SMS marketing achieves a remarkable 98% open rate, while email marketing struggles to reach 18.39%.

The numbers tell a story of the kind of effect. People read 90 percent of text messages within three minutes of receiving it. This way, SMS and text marketing has become one of today’s best digital marketing tools. The outreach extends even farther; 97 percent of the US adults currently own a mobile phone.

These compelling results drive more businesses toward SMS marketing strategies. The channel generates $73 for every dollar spent, and 70% of customers consider SMS an excellent way for businesses to capture their attention.

What is SMS marketing?

Text message marketing or SMS marketing enables companies to communicate with cell phone users who have directly opted in to receive a such messages. Such businesses inform their customers about the new deals, discounts, appointment reminders or shipping updates via SMS.

Text marketing works because it is simple and cost-effective. Companies can send short, powerful messages to boost sales and customer engagement without fancy graphics or big design teams.

Text messages in SMS marketing usually contain:

• Promotional offers and deals
• New product announcements
• Customer service updates
• Order status notifications
• Event reminders

The numbers show why SMS marketing is so effective. Messages get a 98% open rate, which beats email marketing’s 20% by five times. SMS marketing’s click-through rate hits 9.18%, while email only manages 2.5%.

The system works when users send their first text to an automated platform. The SMS and text marketing software saves their phone number and sends back a confirmation message. This approach will help businesses have a strong subscribers’ list of interested customers who can opt out of receiving messages at any time.

SMS marketing provides business people with more control over the timing, content, and audience of messages than in other channels. This direct channel provides stability that social platforms can’t match, since social networks often change their algorithms or limit account access unexpectedly.

What is the difference between email and SMS marketing?

The difference between SMS and email marketing becomes clearer by understanding how each one will works. SMS messages get more and thus encourage more engagement with an impressive 98% open rate, while email campaigns will achieve only 20%.

Response times show another big difference between these channels. People usually respond to text messages within 90 seconds. Emails take much longer – about 90 minutes to get a response. SMS messages also maintain a click-through rate of 20% to 35%, which beats email’s 1% to 10% rate.

Here’s how these marketing channels compare in key areas:

SMS stands out with its ability to deliver time-sensitive messages and instant engagement compared to emails. It works better for urgent promotions, appointment reminders, and instant alerts. Email marketing shines when it comes to newsletters, detailed product information, and visually rich content.

The numbers tell an interesting story – SMS marketing gets more and thus encourages more revenue – 17 times more than email campaigns. But this doesn’t make email less valuable. It remains the preferred way to communicate with online brands for 61% of consumers.

What are types of SMS marketing?

SMS marketing campaigns come in three main types. Each type serves different business goals and customer needs.

Promotional SMS Marketing helps drive sales and participation through special offers and campaigns. Messages include urgent deals, flash sales, and exclusive discounts. 72% of consumers expect to receive text messages at least once a week from brands they follow.

Transactional SMS Marketing bridges communication gaps with order-related updates. Messages include order confirmations, shipping updates, and delivery notifications. Studies show customers prefer transactional messages more than any other type of SMS communications.

Conversational SMS and text Marketing works best to provide immediate customer support through natural language processing and human agents. This method guides businesses toward:

• Higher customer retention rates
• Increased average order value
• Improved customer lifetime value

Businesses can facilitate laser-targeted SMS campaigns on advanced technology trends like geofences. As a customer moves through a designated set of areas, they will receive messages. Besides this, text-to-win contests and loyalty programs have been contemplated as effective methods for directly engaging the customer. So 75% of consumers signup for loyalty programs through mobile devices.

The best SMS strategies blend multiple types together. A retailer might send promotional texts on sales, transactional messages about their order, and answer questions by using conversational SMS.

What are the benefits of SMS marketing?

SMS marketing gives a phenomenal return on investment. For every dollar invested in an SMS campaign, companies receive USD 71.00. This is far higher than most other marketing mediums.

Building trust is the life-blood of SMS marketing success. About 79% of consumers subscribe to text messages from their favorite businesses, and opt-in rates grow by 12% each year. This approach will give businesses a direct line to an audience that wants to hear from them.

Quick response times make SMS marketing stand out. These numbers tell the story:

• 98% of messages are read within three minutes
• 32% of recipients respond within 1-2 minutes
• 80% of people check texts within five minutes

We focused on personalization to drive SMS text marketing success. Companies that use customized messaging see a 40% increase in revenue. Yes, it is clear that customers like messages that save them time or money, especially appointment reminders and exclusive offers.

SMS marketing gives businesses a budget-friendly solution. Companies can send hundreds of messages at minimal cost while getting high engagement rates. SMS makes shared communication possible, which helps businesses collect valuable customer feedback through surveys and polls. This improves customer relationships and builds long-term loyalty.

How to use SMS marketing?

Your SMS marketing campaign success depends on careful planning and proper implementation. The right SMS marketing software builds the base for your campaign success. You need a platform that matches your business needs, scales well and supports messages of all types, including images and videos.

Message brevity plays a key role in your campaign. SMS messages have a 160-character limit, so you must craft clear yet meaningful content. Your messages should deliver clear value propositions and strong calls-to-action.

These fundamental steps will help you implement SMS marketing:

• Choose an SMS platform with reporting capabilities
• Build a compliant subscriber list
• Create a content calendar
• Set optimal sending times
• Monitor engagement metrics
• Enable easy opt-out options

Regulatory compliance needs your full attention. Your business must get explicit consent before sending messages and provide clear opt-out options. Message timing also matters – people engage less with messages sent during work hours.

SMS marketing works better when combined with other marketing channels. Your email list signups can grow significantly when you use SMS effectively. Regular tracking of delivery rates, click-through rates, and sales helps businesses fine-tune their SMS strategy for better results.

Customer behavior and priorities should shape your message personalization. This approach, combined with regular monitoring of unsubscribe and bounce rates, will give your text marketing campaign better results and involvement.

SMS marketing strategies to try in 2025

Set to reach 12.60 billion US dollars in 2025, SMS and text marketing is claimed as the industry that attains a compounded growth rate by 2025, clocking 20.3%, based on advanced technology.

Hyper-personalization has become the life-blood strategy that 90% of brands recognize for building meaningful relationships. Companies now use advanced segmentation instead of simple name insertion to create messages that appeal to specific audience segments.

AI and automation are transforming SMS campaigns through:

• AI-driven content creation with personalized suggestions
• Automated scheduling for targeted outreach
• Live performance optimization
• Simplified campaign setup

Two-way messaging promotes deeper customer involvement by enabling quick surveys and real-time questions. U.S. marketers report 60.5% higher involvement levels through SMS compared to other channels.

Location-specific promotions through geo-targeting create new opportunities. Businesses will soon send customized offers based on customers’ live locations. Compliance remains essential, and branded links help build trust while reducing spam flags.

Marketing campaigns work better when SMS integrates with other channels, especially email. Message timing is vital – companies should avoid late-night or early-morning texts to maximize engagement. Campaign strategies improve through regular monitoring of key performance indicators, including delivery and opt-out rates.

Examples of successful SMS strategies

SMS or text marketing campaigns have brought remarkable success to many leading brands. Claire’s now gets a 17x+ ROI on their US SMS program and has seen a 149% increase in subscribers. Their triggered messages achieve a 20% average click-through rate.

HBO’s Game of Thrones campaign stands out by using exclusive content effectively. Their Three-Eyed Raven SMS service attracted 70,000 subscribers in just two months and drove record-high viewership for each episode. Salesforce also showed SMS’s reach at their Dreamforce event when they collected 19,000 instant survey responses through text voting.

GUESS became skilled at cross-border SMS or text marketing and generated over USD 12 million in attributed revenue from US and Canadian programs. Their Canadian operation achieved a 30x ROI. APL reached an impressive 78x+ ROI and saw a 32% average conversion rate for triggered messages.

Airbnb simplified their rental bookings through SMS and improved successful booking rates by letting hosts respond quickly to requests. Dell improved their customer service with SMS alerts for order confirmations and payment issues. They made use of the 98% read rate that happens within 4-6 minutes.

These success stories show that SMS text marketing works well in any industry. Companies of all types consistently achieve exceptional results through targeted SMS campaigns. This proves the channel’s versatility and its effect on customer involvement and revenue generation.

Conclusion

SMS marke

ting is a powerful tool that helps businesses increase sales and connect with customers in 2025. Text message marketing consistently performs better than traditional channels with high open rates, fast responses, and excellent returns.

Major brands like Claire’s, GUESS, and HBO have shown that SMS or text marketing works for businesses of all types. These companies got amazing results by sending personalized messages at the right time while following all regulations.

Your text message marketing experience needs proper planning and the right set of tools. Want to expand your business through text marketing.

Want to expand your business through SMS Text marketing? Visit CampaignHQ to create your first SMS campaign and join successful brands on this powerful platform.

FAQ

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<p>;Is SMS marketing illegal?</h3&gt;

SMS mark

eting stays legal when you follow these key rules:

• • Getting clear written consent before sending messages
  • Adding simple opt-out instructions
  • Sending messages only between 8 AM and 9 PM in recipient’s time zone
  • Keeping accurate records of consent</li> </

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<h3>What is SMS and example?</h3&amp;amp;gt; &lt;p&amp;gt;SMS and text marketing covers three main message types:

• • 1. Transactional Messages: Order confirmations and shipping updates
    2. Conversational Messages: Customer service interactions
    3. Promotional Messages: Deals and marketing offers

To cite an instance, see this welcome message: “Welcome to [Brand]! Get 15% off your first purchase. Msg&Data rates apply. Reply STOP to opt out. View terms at [link].”

When should I use SMS marketing?

We timed our messages based on the type and audience. Text messages work best for:

• • Flash sales and limited-time offers
  • Cart abandonment reminders
  • Birthday or anniversary promotions
  • Loyalty program notifications
  • Event reminders and RSVP confirmations