Over the past year, I’ve covered a ton of topics around ecommerce customer retention.
Merchandising strategy, acquisition offers, list segmentation. You name it…
But there’s one topic, even an entire channel that I’ve neglected so far:
SMS marketing.
Well, today that’s going to change.
Here’s what’s ahead:
- Why you should collect customers’ phone numbers
- The easiest ways to get started with SMS marketing
- How to write great SMS copy
- The most unexpected source for SMS copy inspiration
Huge shoutout to Sheezan Bakali from Tiny Texts for contributing.
Side note: if you want the latest SMS sauce, I highly recommend you check out her newsletter. She also operates a text message library with SMS campaigns from over a thousand DTC brands.
Let’s get into it…
The case for collecting customers’ phone numbers
You might be reading this thinking…
“I’m already emailing my list 3-4 times a week. I have automations dialed in and running. Isn’t that enough?”
Not if you want to cut through the noise.
As Sheezan puts it:
“Even customers with the best intentions can miss your email when it’s buried in a crowded inbox. So SMS is a way to almost ensure that high intent customers see your message promptly.”
But it isn’t just about being seen…
A customer giving you their phone number also shows high purchase intent.
“When a user signs up for SMS and stays signed up, it is a good signal that they have high intent to purchase. Not all subscribers, but a lot of them. So it can be useful for segmentation, and for tailoring promotions for high-intent prospects.”
Use SMS to identify your highest intent subscribers, so you can target them with relevant offers.
Implementing SMS from zero
For SMS to work, you need to give it enough attention.
“When resources are tight, SMS can get pushed to the sidelines in favor of email and then it’s hard to realize its true potential.”
My recommendation is to start with 2-3 basic flows:
- Abandoned checkout – highest intent and immediate impact
- Welcome series – deliver the incentive by text and drive urgency later
- Post purchase replenishment reminder – especially if you sell a consumable
Setting this up is super simple.
Klaviyo allows you to use a conditional split where you set the condition as “Person cannot receive SMS marketing.”
For those that have agreed to receive text messages, you can set up automated text messages directly inside your existing email flows.
Sheezan also recommends using Alia’s free trial service to find out your highest performing pop-up:
“I did a free trial of Alia’s managed service recently and that helped me run through a number of different sign up unit A/B tests quickly until I found a high performing unit. I recommend taking advantage of that.”
If you don’t want to collect phone numbers right away, you should strongly consider doing it before a big promo event, like BFCM.
“The weeks prior to an event are a good time to tease it and offer early access for an SMS sign up. For me, early access to a BFCM sale has been a nice carrot when launching a new SMS program.”
How to write great SMS copy
Now, let’s look at some SMS copy.
Truth is… there’s a big difference between what great email copy looks like, and what works with SMS.
With emails, you can go kinda crazy with storytelling and education. There’s no character limit stopping you from writing longer copy.
SMS, on the other hand, limits you to 160 characters. That naturally puts a cap on what you can do.
That said, the pillars to great copy are largely the same – it’s just the delivery that matters.
As Sheezan puts it:
“I track about 1000 brands at Tiny Texts. I gravitate to brands that make me laugh so McDonald’s is at the top of my list. Some of their texts are LOL funny. The golf brand Bogey Bros is another one to watch. Even Macy’s has some hilarious moments.”
Let’s look at some examples from brands she mentioned…
McDonald’s
I have to say, when I first saw these, I was kinda surprised considering how big McDonald’s is.
Big corporations are notorious for boring, vague marketing.
But McDonald’s stands out immediately.
A lot of their texts actually read like a friend sending you a WhatsApp message.
It’s personal, human, and kinda the last thing you’d expect.
That’s exactly what makes it so powerful…
I might even have to admit (don’t say it… please don’t say it)
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I’M LOVIN’ IT!!!!!
The only thing I will say is that if you constantly send images via SMS, it can get reaaaaaaally expensive.
Bogey Bros
Bogey Bros is a great example of using SMS as your closer.
Here, you’ll see more hard-selling and promos.
The downside to this strategy is that if all you do is shout out discounts in CAPITAL LETTERS, it’s much harder to stand out. However…
Even with constant offers, Bogey Bros manages to throw in some catchy and funny phrases like “Secure the booty” or “Chrome your dome.”
That tiny bit of personality can make all the difference.
But the most unexpected source for great SMS copy comes from…
Political candidates
When Sheezan said “some of the most unhinged SMS copy comes from political candidates,” I was intrigued…
Now, to be frank, I’m not here to talk about politics.
But I played around in Tiny Texts a bit, and I saw some really strong copywriting.
Like this text message from Mr. Ronny Jackson himself:
Starting the message with a name immediately grabs attention.
The specificity is there.
But most importantly, it does a tremendous job of selling the click.
It makes me go immediately “wait… so what did RFK Jr. announce? Am I part of the fortunate 75%?”
Here’s another one:
Again… extremely direct, with strong opinions and emotions.
I wouldn’t expect anything else…
Both of these are strong examples of “how to sell the click.”
I’d imagine the CTR is through the roof.
And since you’re not there to close someone on the spot, that’s all you can do.
Bottom line
If SMS is already driving a chunk of your repeat revenue, I hope you took some copywriting inspo from this.
In case you haven’t set up SMS, consider doing so before your next big sale, and get those core flows running!
If you need help with launching an SMS program for your eCommerce business, apply to work with me here.
