15 examples of SMS messages to attract more customers

Want to take advantage of SMS marketing to attract new customers and strengthen the loyalty of your consumers? You’re right! This communication channel is very effective, even in the age of social networks and emails.
62% of consumers agreed to receive SMS from a brand or company in 2020. As a result, 57% of business leaders and marketers have increased the budget dedicated to this channel in 2021.
And they have done well, as texting has an exceptional 98% open rate. The same goes for the conversion rate, which is 45%.
Moreover, 90% of SMS are read in 3 minutes against 29% for tweets, 22% for email and 12% for a Facebook post.
However, to attract customers via SMS, it is necessary to aim right! Here are 15 types of messages to convince, convert and retain your subscribers.

1. The welcome message

Greetings enrich the customer experience, while preparing them for future information.
In addition to welcoming them, offer something to help them learn more about your brand or products: content, a trial offer, a link to receive a sample, a phone number to contact a consultant…

2. Promoting your content

Use SMS to share useful content to your prospects and customers. Direct them to your blog, white papers, landing pages or popular resources to guide them in their purchases or show your expertise.
To effectively promote your content:

• Add relevant numbers, an engaging quote or a shocking phrase in the SMS.
• Make sure your blog and content is optimized for mobile.
• Segment your contacts to send personalized content that best accompanies their needs.

3. Weekly or monthly marketing advice

Broadcast weekly or monthly tips to provide even more value to your subscribers.
For example:

• A home improvement store may promote do-it-yourself projects to be completed over a weekend, related to the season.
• A clothing store can send tips on the latest trends or what to wear depending on the weather of the day.
• A software provider can provide tips on how to improve productivity on the weekend (SMS to be sent on a Thursday or Friday, of course!).

4. The text-to-win

Text-to-win refers to an SMS contest. The objective is to increase engagement and enrich your database.
To promote your contest, send your contacts to a landing page or invite them to respond via SMS.
You can also advertise the campaign on your website with a banner or a pop-up form that asks participants to provide their cell phone number.
After the contest ends, follow up with subscribers who didn’t win. You can send them discount codes as consolation prizes.

5. The SMS drip

Literally, “drip” means “drop”. It’s about sending SMS in drops, at regular intervals, to fulfill an objective. Generally, it is to incite a purchase.
This is the same principle as email lead nurturing.
You can start with a welcome SMS, for example, then send a buying guide a week later, and a discount or referral code some time later. The goal is to stay in the consumer’s mind, while being useful.
This type of SMS is also used for renewable products or services. For example, a car garage can set up drip SMS that reminds the annual maintenance of a vehicle, see the passage to the technical control.
Or, as in the example above, be used by veterinarians to remind to vaccinate his animal:

6. Teaser for new products

Product launches are very effective in engaging your subscribers and attracting new customers. You can use the SMS drip technique to create anticipation until the product officially arrives.
Every day, introduce features or functionality of your product/service via short messages. Short enough to keep the mystery alive, but long enough to build interest in the new product.

7. Transaction messages

Very useful in the e-commerce sector, transaction messages reassure the customer. Sent after the conclusion of a purchase, they have 2 objectives:

• Inform the customer about the status of his order
• Maintain the relationship with a view to building loyalty

However, they should be kept short and simple, just like all text messages. Even if you have to share difficult information, such as late deliveries, do it without frills. If necessary, refer to a blog post or site page to give more details.
The customer experience is always better when they can anticipate how their order will go. Remember that SMS messages are opened within seconds of receipt. In case of bad news, the customer can prepare accordingly.
These messages are also an opportunity to conduct a satisfaction survey to improve your services, as Apple does when the product is delivered :

8. A personalized marketing and promotion

Personalized marketing is always more effective than other forms of marketing! 94% of marketers believe in personalizing content. And that goes for SMS campaigns.
If you want to improve conversions and attract customers, target them based on their interest or purchase history.

9. Cross-selling messages

SMS is a fast, effective and inexpensive way to cross-sell. You can easily send offers on products that are complementary to the customer’s purchase.
All it takes is a catchy phrase to grab attention. For example, “Now that you have that trendy dress, how about those matching pumps…”
The goal is to pique the subscriber’s curiosity to encourage them to return to the site. You can accompany the message with a discount offer to increase the conversion rate.

10. The reconquest campaigns

As the name suggests, these SMS campaigns help win back inactive customers. They combine retargeting, upselling and cross-selling techniques.
The concept is simple: you identify customers who have not visited your store or purchased a product in the last 60 or 90 days. You can then send messages containing :

• Discount codes on recently viewed products or those added to their wishlist.
• Your latest news validated by an influencer or an expert in your industry.
• A promotion on a product they have already ordered, if you sell renewable goods/services, or on a complementary product.
• Buying guides for your new products.

11. A VIP campaign to celebrate loyal customers

To attract customers and boost your sales, launch a promotion towards subscribers who have recently purchased your products. You can also include your regular customers.
The goal is to strengthen their loyalty by making them feel like they are part of an exclusive community.
Celebrate their loyalty by offering them access to private sales, new discounts, new products in preview… You can also organize a flash sale and send the link only by SMS.
In this message, the brand specifies “Member Offer” to reinforce the feeling of exclusivity and belonging of customers:

12. SMS to find brand ambassadors

Finding influencers and brand ambassadors can be easy via SMS. Ask your subscribers to rate you on a scale of 1 to 10.
Then, ask those who rated you well to recommend you to their family or friends. This way you can use the ones who brought you the most customers for future campaigns.
Be sure to give them specific affiliate links and reward them with coupons or free products.

13. Text an expert” messages

With this technique, it is the subscriber who sends you a message and therefore has the impression of contacting you (which facilitates conversion).
Except that you will have sent an initial SMS in which you give a number to write to for expert advice.
This could be questions about how to use your product/service or achieve a goal related to your business.
For example, if you sell an SEO tool, you can offer an appointment with an expert to learn how to improve a website’s search engine ranking.
In sectors such as healthcare, the anonymous nature of SMS can ensure the success of this campaign and, thus, attract new customers.

14. SMS to reduce churn

Another way to re-engage your audience, or reduce churn, is to send a promotion to targeted audiences.
Imagine you have a restaurant and a competitor opens up near you. To prevent your consumers from churning, you can send an SMS like “Hi, kids eat free on Sunday when you show this SMS!”. Such a promotion will definitely get high response rates and immediate results.
This best practice is even more effective with customers who have not responded to you on other marketing channels.
You can also use it to provide context, as this wine shop did during containment:The goal is to avoid losing customers by reminding them that they are still open during the health crisis.

15. SMS gaming

In addition to regularly reading SMS, mobile users like to play games on their phones. You can combine business with pleasure by taking advantage of gaming.
On your website, create an easy game with prizes: products, vouchers, discount coupons, big prizes… Send the link by SMS to your subscribers to engage them. Think also to ask them to forward the SMS to their friends to attract new customers.
Send a message with a link to a game on your site. It should be relevant to your offer. For example, gamers can win coupons to use on your site. This is the perfect way to engage your subscribers and attract other customers. SMS messages are easily transferable.

With the saturation of many marketing channels, SMS is a powerful alternative to get closer to your consumers and attract new customers! With these 15 message types, you can engage your audience and improve your conversion rate very quickly.