Constant notifications, each promising excellent deals, are something your customers must deal with daily. As a result, capturing their attention is by no means an easy task.

On top of that, 79% of customers suggest that they will only engage with personalized offers that properly reflect their preferences and previous interactions with a brand. Therefore, if you're struggling to build engagement and increase sales—you're not alone. 

But don't worry, there's a viable way out of it: SMS marketing. 

With open rates as high as 90%, SMS offers a direct line of communication to your customers, ensuring your messages get seen and read. And more eyes on your messages often translate to more potential sales.

However, to stand out in the crowded inbox, your SMS campaigns need to be clear, personalized, and timely. To help you get started, we've gathered 15 fantastic SMS marketing examples to inspire your next campaign. Let’s go ahead!

15 SMS marketing examples to shape your next campaign

1.Product launches

As noted above, SMS can be a quick and surefire way to reach your audience. It ensures that new product launches get immediate attention.

As a case in point, True Botanicals’ product launch SMS is among the top text message marketing examples, highlighting its unique qualities and diving straight into its benefits.

Instead of relying on a discount code to promote the launch, the brand zeroed in on its product’s benefits to boost sales and engagement.

On the other hand, Curlkit focuses on giving early access to its customers to build excitement and give them the first dibs. They entice customers further by adding bonus items such as free access to their magazine.

💡 Pro tip: Run a pre-launch waitlist or pre-order campaign to build excitement around the product launch.

2.Welcome offers

Who does not like discounts?

You can always share a discount code with your new subscribers. It helps you leave a good impression and entices customers to buy from you. It’s a win-win deal.

FUNBOY's concise and clear welcome offer of 10% off with a coupon code is a great SMS campaign example to kick things off with new subscribers. Also, note that the SMS copy is friendly and casual, which matches the brand voice.

To accelerate the launch of SMS campaigns, you can use the AI-driven customer engagement platform Plivo CX’s templates to craft the perfect welcome messages. These templates provide ready-to-use content that you can customize according to your audience and other campaign preferences.

Not only that, you can also use the platform’s Copywriter AI to generate highly personalized messages for your customers. All you have to do is provide an objective, message idea, brand voice and length, and the tool will craft an engaging message for your customers.

3.Order status and shipping updates

Over 50% of customers want to receive transactional SMSs from brands. These messages' non-promotional, informative nature leads to a higher open rate and engagement.

Feastables's order update SMS provides a perfect text marketing example—it’s short, sweet, and straight to the point. They add a dash of humor and a link to track the shipment.

SMS is also the quickest way to inform customers of any potential delay in the shipment or delivery process.

For instance, DHL’s delivery update message focuses on quick updates and the actions customers need to take. The payment link makes it easy to make the payment and get the order back on track.

💡 Pro tip: Focus on concisely sharing the key information without being promotional.

4.Time-sensitive offers

Time-bound deals create urgency due to fear of missing out, persuading customers to take immediate action.

This SMS marketing example from Schutz highlights how time-sensitive offers can create urgency and drive immediate action.

5.Exclusive offers

Give your VIP customers the red carpet treatment by sharing exclusive deals and offers. Such SMS encourages sales as customers feel part of the brand.

Whimsy + Wellness starts things off with a personal greeting and immediately lets customers know they have early access. Check how phrases like "starting in just 5 minutes!" and "BIGGEST. SALE. EVER!" lead to FOMO, driving prompt action.

You can also share exclusive offers for your text subscribers, as FUNBOY did in this SMS. The concise message creates urgency with the “TODAY ONLY” phrase and ends with a clear CTA.

💡 Pro tip: Tap into customer’s data and purchase history to tailor offers to their needs and preferences.

6.Event updates

Promote upcoming events and keep attendees in the loop with any last-minute changes.

Pottery Barn’s event invitation message is great because it tells exactly what the event is and when it’s happening, creating a sense of urgency. Store location links make it even easier for customers to book their spots

Using Plivo CX's Campaigns, organize your marketing campaign for event updates. You can select your ideal audience, choose a preferred channel, and conveniently schedule messages to be sent out later.

For example, if you're hosting a webinar, you can send out a series of reminders leading up to the event. Start with an announcement message, a “save the date” reminder, and a final reminder on the event day.

7.Community building

Build and strengthen your connection with your text subscribers by sharing insider tips, updates, and behind-the-scenes content.

Blume’s SMS is a fantastic example of building a strong community via SMS. The exclusive content featuring a well-known influencer creates a sense of belonging and builds credibility among subscribers.

Plus, asking recipients to reply with a code is a clever way to get them involved and interacting directly.

8.Donation drives

Generate awareness about upcoming donation drives and encourage people to sign up.

SMS drives higher donation sign-ups because you can confirm appointments with a message, making the whole process smoother.

See how this donation drive SMS from UCSF Blood Drive stands out with its personal touch and clear, actionable steps. From appointment updates to confirmation, the whole process happens via text messages. Such ease of booking, personal touch, and concise messaging can increase response rate.

Show gratitude to your valued donors by sending a thank you SMS.

The Red Cross Society thanks its donors in this concise thank-you SMS. Such messages give recipients a sense of belonging and make them feel part of a bigger community.

‍💡 Pro tip: Highlight donors' previous contriutions and their impact to incentivize them to participate again.

9.Thank You offers

Rewarding your loyal and most frequent buyers with a special thank-you offer. These have multiple benefits, as they:

• Strengthen customer relationships
• Re-engage customers who haven't made a purchase recently
• Generate higher sales as customers feel appreciated and are more likely to purchase again

For example, this thank-you SMS example begins with a personalized greeting and entices action with a time-bound coupon code.

💡 Pro tip: Use a thank-you message to collect customer feedback and reward with a special coupon code.

10.Flash sales

Flash sales are among the best ways to boost customer engagement quickly. Customers are more inclined to buy during flash sales, as the offers are time-bound and generally come with discounted prices.

Macy’s flash sale announcement SMS is clear and specific, motivating customers to grab the deal.

Pawz’s flash sale email uses humor that matches its brand voice. This SMS nudges customers to buy because its 24-hour flash sale triggers FOMO.

💡 Pro tip: Announce flash sales timeline in advance to make customers be on the lookout as soon as the sales go live so they don’t miss out.

11.Abandoned cart reminder

The Baymard Institute reports an average cart abandonment rate of 70.19%. It means you’re losing seven potential sales opportunities out of 10.

Cart abandonment messages nudge your customers to have a second look at their cart and complete the transaction. If done right, these SMS can help you recover lost sales.

Cloudy takes a fresh approach to the usual “forgot something in your cart” SMS.

It personalizes the message and focuses on the recipient’s desire for wellness, which resonates with their need for better sleep. Instead of being pushy, the tone is soft and encouraging, likely leading to a more positive response.

With Plivo CX, you can send abandoned cart messages. It offers Journeys, which can identify key events that trigger specific messages.

In this case, you must select ‘abandoned cart’ as a trigger event and add an SMS to the flow. Then, Plivo CX will automatically send polite messages to customers who leave products in their carts.

12.Birthday and anniversary campaigns

Your brand’s or customer’s birthday or anniversary is the perfect opportunity to strengthen customer relationships. Make them feel special by sharing heartfelt notes and offers.

By doing this, you make your customers believe that even though they are one of countless buyers, you value each one.

This thank-you SMS from The Sill feels personal and engaging. They make customers feel like a special part of their journey over the past eight years. Plus, they make it easy to jump on the offer with a direct link to the shop.

It’s a perfect mix of appreciation, excitement, and convenience that encourages customers to act immediately.

💡 Pro tip: Use the recipient's purchase history to tailor your birthday or anniversary SMS offer.

13.Loyalty program campaigns

When you share special discounts for loyal customers, they feel seen and valued and shop more from your brand.

Belgian Waffle Co. sends a short SMS with a warm welcome and joining bonus to show their appreciation and encourage customers to check their accounts. It’s quick, relatable, and clear.

You can create a loyalty program campaign using Plivo CX’s Audiences. This lets you sync real-time contacts from your Shopify store and capture events from your storefront. 

For example, you can use this feature to segment customers based on several complex rules, such as the number of times they placed an order in the last 30 days.

By doing this, you can easily find loyal customers and send automated messages with various offers to them. The best part is that the segment builder is code-free, so anybody on your team can do it.

14.Quizzes and polls

Boost engagement by interacting with customers via quizzes and polls to improve engagement.

Moitie Cosmetics sends an SMS poll with an incentive to give personalized style recommendations. This SMS works because it taps into customers' desire for tailored suggestions.

Slumberkins connects with its customers by asking them to share an emoji about their feelings. The low-touch ask and time-bound offer are perfect examples of how to pull the reader in, connect with them, and share an irresistible offer.

💡 Pro tip: Use your customer’s data to personalize quizzes and polls to generate a higher response rate. Plivo CX can help you with this as well. 

15.Referral messages

92% of consumers trust referrals from people they know. You can capitalize on this potential through referral SMS. Build a network of loyal and frequent buyers by giving enticing offers for each referral.

Here’s an example of a referral message from Verb—. What stands out about this referral SMS is its warm and personal touch. As a generous gesture, the SMS offers a free Starter Kit, which adds value to the referral.

💡 Pro tip: Make your referral program accessible and easy to share and outline the rewards for the referrer.

Use Plivo CX to try out these SMS marketing examples

All SMS marketing examples mentioned above help you attract buyers. But you need a robust platform to implement these. You can try Plivo CX—you can not only cut your SMS costs by 70% but also drive a significant 3X ROI from your marketing campaigns.

On top of that, Plivo CX is powered by Plivo’s award-winning, low-latency premium carrier network, which is spread across 190+ countries. So, the platform always has your back whether you’re sending Christmas or Diwali messages. 

Moreover, 

To sum up, here’s what you can achieve with the platform:

• Audiences: Build customer segments with unlimited rules using static and dynamic lists
• Journeys: Send timely messages based on specific triggers like abandoned carts by tracking the customer's buying journey
• Copywriter AI: Get compelling SMS copies based on the type of SMS, brand tone, trigger, and action.

You can also modify the tone of the messages and monitor their performance with advanced analytics.

Ready to build your next SMS campaigns anew?

 Sign up for Plivo CX today.