How to Use SMS Marketing for Shopify: 5 Tips for Beginners

If you’d like to skyrocket your sales, ramp up customer engagement, and bring in a higher return on your Shopify store, then SMS marketing could be just the tool you need to help you reach a new level of success.

“98% of text messages are opened and read, and it takes 90 seconds for someone to respond to a text on average.”

SMS marketing has surpassed the poor open rates seen with emails (20%), and you’re leaving cash on the table if you aren’t using it in your overall marketing strategy.

Let us show you how SMS marketing can have more people buying your products than ever before.

5 Tips to Help Beginners Learn How to Use SMS Marketing for Shopify

It’s no surprise that more and more people are turning to text messaging to communicate. Emails are inundated with spam, and consumers have learned to ignore phone numbers they don’t recognize for similar reasons.

You have to be creative in today’s market if you want your message to reach consumers. SMS marketing lets you break through the noise and engage your customers more effectively than other methods available — and consumers actually want to receive your texts.

“75% of consumers like to receive texts from brands after opting in.”

1. Learn the Essential Terminology

If you are new to the world of text marketing, you need to learn the terminology used so you can understand how it works. You need to know the three most important terms: SMS marketing, keyword, and short code.

SMS Marketing

SMS stands for short message service, and it’s another term used to describe text messages. SMS marketing delivers an impressive return on investment (ROI) when implemented with a well-thought-out strategy. You can integrate it into your current marketing strategy to ramp up engagement with your other marketing efforts — like social media, email newsletters, and direct mail advertisements.

“Integrating SMSBump with your Shopify store can increase your ROI 25x+.”

Keyword

Keywords are predefined words or short phrases that you create to help you measure the success of a campaign. You can create a new keyword for each campaign you run, and you’ll be able to see how many people texted that keyword to your shortcode.

Short Code

A short code is the phone number that’s tied to your SMS marketing account. Short codes keep you from having to use your personal cell phone number to send and receive text messages from customers.

2. Build a Strategy

Don’t sign up for SMS messaging and start blindly sending off texts. You need to develop a strategy first. Determine what the goal of sending the message is. Why are you sending it? What action do you want recipients to take? How will your message benefit them? Is your text something they would actually want to receive?

Common mistakes beginners make are sending too many texts too fast, and sending texts to people that haven’t opted-in to receive them — we’ll talk about this more in the 4th tip. You can avoid the first mistake by developing a plan for what and when you want to send SMS messages to your subscribers.

 

Consider Your Audience

The more you know about your audience, the more you can tailor your texts to what they want to receive. What are their likes and dislikes? What time of day or days of the week do they usually engage with your texts? Keep your messages brief and make sure you’re providing them with some kind of benefit that adds real value.

Plan to Add Value

You can add value to your texts by teaching them something, announcing new products they would be interested in, sending relevant company updates, asking them to participate in a contest, sending surveys, or giving them an exclusive discount or coupon offer.

Combine SMS Marketing With Other Tools

SMS marketing is even more powerful when combined with other marketing tools like social media, email newsletters, and direct mail advertising. You can make your social media posts more interactive by inviting people to participate in contests, giveaways, or surveys through text.

Encourage them to text a keyword to your short code to enter the contest or giveaway and complete surveys. You can track the success of your campaign by monitoring how many people use the keyword.

Boost the number of SMS subscribers you have by sending out an email blast that entices people to sign up for the service. Get them to opt-in to receive texts for order and shipping confirmation, tracking information, new product alerts, and exclusive discounts and promotions.

The more value you can provide them for signing up for your list, the more likely they will be to follow through.

Direct mail advertising and SMS marketing combined are perfect for Shopify stores with tangible products. Send personalized cards with every order thanking them for their purchase. Offer them a discount on their next order by texting a keyword to your short code to sign up for your SMS list. Don’t forget to include contact information and instructions on what to do if they have a problem with their order.

Text Templates for Creating Campaigns

Use one or all of the templates below to help you craft a killer campaign to kickstart your SMS marketing strategy.

“We’re having a sale! Receive up to 60% off on select products. Visit our shop now http://www.yourwebsite.com/shop.”

“Thank you for your purchase! Please allow 3-5 business days for delivery. Here’s your tracking number: 1646513641364364”

“Your purchase is incomplete! Review your shopping cart now and select a payment method to complete your order. http://www.yourwebsite.com/cart”

“A new item is available in our shop! Find out more and order yours before they’re gone! http://www.yourwebsite.com/new-product-sales-page”

3. Choose a Provider

There are several SMS software providers to choose from, so how do you know which one you should use? As a Shopify store owner, you need software that is designed to meet your unique needs. SMSBump integrates with Shopify and makes it simple for you to run successful marketing campaigns for your shop. In our experience, it is the best SMS software to use for Shopify stores.

SMSBump: Enjoy A Tight Integration with Shopify

SMSBump provides Shopify merchants with a robust suite of features to help you get the most out of your SMS campaigns. You can create personalized product recommendations, add recommended product images, send reminders for abandoned carts, provide order and shipping confirmation, and much more.

The developers are continually working on improving the software and releasing new features. SMSBump integrates with many other applications such as MailChimp, Slack, Klaviyo Contacts, OptiMonk, ReCharge, and Smile. You can see a full list of the applications they are compatible with here: SMSBump Integrations.

Some of SMSBump’s fundamental features include list segmentation, custom flows, A/B Testing, ROI text automation, SMS automation, link shortener, campaign scheduling, and opt-out lists. An added bonus is that they help you stay compliant with international laws. Their software is TCPA, CTIA, and GDPR compliant.

4. Familiarize Yourself With the CAN-SPAM and TCPA Acts

The CAN-SPAM and TCPA Acts define what messages businesses are allowed to send consumers, and when they are allowed to send them.

Customers don’t want to receive texts from a business without their permission, and you are required by law to get their written consent before sending the first message. Ignoring the law can have you facing some pretty hefty fines or even spending time in jail.

Jiffy Lube found that out firsthand when they sent unsolicited texts to customers who hadn’t opted-in to receive them. They sent customers a one-time offer for 45% off an oil change. Sounds like a pretty good deal, right? Even the greatest offer can have you facing a lawsuit. In this case, Jiffy Lube ended up settling out of court for $47 million — ouch!

Take the time to familiarize yourself with the law and consult a licensed lawyer with any questions you have.

5. Chose a Professional

Are you ready to implement SMS marketing for your Shopify store, but you aren’t sure where to start? Our team of Shopify experts can help you integrate SMSBump with your store and show you how to use it. We have helped several clients achieve their marketing goals, and we’re here to help you too! Don’t take our word for it — here’s what some of our clients have to say about us:

“Future Holidays is a wonderful team to work with! They’re great communicators and delivered everything in a timely manner. We would recommend them 1000000%!”

— Lisa, Owner of Lisa Says Gah

“Future Holidays went above and beyond to meet all our needs, while their transparency and ability to produce high-quality work earned them our trust.”

— Josh Cohen, Director of Marketing & Creative for Intelligent Blends

Schedule a meeting with our experts to get the help you need today! Fill out the form on our contact page or give us a call at 619.736.3972 to get started.