10 Proven Strategies to Boost Sales on Shopify With SMS Marketing   

Marketers are across multiple platforms to maximize their online presence, get more leads, and convert these leads into paying customers. SMS marketing is one channel that has become increasingly popular with eCommerce businesses, as it offers a less saturated platform to boost sales and encourage customer engagement.

With the right strategy, it could be the ticket to success. So why not give it a try? Learn the best practices and reminders to consider when using SMS marketing for your business.

What is SMS marketing, and how does it work?

Short message service (SMS) marketing is the text-based way to build relationships with your customers and drive leads to your business. Plus, you can combine SMS marketing with your other marketing strategies, like social media, to get even more people engaged with what you have to offer. 

With SMS marketing, you have full control of your contact list, so you can send either one message at a time or send them out in a massive blast! Not only that, you can get your customers onboard to receive several messages from you.

Once you've got the green light from your subscribers, why not experiment with some creative marketing campaigns and see what works? Shopify makes it super simple to get the all-important SMS consent needed before anyone can check out. You can do this through the following:

• Special offers such as limited-time promos and free shipping
• New product announcements 
• Offers for subscribers 
• Flash deals 
• Text-to-win competitions
• Loyalty programs
• Product drop alerts

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Let your customers opt-in to receive messages from you with a short code, usually an abbreviated phone number of five or six digits. They can subscribe or unsubscribe any time they want, so there are no strings attached.

Create a fun list of all your contacts before sending out promotional messages. SMS marketing is like the cherry on top of your marketing sundae; it's a sustaining communication that sends automated messages to your audience, turning them into potential customers.

Plus, marketers don't overly use SMS marketing, so you won't have to worry about too much competition.

SMS Marketing vs. WhatsApp Marketing: What’s the Difference?

Let's explore the differences between SMS and WhatsApp marketing.

With SMS marketing, you can send out text messages to your customers through carriers and cellular networks. But with WhatsApp marketing, you need an internet connection to get your message out to your followers.

While WhatsApp allows you to send messages and multimedia elements, it is still limited when it comes to texting. With social media's ever-changing landscape, staying on top of the latest trends can be tricky, and if your business doesn't have the resources to keep up, it might not get the traction it deserves. So texting remains the number one way to communicate year after year.

SMS marketing offers a more direct communication channel to reach customers with promotional offers and other incentives.

WhatsApp and SMS work the same in terms of setting up automatic and mass messages, but here’s what sets SMS apart:

• There’s no need to download an app
• One account can have multiple numbers
• Different types of numbers are available

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Also read: Top 10 Best Abandoned Cart Recovery Shopify Apps

SMS Marketing for Shopify: Before Diving In

Ready to launch your SMS marketing campaign? Before you take off, ensure you know the basics so your campaign takes off without a hitch. With these simple reminders, you'll guarantee your messages stay spam-free and get your customers' attention.

Become Familiar With SMS Laws and Policies

Familiarize yourself with the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act (CAN-SPAM) and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), two crucial SMS compliance policies to help you stay on top of which messages you're allowed to send to your prospects and customers.

For peace of mind, it's worth brushing up on related laws or chatting with a lawyer to get all the details and clear up any uncertainties. Then, stick to these rules and policies to avoid future legal woes.

Make Sure You Have Permission Beforehand

Before sending those messages to your contact list, get written consent. Otherwise, you could be fined or, even worse, jailed! Plus, sending texts without permission is an instant turnoff for prospects or customers.

Make Opting Out Easy

Don't let your subscribers feel boxed in! Make sure they can unsubscribe from your SMS messages whenever they choose. Provide them with a short code and have them text the word "STOP" to opt out. That way, they'll know that you respect their wishes, and you won't come off as too pushy.

Keep Messages Relevant

If you want to boost your click-through rates, personalize your messaging to resonate with your users! Don't get distracted by the latest trends that don't make sense for your brand or target audience.

Conversation with your subscribers through SMS is a great way to build a genuine connection, and it's never been easier! Make your messages more personal and your brand more relatable to get your subscribers on board.

Not only will it help you get feedback and reviews to improve your service, but you can also highlight those awesome testimonials you've been getting!

Incorporate SMS Alerts to Level Up Email Marketing 

SMS marketing is the perfect partner for email marketing! Not only will you get a fantastic double team of promotion for your business, but you'll also have a much better chance of getting your message seen with a snappy SMS.

Why not give your users a choice between two powerful communication strategies? Mixing up your email and SMS approach can help you get the most clicks, and who doesn't want that? If you're not sure where to start, try running a test with your opt-in forms:

• A/B testing to assess forms performance and what to update
• Sharing pop-ups to run forms that subscribers can relate to
• Impressing subscribers with personalized emails based on their purchase history, product preferences, and interests

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10 Powerful SMS Marketing Strategies for Shopify

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Once you've had a chance to get acquainted with the fundamentals, it's time to take off with your SMS marketing campaign on Shopify! If you're wondering what messages to send and where to begin, take a look at this list of successful SMS marketing strategies to skyrocket your Shopify business:

The Welcome Series

Make your first-time subscribers feel welcome by giving them a coupon or a welcome promo code to encourage them to keep reading your SMS. You can also turn your welcome text into a series to sustain communication with informative content, product recommendations, and even more free stuff!

Introducing your product to new sign-ups is a great way to turn them into warm leads and increase sales. Here are some fun and easy ways to welcome your new subscribers:

• Reward new signups with free samples, exclusive access to a particular product or content, and discounts on the first purchase, among others.
• Greet them with creative and fun photos of your products and brands, and make use of GIFs.

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The Hype-Up Before Product Drop Message

Have an awesome flash sale or product announcement lined up? Send out a few reminders to your followers to get them excited about what you've got in store for them. Help them plan so that they can experience the fun when you go live.

Abandoned Cart Reminders

SMS reminders to those who have left something behind in their cart can give them that extra nudge to complete their purchase. You can use SMS to increase open and click-through rates with your email campaigns, and because of its speedy delivery, you can provide a dynamic follow-up to users in no time after they've left their cart.

Leverage your customer data to determine if a discount, no discount, or other promo offers will do the trick.

You can add these elements into the mix when you send your abandoned cart SMS alerts: 

• Offer discounts or free shipping when they check out at a specific time
• Include the photo of the item they abandoned
• A link that will direct them back to their cart
• Ask questions or comments that made them leave their cart

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The Special Discount Offer

Get strategic and intentional with your discount campaigns to ensure you hit the right audience. Segmenting your target audience is the key to success, so you know they’ll be interested in what you have to offer. 

Here’s how you can send an effective discount offer SMS:

• Keep URLs and hyperlinks to a minimum so that you don’t look sketchy in the eyes of your subscribers.
• Be consistent with your signature for each text message so your subscribers can trust it’s really you.
• Give subscribers the option to opt out of your SMS alerts. You can share a link that will unsubscribe them or ask them to type in STOP for easy reference.

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Product Recommendations

Take the chance to give your customers the best experience ever by suggesting additional products that will complement their purchase. It's like we're giving them a personalized shopping experience tailored just for them. It doesn't just have to be done through email; text marketing is just as effective.

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Limited Time Offers

Limited-time offers give users a sense of urgency to opt-in to your SMS alerts to stay updated on other upcoming promos. A short and creative SMS can spark interest in your flash sales or major promotions. Your click-through rates will likely go up, and you can also boost user engagement as customers reach out to you for questions or feedback.

Text-To-Win Giveaways

Running a text-to-win giveaway or contest on SMS is a great way to drive more leads organically. Anything for a freebie will excite them and increase your brand's exposure with minimal effort. 

You can run your own giveaway on SMS by integrating it across multiple platforms. You just need to share your 10-digit number or shortcode to:

• Ads (print and digital)
• Social media accounts
• Product packages
• Webinars
• Blogs or feature articles
• Landing pages on your website
• In-store signage 

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Securing sign-ups from your giveaway can instantly turn into subscribers you can tap for future campaigns.

Back-In-Stock Reminders

The back-in-stock reminders help customers catch up on the status of sold-out inventories. It's highly targeted toward users who have previously made a purchase or attempted to but missed out on the items at the time due to a lack of inventory. It's a subtle way to re-engage them to push through with a new purchase. 

Include free shipping or other promos to convince them to checkout. These reminders are easy to automate and are effective because you're already reaching out to warm leads.

Time-Sensitive Campaigns

Make the most of the shopping season with automated emails! These campaigns let users anticipate date-triggered promotions and flash sales, so they’ll need to subscribe to your list to stay in the loop. Secure sign-ups quickly and easily with automated emails during time-sensitive sales like Black Friday and Cyber Monday!

Ask for Feedback

SMS is a great way to get meaningful customer conversations, so don't be shy! Asking for their feedback on your new or existing products is an awesome way to build trust and increase your chances of getting some sweet sales. 

Also read: Top 10 Best Marketing Shopify Apps

Also read: Top 10 Best Shopify Apps for SMS marketing

Key Takeaways

SMS marketing is often overlooked, but don't let that keep you from unlocking its full potential! With the right tools and strategies, you can quickly and efficiently take your Shopify store to the next level. SMS is low-maintenance and can drive quality leads and get you the sales you've been looking for in no time.

• Increase engagement and click-through rates
• Easy to manage and produce
• Build personal customer relationships
• Attract more customers as the go-to communication channel
• Convert leads into loyal customers 

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Get started on your SMS marketing with the right tools! Check out this blog: Top 9 Alternative Shopify Apps for Omnisend Email Marketing & SMS to see what you can use to grow your subscriber list!   

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