Many businesses make the mistake of investing in communication channels with low conversion rates. SMS is a powerful, direct marketing tool—especially for promotions. But to make your SMS campaigns effective, you need to know how to capture and hold your customers’ attention. Read on for the best strategies to use in your next promotion.
1. Personalize your messages
During promotions people respond better when you speak to them personally. Personalization is at the heart of modern marketing: it makes customers feel special. Even a simple “Hello” followed by the recipient’s first name increases engagement. With our SMS PRO platform you can easily insert a “first name” variable into your messages.
You can also offer tailored promotions for important dates—b
2. Choose the right timing
An SMS has much more impact when it’s delivered at the right moment. Send messages when recipients are likely to see and act on them. Studies suggest avoiding very early mornings; lunch breaks, just after lunch, and late afternoon are effective windows.
Remember people are more likely to check their phones at these times.
Also keep in mind that sending hours may be regulated—check our article on SMS and French legislation to ensure you’re compliant.
3. Keep it concise and focused
The best way to capture attention is to stick to the essentials. SMS is not the place for unnecessary details—during promotions be concise and relevant. Aim to stay within 160 characters. Start with the customer’s name, then get straight to the offer. Use short words and strategic capitalization to improve visibility.
4. Create a sense of urgency
One of the most effective attention-grabbers is urgency. People tend to postpone actions, so your message should create immediacy if you want them to act now.
5. Include a clear call to action (CTA)
Tell the customer exactly what to do next. A clear CTA is essential. Provide a clickable link that leads directly to your promotional page—e.g., a filtered listing of on-sale products. Immediate access improves conversion and helps you measure how many readers clicked through to the offer.
6. Test and optimize
If your database is large enough, A/B test different messages, offers, and send times to discover what works best for your audience. Use those insights to refine future campaigns.
With our SMS PRO platform you’ll get the tools you need to retain customers and maximize promotion performance. Start using SMS promotions now to take your campaigns to the next level!
Get started with 10 free SMS credits to test our professional SMS sending solution today.