How to Use SMS Alongside Your Email Marketing for a Massive Revenue Increase
A GUEST POST FROM OPEN HOUSE MEDIA
If you’ve got your email marketing nail down, then the channel you should 100% expand into is SMS.
Yes, just like email is never going away, SMS is still one of the most profitable marketing channels for your eCom store. It works on its own but when you combine email and SMS, you can create one of the most powerful revenue-boosting strategies.
And it’s a lot easier than you think…
You need to have the fundamentals in place before you begin with SMS.
Our strategy uses both email and SMS in tandem to get the highest CTR and sales when compared to using just one channel.
And the key message here is SUPPORT.
You can run standalone SMS campaigns but, especially when it comes to flow automations, your message needs to align.
COLLECTING NUMBERS FOR SMS
Most websites have a popup offering a discount or lead magnet in exchange for an email address. This doesn’t change for SMS but simply adds one more step.
Once you've collected the email address, before confirming a sign-up, add another step in the popup that gives additional benefits (an extra 5% off, for example) for also submitting a number.
It’s called a two-step sign up and most ESPs have this functionality built in already.
WHAT TO SEND OVER SMS?
Once you’ve collected a number you can set up SMS automations just like your email flows.
And this is the important part…
If you want to get the full benefit of SMS the messaging needs to mirror your email flows.
For every email flow that you have, you should have a single SMS that is sent in combination with that flow; welcome flows, cart abandonment flows, post-purchase flows, etc.
Remember you’ve only got 160 characters to get your message across so deliver only the most important part of your message.
For example:
Welcome flow: Welcome XYZ! Use code WELCOME20 for 20% off your first order! CLICK HERE SHOP NOW
Cart abandonment flow: You forgot something @ XYZ… CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE YOUR ORDER.
Post-purchase flow: Thanks for ordering from XYZ! We’re working on your order and it should arrive in 5-8 business days. Enjoy!
Short, sweet, and to the point.
You can include emojis if you like, but don’t sacrifice clarity for cuteness.
GROWING YOUR LIST!
Once you have your SMS automations firing, you can then take it a step further and email your existing list. Ask them to join your SMS list and offer them a special SMS-only deal.
That’s just one way you can grow your list…
A couple of others: swipe up IG stories to an SMS capture page, add an opt in button at checkout or add a QR code to your packaging
SENDING SMS CAMPAIGNS :)
Once you’ve built your list a little, then you can start running stand-alone SMS campaigns too!
But remember - don’t inundate people here. A general rule of thumb is keep campaigns to around 1 per month via SMS
New product launches and discounts work great via text, so only get in touch with people when it’s important!
And don’t forget to segment your list and send personalised content ;)
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to the team at Open House Media via email at hello@openhousemedia.club
Thanks for reading!
