The Winning Combo：Combining SMS and Email Marketing on the Right Platform

More and more marketers are realizing that SMS and email work better together than apart. Used in tandem, they enable you to reach customers across multiple channels and touchpoints. This multi-channel approach improves open rates, response rates, customer engagement and ultimately ROI.

So whether you are already using email marketing or are considering adding SMS marketing, bringing these two channels together can significantly amplify your marketing efforts. Let's explore why SMS and email are better together.

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SMS Marketing 101

SMS marketing involves sending text messages to customers' mobile phones. It allows for permission-based marketing, as customers must opt-in to receive SMS communications.

Some key benefits of SMS marketing include:

• Immediacy - SMS messages have high open and response rates, allowing for instant customer engagement. Over 98% of texts are opened within 3 minutes.

• Personalization - SMS messages are private, personal conversations, allowing you to speak to customers directly. This makes content feel more customized.

• Versatility - SMS can be used for promotions, lead generation, appointments, alerts, notifications and more. The 160 character limit encourages businesses to craft short, impactful messages.

• Tracking - Advanced SMS software provides detailed analytics like deliverability, open rate and click tracking so you can optimize your campaigns.

• Compliance -SMS adheres to anti-spam laws. Customers must opt-in to receive messages and can opt-out at any time, supporting permission-based marketing.

• Cost-effectiveness - Sending SMS messages is inexpensive compared to other channels. For the price of one mailer, you can send hundreds of texts.

Email Marketing 101

Email marketing involves sending commercial messages to a group of people via email. It allows you to promote your business directly to relevant customers and build relationships through valuable content and product recommendations.

Some key benefits of email marketing include:

• Cost effective - Email is one of the most affordable ways to reach your target audience. Once the initial setup is complete, ongoing costs are minimal.

• Measurable results - You can track opens, clicks, unsubscribes and other metrics to optimize your campaigns. Email analytics provide data to calculate your ROI.

• Automation - From welcome emails to post-purchase follow-ups, you can automate and schedule email campaigns in advance. This saves time compared to other marketing methods.

• List segmentation - Divide your list into groups based on demographics, interests, purchase history and more. Send targeted content to each segment for better engagement.

• Testing - A/B test different email elements like subject lines, content and calls-to-action to improve results. Test what resonates best with your audience.

• Brand building - Well-designed email campaigns reinforce your brand. Include your logo, colors and messaging to boost brand recognition.

• Lead generation - Calls-to-action and lead magnets help convert email subscribers into qualified leads. Offer an incentive in exchange for their contact details.

Comparing SMS and Email

SMS marketing and email marketing share common characteristics, but there are significant differences between these popular marketing channels.

SMS Marketing:

• Limited character length - Messages are limited to 160 characters due to carrier constraints. This limits how much content can go in a single message.
• Fast delivery - Messages are usually delivered within seconds, making SMS effective for time-sensitive alerts.
• High open rates - Over 98% of text messages are opened, much higher than email open rates.
• Personal feel - A text feels more personal and direct than an email.
• Two-way communication - Customers can directly respond to and interact with texts.
• Mobile-focused - SMS lives on mobile phones, useful for engaging on-the-go consumers.

Email Marketing:

• Higher character limit - Emails have more room for detailed content, call-to-actions, and design elements.
• Slower delivery - Delivery time varies from seconds to hours depending on the provider.
• Lower open rates - Open rates average around 20% across industries.
• One-way communication - Customers consume email content but don't directly respond within the platform.
• More room for design - Emails allow for images, multimedia, custom layouts, etc.
• All devices - Email reaches users across desktop, mobile, and web.

Similarities:

• Require customer opt-in for legal compliance
• Can share customer lists and data between platforms
• Allow sending of targeted, personalized messaging
• Enable cross-channel coordination and campaigns

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Why Combine SMS and Email?

SMS and email are both powerful marketing channels on their own, but combining them unlocks even greater potential. Using SMS and email together allows you to reach more customers and prospects through multiple touchpoints, driving increased engagement across channels.

There are several key reasons why savvy marketers integrate SMS and email campaigns rather than relying on just one channel:

Increased Reach and Engagement

Using SMS and email together enables you to reach users on multiple channels. Customers engage differently with various media - some are more responsive to texts, while others prefer email. Multi-channel messaging allows you to connect with every subscriber at their preferred contact point.

Coordinated SMS and email campaigns also drive increased engagement. Sending related content across channels makes customers more likely to open, read, and take action on your messages.

Improved Metrics

Well-integrated SMS and email campaigns provide measurable improvements in important marketing metrics:

• Higher open rates - Emails preceded by an SMS teaser see increased open rates.

• Higher clickthrough rates - Calls-to-action across SMS and email boost total clicks.

• More conversions - Following up via SMS if a customer doesn't open an email nudges more sales.

• Lower unsubscribe rates - Keeping customers engaged across channels reduces opt-outs.

Omnichannel Approach

SMS and email integration supports an omnichannel customer experience. Subscribers want to engage with brands when and where they choose. Meeting customers on their preferred channels - and remembering their interactions across channels - is critical for modern marketing success.

An omnichannel approach also enables sequential messaging. You can use behavioral data to trigger coordinated SMS and email campaigns tailored to where each subscriber is in the buying journey.

How to Integrate SMS and Email Marketing

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There are several key strategies to connect your SMS and email marketing efforts for maximum impact:

Collect SMS Opt-Ins from Email

• Include an SMS opt-in checkbox or call-to-action in your email signup forms, footers, and preference center. This makes it easy for email subscribers to join your SMS list too.

• Promote your SMS list in dedicated sections of your email newsletters. Offer an incentive for signing up like a discount code sent through SMS.

• Segment your email list by demographics like millennials who love SMS marketing. Target them with an email campaign specifically promoting your SMS program.

Promote Both Lists to Each Other

• In your SMS campaigns, include a call-to-action for recipients to join your email list too. This helps grow both lists.

• Add links to join your SMS list in your email newsletters and promotions. Many email subscribers don't know SMS opt-in is available.

Send Coordinated Campaigns Across Channels

• Plan SMS and email campaigns together around events, launches, or promotions. Send a teaser SMS before the main email goes out.

• Share the same great content and offers over both channels. This amplifies your reach and metrics.

Follow Up Across Channels

• If someone doesn't open your email, follow up with an SMS reminder about the content or promotion.

• Send quick access links or discount codes over SMS to email list members to re-engage them.

• Wish your subscribers happy birthday on their special day with an SMS and email message.

Integrating your SMS and email strategy takes some work but delivers big results. The key is making it easy for subscribers to join both lists, promoting each channel to the other, and coordinating your messaging across channels. This takes your marketing to the next level.

Real-World Examples of SMS and Email Working Together

Expanding on the real-world examples of SMS and email marketing campaigns, here are detailed insights into the strategies and outcomes for Levi's and Sephora:

1. Levi’s Campaign:

   • Objective: Levi's aimed to increase sales, create buzz around their brand, build awareness of their Goldrush promotion, drive viewership for their Super Bowl commercial, and drive traffic to their website.
   • Strategy: For the launch of their Type 1 jeans, Levi’s executed a multi-channel promotion, highlighted by a 60-second TV spot during the Super Bowl final. The campaign centered around a $150,000 pair of diamond-encrusted jeans. Consumers had to visit Levi’s website, engage with virtual games, and answer questions to receive clues about the jeans' location.
   • SMS Integration: On the day of the Super Bowl, Levi’s sent 230,000 text messages to 16-25-year-olds, urging them to watch the commercial and visit the website for the final clue.
   • Results: The campaign was successful, with one in five recipients visiting Levi’s website as a result of the campaign. Additionally, 9% of the text message recipients visited a Levi’s store, and 8% made a purchase.

2. Sephora Campaign:

   • Objective: Sephora focused on increasing revenue per newsletter subscriber and reducing online shopping cart abandonment.
   • Strategy: Sephora employed personalized email marketing, targeting users based on their subscription status. They used exit-intent popups for users who did not convert while browsing their e-shop, integrating social logins for ease of use.
   • Email Personalization: They utilized personalized pop-ups and included subscriber data such as first name, gender, age, interests, and brand affiliations in their email marketing campaigns.
   • Results: Sephora achieved remarkable outcomes, including a 142% increase in revenue per subscriber, a 118% increase in the number of subscribers in just 9 months, and a 5.22% decrease in cart abandonment. Additionally, personalized email campaigns saw a 30.32% higher open rate and a 49.66% higher click rate.

Tips for Getting Started

Integrating SMS and email marketing starts with finding the right platform. Look for a solution that enables you to connect your SMS and email campaigns, share contacts, and coordinate messaging across channels.

When starting out, focus on the following tips:

• Find a platform that connects SMS and email - Choose a platform like uSpeedo that allows you to manage contacts, create campaigns, and track results for both SMS and email in one integrated solution. This makes executing multi-channel campaigns seamless.

• Import contacts - Upload your SMS and email contact lists into your new platform. Look for a platform that enables you to combine these into unified subscriber profiles.

• Create opt-in process - Make sure to get explicit consent from contacts before sending SMS or email messages. Provide an easy opt-in process by having a checkbox on your website signup forms.

• Develop multi-channel campaigns - With your platform and contacts set up, you can now create coordinated SMS and email campaigns. Send a text alert before an email, follow up via SMS to non-openers, and more.

Measuring Performance

Once you've combined your SMS and email marketing efforts, it's crucial to track performance to understand what's working and optimize accordingly. There are several key metrics to monitor:

For SMS marketing:

• Delivery rates - What percentage of your SMS messages are successfully delivered to customers? This indicates reliability of your SMS platform.
• Click-through rates - How many recipients click on any links within the SMS messages? This shows engagement.
• Bounce rates - What percentage of SMS messages are rejected or can't be delivered? This helps identify any issues.
• Unsubscribe rates - How many customers opt out of your SMS program? Lower unsubscribes indicate relevance.

For email marketing:

• Open rates - What percentage of recipients open your email campaign? Higher open rates signal relevance.
• Click-through rates - How many email recipients click on links within the emails? This demonstrates engagement.
• Bounce rates - What percentage of emails hard bounce back and can't be delivered? This identifies deliverability issues.
• Unsubscribe rates - How many subscribers opt out of your email list? Lower unsubscribes show your emails are wanted.

For both channels:

• Sales - How many sales can be attributed to your SMS and email campaigns? Track ROI.
• Subscriber growth - How quickly is your list growing? This indicates effectiveness at capturing audience interest.

Sum it up

We've covered a lot of ground exploring the power of combining SMS and email marketing. Let's recap the key takeaways:

• SMS and email marketing are both effective digital channels, but excel in different ways. SMS delivers fast, direct communication, while email enables sending more in-depth content.

• Used together, SMS and email marketing become a supercharged strategy. You can promote each channel to the other's subscriber list to grow your reach.

• Sharing customer data between your SMS and email platforms allows for coordinated, cross-channel campaigns that significantly boost engagement.

• Following up across channels is a simple but high-impact tactic to improve open and response rates. Send a teaser SMS before an email or follow up via SMS to subscribers who don't open an email.

• Real-world results demonstrate the strength of connecting SMS and email campaigns. Brands have increased revenue, lowered cart abandonment and improved loyalty metrics.

Ready to unite SMS and email marketing to step up your customer engagement? The first step is getting the right tools. uSpeedo is a cloud communication provider, a multichannel automation platform for APIs, service & marketing across SMS, Email and WhatsApp, which is a good choice for you.

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