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Boost your marketing ROI with our SMS & text marketing service
Send personalized, automated SMS messages and double your conversion rates with Infobip as your SMS marketing provider.
What is SMS marketing, and how can you use it?
Short message service (SMS) marketing refers to sending promotional messages directly to customers’ mobile phones via text messages of up to 160 characters.
Much like email marketing, customers must opt-in to receive SMS marketing messages from businesses. With exceptionally high open rates (SMS open rates are 98%, versus 22% for Email marketing), SMS is a cost-effective marketing channel with high ROI.
SMS marketing examples for retail & eCommerce
- Flash sale alert: “Hurry! 24-hour flash sale on all electronics. Use code FLASH20 for 20% off. Shop now: [link]”
- New arrival: “New collection just dropped! Be the first to explore our latest styles. Visit: [link]”
- Loyalty reward: “Thank you for being a loyal customer! Enjoy 15% off your next purchase with code LOYAL15. Valid until [date].”
Main features for SMS marketing
We provide a suite of platforms and features to help you achieve the best results.
Personalization using customer data
Add a personal touch to SMS messages with personalization features available through our Customer Data Platform, People. Use demographic, behavioral data, and other important pieces of information to tailor SMS messages for online shoppers.
How to send SMS marketing messages with Infobip
You can set up and send SMS marketing messages through our web portal or API.
WEB PORTAL
Start sending SMS marketing messages fast, without coding
- Start crafting SMS messages in no time, with low-code or no-code options.
- Design, manage, and monitor your messages from a single dashboard.
- With People CDP, you can collect customer data and create detailed profiles.
- Design workflows that automate event-triggered SMS messages with our customer engagement solution called Moments.
API
Scale SMS marketing using our flexible API
- Effortlessly integrate our SMS API into any existing system.
- Receive 27/4 integration support to ensure that your messages are always sent and delivered on time.
- Identify your target audience and configure event-triggered messages to be sent to the right people.
Helping you ensure SMS compliance
Understanding and complying with data protection regulations like GDPR and TCPA is essential for sending SMS as a business. Our platform makes this easier with features such as consent management, secure data handling, and detailed auditing, ensuring you meet both regional and international legal requirements.
The main benefits of SMS marketing
Because the vast majority of people keep their mobile phones close to hand, SMS marketing allows you to reach your customers in real time, wherever they are. Here are some of the key benefits:
Instant engagement
90% of text messages are opened within three minutes, which means SMS marketing is arguably the fastest, and most reliable way to reach your customers.
Easy to measure
You can track every aspect of your SMS marketing activity, from read rate to conversion, which makes it easy to understand how your campaigns are performing.
No internet? No problem
SMS messages don’t rely on an internet connection. They are sent via cellular networks, which means your messages get delivered even if your customers don’t have internet access.
Cost-effective
SMS marketing campaigns cost less than many traditional forms of marketing and advertising. They also typically see higher engagement rates and higher ROI than many other marketing mediums.
Global reach
95.5% of the world’s population own a mobile phone, and most of these phones (if not all) can send and receive text messages. This means you have the potential to reach almost all of your customers, anywhere in the world.
Versatile
There is a huge range of SMS use cases. You can use text messages to communicate onboarding information, promotions, delivery updates, tracking information, appointment confirmations, and more.
How our customers use our text marketing solutions
96% of marketers report SMS helped them drive revenue, generating $71 for every dollar spent. Explore how our customers used our SMS marketing services.
EaseMyTrip: Better conversion and customer experience with WhatsApp, RCS, and SMS
-
10x
more surveys filled -
2.7%
higher conversion rate
dahmakan: Doubled conversion rates and saved 30% costs with SMS
-
2x
increase in conversion rate -
30%
reduction in cost
Volpy: Successfully re-engaging dormant users with SMS
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30%
increase in active users
Rappi: Targeted SMS campaigns that deliver
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150
orders per hour
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Infobip’s vast experience in customer engagement and activities helped us increase the number of active users in our database by 30% in just four weeks. With their help, we managed to activate a large number of users with high conversion rates.
Sabrina Taelman Martini
Head of Marketing, Volpy
SMS marketing rules and best practices
SMS marketing campaigns are heavily regulated in many countries. To get specific details about your target market, feel free to reach out to our experts.
Make it easy for customers to opt-in
In most countries, customers need to explicitly give their consent to receive SMS marketing messages. As such, providing a range of ways for customers to opt-in is key.
Provide SMS marketing opt-in options at multiple touchpoints, for example, at checkout, when a customer is creating their account, in the preferences section of their profile settings, or as a pop-up during their second or third visit to your website or app. You can also make use of QR codes to encourage customers to opt to receive special deals and updates.
Example: Join our VIP list for exclusive offers! Reply YES to opt-in and receive special deals directly to your phone.
Provide the option for customers to opt-out
Every SMS message you send should include an opt-out. You may choose to do this by instructing customers to respond with “STOP” to instantly unsubscribe, or by including an unsubscribe link within your message.
Example: You’ve subscribed to receive our latest offers! Reply STOP to unsubscribe at any time.
Clearly identify your business and the purpose of the message
To avoid confusion, be sure to include the name of your business in every message, and ensure the purpose of your message is as clear as possible. If you fail to provide this context, customers are more likely to unsubscribe.
Example: [Your Brand]: Your order is confirmed! Thank you for shopping with us. Track your order here: example.com
Include a call to action (CTA)
Make things as easy as possible for customers by including a relevant link, and a clear CTA – e.g. check out our flash sale, redeem an offer or coupon, answer a survey, book an appointment, etc.
Example: Flash Sale Alert! Click here to get 30% off on all items: example.com
Timing is everything
In India and France, it’s illegal to send SMS marketing messages—even if people have opted in—after a certain time in the evening. In addition to understanding the regulations in the territories you operate in, it’s also important to consider the timing of your messages in terms of when your customers are most likely to be responsive, and happy to hear from you.
For example, sending a text to your customers to invite them to complete a feedback survey at 2am is not likely to yield a good response.
Embrace the power of personalization
This isn’t just about referring to your customers by name, it’s about sending messages based on their interests, their location (if relevant), and previous buying behavior. Well-targeted, relevant messages will help you build and maintain relationships with your customers, and are more likely to result in conversions.
Example: Hi Alex, we thought you’d love our new arrivals in Brand T-Shirts. Check them out: example.com
Align your marketing efforts across all channels
SMS marketing is powerful, but, like many other types of marketing, it’s more effective when used in combination with other channels.
For example, one of our food delivery service clients, dahmakan, were primarily using Email and push notifications to communicate with their customers about order confirmations, delivery updates, and promotions. By incorporating SMS into the mix, they were able to double conversion rates, and reduce costs by 30%.
Tap into analytics and reporting to maximize ROI
SMS marketing tools offer a wealth of insight into how your SMS campaigns are performing. For example, you can learn what times your customers interact with your messages most or what types of messages yield the highest click-through rates. These insights can be used to build out successful future SMS marketing campaigns, and maximize ROI.
Frequently asked questions about SMS marketing
In most countries, SMS marketing needs explicit customer opt-in, which means customers need to give their consent to receive SMS messages. In most cases, you also need to include a free option to unsubscribe from text messages.
Regulations vary from country to country, and state to state in the US, and there are also rules set by individual mobile carriers. In order to ensure you remain legally compliant, and protect your brand’s reputation, you’ll need to ensure you fully understand the regulations in the countries you operate in.
From a compliance perspective, businesses should:
- Familiarize themselves with the relevant regulations in the territories they operate in
- Ensure they’ve obtained explicit opt-in consent from customers
- Maintain records of opt-ins, including timestamps and IP addresses, as evidence of consent in case of any disputes
- Take appropriate measures to ensure the secure handling of customer data
When sending SMS marketing messages, businesses should:
- clearly identify themselves and the purpose of the message
- avoid sending misleading or deceptive content
- respect do-not-call lists and time restrictions for sending messages
- provide clear and easy opt-out options
SMS messages are up to 160 characters long, and consist only of text. Multimedia Message Service (MMS) is an evolution of SMS, these messages can contain both images and videos, in addition to text.
You can see a side-by-side comparison below:
SMS
- 160 character limit
- Send text only
- Inexpensive
- Any mobile phone can receive SMS
Ideal for immediate communication (reminders, announcements, updates, two-factor authentication)
MMS
- Higher limit than SMS (dependent on provider)
- Send text, videos, images
- More expensive than SMS
- Not all mobile phones can receive MMS
- Ideal for creative messages (promotions, coupons, QR codes)
RCS Business Messaging (based on the RCS protocol) allows businesses greater flexibility than both SMS and MMS with the ability to send not just text, but a range of rich content in order to deliver more interactive, compelling user experiences. RCS also offers features like custom branding, suggested actions, and advanced analytics.
You can see a side-by-side comparison of SMS, MMS, and RCS below:
| SMS | MMS | RCS |
|---|---|---|
| Any mobile phone can receive SMS | Not all mobile phones can receive MMS | Supported on Android and Apple devices only |
| Send text only | Send text, videos, and images | Send branded messages which include text, images, videos, cards, carousels, files, URL previews, and suggested actions |
| 160 character limit | Higher limit than SMS (dependent on provider) | No character limit |
| No internet connection required | Requires an internet connection | Requires an internet connection |
Rather than leaping straight into creating a range of SMS marketing campaigns, it’s important to first consider your business’ goals and objectives.
For example, if you’re looking to drive additional sales via your website, SMS marketing may be a great complement to any existing Email marketing activity – you might elect to send out special offers or flash sale announcements via SMS, in addition to Email. Or, if you’re a service-based business like a beauty salon, you might be looking to reduce the number of missed appointments. In this instance, you might elect to begin sending reminders via SMS with the option for customers to either confirm or rebook their appointments.
Or, if you’re keen to explore conversational marketing, you might consider using SMS alongside other chat apps. According to our 2024 Messaging trends report SMS and WhatsApp are the most popular, with 24.8% of customers going for this channel combination.
There are a huge number of applications for SMS marketing, but it’s important to identify which types of SMS marketing campaigns are the best fit for your business.
Once you’ve done this, you’ll need to select an SMS marketing provider. To ensure your SMS campaigns are successful, you need a provider who can:
- Help you navigate market regulations and understand country-specific regulation requirements
- Provide insights on a global level
- Offer all of the tools you need to manage your campaign from setup and sending, to reporting
As a Tier 1 provider and leader in global omnichannel communications, our experts help brands around the world set up award-winning SMS campaigns that convert.
An SMS marketing provider recognized for its excellence
The industry experts have spoken. Infobip is recognized worldwide for driving impeccable results for customers.
Infobip named as established leader second year in a row
Juniper Research Top CPaaS Vendor
Infobip named a leader
2024 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for CPaaS
Infobip takes top spot
Metrigy CPaaS MetriRank report
Industry CPaaS leader
Leader for CpaaS 2023