analyze response data to refine delivery windows.
Examples of SMS Marketing Success s
To inspire your SMS marketing campaigns, let's explore success stories from Shopify, Crocs, MATE the Label and Eau Thermale Avène!
Shopify's Shop Pay
SMS marketing is transforming e-commerce, with tools like Shopify’s Shop Pay leading the way.
Customers receive a secure access code via SMS to quickly autofill checkout details on Shopify sites.
This feature reduces checkout time and simplifies the shopping experience.
Checkout speeds increased 4× after implementing Shop Pay SMS verification.
Conversion rates improved compared to traditional checkout processes.
The result: faster, smoother, and higher-converting shopping experiences, demonstrating the strong impact of SMS marketing in e-commerce.
Crocs
Crocs used SMS marketing to launch a virtual Easter Egg Hunt campaign.
Subscribers joined by replying with “EGGHUNT” to participate in the event.
Participants searched for discount codes on Crocs’ website, with offers ranging from 20% off to US$150 in savings.
Crocs encouraged customers to preload their carts before the event for faster checkout once the “Ready, set, go!” text was sent.
The campaign blended fun and incentives, driving excitement and engagement.
Result: Increased shopping activity, anticipation, and customer satisfaction, benefiting both customers and Crocs.
MATE the Label
MATE the Label launched a major warehouse sale to clear inventory before relocating.
The sale ran from late December through January, creating sustained interest.
The brand offered bigger discounts for last-minute buyers to boost urgency.
Automated SMS reminders were sent to shoppers who hadn’t yet made a purchase.
This ensured customers didn’t miss out on deals and helped drive conversions.
The strategy proved effective not just for relocation, but also for clearing excess stock.
Businesses can replicate this by hosting similar sales and reminding customers that popular items may not return, driving quick action and engagement.
Eau Thermale Avène
Eau Thermale Avène built a comprehensive membership workflow to streamline customer interactions.
The entire system is powered by SleekFlow’s automation platform.
Members can easily register, check loyalty points, and redeem gifts within the workflow.
This seamless integration delivers a hassle-free experience, boosting engagement and loyalty.
Avène also launched a customer web portal offering additional services and self-management options.
For security, users authenticate via one-time passwords (OTP) sent through SMS.
The SMS-based verification, powered by SleekFlow, ensures secure access and data protection for all users.
AI and SMS Marketing
AI is transforming how brands use SMS. With AI SMS marketing, you can:
Predict the best time to send messages.
Personalize content based on user behavior.
Analyze tone and sentiment for better engagement.
SleekFlow’s AgentFlow allow marketers to build AI Agent workflows that trigger context-aware messages — no coding required.
SMS Marketing Laws and Compliance
Respecting regulations ensures trust and deliverability. Always follow global SMS marketing laws such as:
TCPA (US) and GDPR (EU): Require explicit opt-in consent.
Include an easy opt-out link or keyword (e.g., “Reply STOP to unsubscribe”).
Avoid sending sensitive or unsolicited information.
Maintaining compliance protects both your brand and your customers.
SleekFlow: Your All-in-One SMS Marketing Platform
Still switching between apps to manage chats, emails, and SMS?
With SleekFlow, you can unify all channels — like WhatsApp, SMS, Facebook, and Instagram into a single inbox. Automate bulk messages, segment customers, and measure campaign performance seamlessly.
SleekFlow software solution for customer service, sales coordination, and marketing automation provides one of the best SMS marketing services. SleekFlow’s omnichannel suite helps teams save time while boosting engagement and ROI.
Automate smarter. Convert faster.
Book a demo →
Still switching between apps?
Integrate all-in-one with SleekFlow.
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