SMS has become an essential digital marketing channel in the last few years. But keeping your calendar full of fresh SMS marketing ideas can be challenging.
Whether you’re trying to increase engagement, acquire more new customers, or re-engage dormant subscribers, these 70+ creative examples from leading brands will help you fill up your SMS marketing plan with campaigns that help you reach your goals.
Discover the tactics successful brands use to engage their SMS subscribers, from purchase-inspiring flash sale announcements to engaging loyalty messages.
Contents
Sales and promotions SMS examples
Sales and promotional SMS messages are a cornerstone of successful text message marketing strategies. When crafted well, these messages can create urgency, drive immediate action, and reward subscriber loyalty. These examples demonstrate effective ways to structure promotional offers, announce sales, and encourage quick purchasing decisions.
Cuddle Clones’ flash sale alert
Surprise subscribers with a flash sale that leverages urgency to encourage purchases, like Cuddle Clones does with this two-day flash sale.
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Bombas’ punny sale announcement
Show off your brand personality with a fun sale message. Bombas uses clever wordplay on their new Fuzzy Socks to make the promotion memorable.
MeUndies’ collection sale announcement
Hold a collection-specific sale to encourage customers to buy specific products, like MeUndies does with this playful text to announce 50% off their loungewear collection.
Henné’s subscriber-exclusive sale announcement
Make subscribers feel special by offering a special sale only they can access. Henné‘s subscriber-only sale positions their SMS list as a VIP club with special perks.
Jack Rogers’ friends and family sale reminder text
Remind customers when your sale is about to end like Jack Rogers does. The urgency-focused language and deal highlights motivate immediate shopping action.
Holo Taco’s Black Friday sale announcement
Consider a simple text for your next sale announcement that gets the point across quickly and prevents it from getting lost, like Holo Taco does with this sitewide Black Friday sale text.
Noémie’s gift-with-purchase text
Use a gift-with-purchase incentive to excite shoppers and encourage them to add more to their cart than they may have initially planned. Noémie offers shoppers a free single earring for Singles Day on purchases that meet a minimum threshold.
Rare Beauty’s six days of deals
Keep shoppers coming back for more with multiple days of deals—particularly impactful near Black Friday/Cyber Monday and the winter gift-giving holidays when customers are already in buying mode. Rare Beauty builds anticipation for their Cyber Week event by teasing the daily deals to come.
Buoy’s Black Friday early access text
Give your SMS subscribers early access to your sales, like Buoy does for Black Friday. This incentivizes customers to stay subscribed, and by encouraging early shopping, you stand out from the noise on Black Friday itself.
Supergoop!’s early access sale reminder
Remind your SMS subscribers that their early access is ending, like Supergoop! does with their sitewide sale. This is especially effective if you have limited quantities, and customers might lose out on deals after the sale opens to the public.
Haven Athletic’s presale announcement
Turn stockouts into opportunities by offering customers the chance to preorder popular items. Haven Athletic builds excitement around their sold-out backpacks by highlighting their popularity and offering customers first access to the next batch.
Product launch and update text message examples
Help customers stay current with your offerings while creating excitement and urgency around shopping opportunities. Build anticipation for upcoming product launches, introduce new products, and let customers know if their products might go out of stock soon. Keep them informed about pricing changes to encourage them to buy when the price is low. And update them on new opportunities to shop in person.
Half Magic Beauty’s customer-driven product announcement
Show customers you’re listening by launching products or variants they’ve requested. Half Magic Beauty emphasizes that their new glitter shade is a result of customer feedback.
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Little Sleepies’ limited-edition launch announcement
Launch limited-edition collections that tap into current moments and moods. Little Sleepies creates excitement for their winter collection by using seasonal themes.
Armra’s new bundle announcement
Encourage customers to try new products with bundle deals. Armra describes these two products as synergistic, encouraging them to try both.
Armra’s join-the-waitlist text
Build anticipation for product launches and restocks by inviting customers to join the waitlist. Armra makes their waitlist message engaging with a fun tone and emphasizes scarcity to drive signups.
Marea’s restock alert
Prioritize your VIPs by giving them first access to popular restocks. Marea makes subscribers feel special by creating exclusivity around their restock. Bonus: For customers who receive replenishments automatically, Marea proactively offers customers the option to switch their recurring orders to this restocked product variant.
Kosas’ restock reminder
It’s helpful to remind subscribers about important announcements more than once—it’s easy for messages to get lost in the inbox! Kosas shares a quick reminder text about their restock and emphasizes the Rosewater shade’s popularity and versatility to make it feel like a must-have summer essential.
Casely’s price drop notification
Turn price drops into exciting news for interested customers. Casely sends price drop messages to customers who have shown interest in the product, which could be what they need to buy.
Pela’s price increase announcement
On the flip side, if prices are going up, give customers a heads-up so they can stock up at the current price. Pela explains their reasoning transparently and softens the news with a bundle deal.
You can learn how to write a price increase letter here.
Native’s retail partnership announcement
Share retail expansion news with customers—especially if you’ll be at a store near them. That way, they can still buy essentials from your brand if they run out before they remember to place an order online. Native announces their Costco availability while highlighting the value of buying in bulk.
Product recommendation SMS examples
Help customers find their perfect products through personalized recommendations, interactive quizzes, and curated guides. By matching customers with products that best suit their needs, these messages reduce decision fatigue and increase purchase confidence.
Bombas’ product recommendation quiz
Help customers find the right products with a link to a product recommendation quiz. In classic Bombas style, they use witty wordplay (“solemate”) to make an otherwise drab product (socks) feel fun.
Ami Colé’s conversational product recommendation text
You can also recommend products right in the text thread with a conversational SMS flow like Ami Colé does with this fun shade recommendation message.
Kosas’ TikTok filter product recommendation text
You can also recommend the right products by using interactive social media tools like Kosas did with their custom TikTok filter. The filter lets you virtually try on Kosas’ eyeliner to find what shades you like. Then Kosas directs them to a money-saving bundle offer.
Dan The Baking Man’s cart-building SMS flow
Streamline subscribers’ path to purchase by recommending products in the text thread, then send them a link with their cart to check out. Dan The Baking Man helps shoppers build their cart by asking what flavor cookies they want and how many, then sends them a link to check out complete with a discount. All they have to do is plug in their shipping and payment information.
Noémie book-a-consultation text
Make high-value purchases more comfortable by offering personalized consultation options. Noémie gives customers flexibility by providing in-person and virtual appointments to explore their jewelry, ask questions, and get expert advice from associates.
Gladskin’s custom bundle-builder text
Set bundles aren’t for everyone. If you have a lot of products that could mix and match, consider letting your customers build their own bundles. Gladskin makes its bundle offer appealing by emphasizing better savings the more customers buy.
Fenty Beauty’s Mother’s Day gift guide text
Help subscribers find the right products for their loved ones with curated shopping guides. Fenty Beauty leverages Rihanna’s star power to promote one product and shares their gift guide for more ideas.
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Welcome text message examples
Make a strong first impression with new subscribers through thoughtfully crafted welcome messages. These initial texts set the tone for your SMS relationship while incentivizing first purchases through special offers.
Vuori’s welcome text
Make new subscribers feel welcome with a friendly introduction message. Vuori sets the tone for their SMS relationship by warmly welcoming new subscribers while highlighting what their brand is all about.
GhostBed’s limited-time offer welcome text
Motivate quick first purchases with a time-sensitive welcome offer. GhostBed‘s limited-time welcome discount creates urgency for new subscribers.
Jack Rogers’ welcome discount expiration reminders
If your welcome incentive expires, drive conversions by reminding new subscribers before they miss out. Jack Rogers increases the effectiveness of their welcome promotion by sending well-timed reminders leading up to the deadline.
Customer engagement SMS examples
Build stronger connections with your audience through interactive and entertaining SMS content. These messages go beyond pure promotion to create two-way conversations, gather feedback, and make customers feel like valued community members.
Graza’s guess-the-product text
Tease a new product by cloaking it in a mystery. Graza uses conversational text messaging to get subscribers to guess their next product launch.
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Cocofloss’s proactive customer support text
Shoppers may linger on questions without asking, ultimately delaying their purchase. Take a page from Cocofloss‘s book and offer support proactively. Cocofloss makes their support message welcoming by introducing a named concierge who can help.
Blenders’ giveaway announcement
Drive engagement with an enticing giveaway contest. Blenders lets shoppers enter for free, but they increase their chances of winning by placing an order. This encourages engagement and sales.
L’AMARUE’s call for customer stories
Collect testimonials you can repurpose across your marketing channels by inviting customers to share their success stories. L’AMARUE makes their request personal with a signoff from their cofounders.
Stratia’s community-building text message
More loyalty can be forged when customers have a chance to connect with like-minded brand enthusiasts. So start a community where they can connect with each other—like on Facebook or Discord. Stratia builds their brand community by inviting customers to join a Discord server for skincare discussions and tips.
Social proof SMS marketing ideas and examples
Leverage the power of customer testimonials, influencer partnerships, and user-generated content in your SMS marketing. Social proof messages build trust and credibility by showing real people enjoying and benefiting from your products.
Caraway’s customer review text message
Share a customer review that addresses common product concerns. Caraway highlights a glowing review that speaks directly to the ease of use of their cast iron.
WeWoreWhat’s UGC text
Celebrate your customers by highlighting how they use your products with user-generated content (UGC). WeWoreWhat compliments their community while encouraging others to shop featured styles.
Poppi’s influencer social proof text
Leverage influencer and celebrity features to create excitement and drive sales. Poppi turns a natural product placement in Hailey Bieber’s video into a timely promotion with an on-theme discount code. Even if you don’t get a big celebrity featuring your products, smaller influencers that your audience will know can provide a boost.
Abandonment text message ideas
Recover potentially lost sales by reconnecting with customers who have shown interest but haven’t completed their purchase. These text messages can provide that gentle reminder or extra incentive needed to turn browsers into buyers.
Our Place’s browse abandonment text
Re-engage browsers by mentioning specific products they viewed. Our Place creates urgency for its Always Pan by mentioning its tendency to sell out quickly.
INH Hair’s low-stock abandoned cart alert
If stock is running low, you can leverage that to create even more urgency around browsing and cart abandonment text messages. INH Hair sends a simple, direct message encouraging shoppers to complete their order before what’s in their cart goes out of stock.
Beachwaver’s holiday sale abandoned cart reminder
Another great way to get customers to finalize their purchase is to highlight new savings that have become available thanks to a sale. Beachwaver updates their abandoned cart flows during sales to tell shoppers they can save on the items in their cart.
Loyalty and retention SMS marketing ideas with examples
Keep your existing customers engaged and coming back for more with messages that reward loyalty, encourage referrals, and gather feedback. These texts help strengthen customer relationships and increase lifetime value through thoughtful engagement strategies.
Marleylilly’s rewards program invitation
Keep shoppers coming back by inviting them to join your rewards program. Marleylilly thanks subscribers for their initial purchase and lets them know they can earn points and get perks on future purchases.
Swap’s refer-a-friend invitation
After a shopper’s purchase, consider rewarding them for referring a friend. That spreads the word about your brand while encouraging repeat purchases. Swap gives their customers a whopping 40% off when a customer’s referral makes a purchase.
Flux’s cashback offer text
Cashback offers are becoming a preferred welcome incentive for many brands over first-purchase discounts. While shoppers can get the cash on a Visa card, many brands give a bonus when customers opt for store credit instead, so it inherently encourages retention. Flux offers subscribers 20% cash back as a welcome incentive.
Native’s subscription upsell text message
Subscribe-and-save offers can help customers get more of the products they love on a consistent basis. Native texts customers after their purchase to upsell them to recurring orders so they never run out.
Whirley Pop Shop’s invitation for replenishment reminders
An alternative to getting customers to subscribe to recurring orders is reminding them to reorder before they run out. Whirley Pop Shop lets customers opt into reminders at a frequency that works for them.
Skull Shaver’s text-to-buy replenishment reminder
Make it even easier for customers to purchase again with a text-to-order automation. Skull Shaver lets subscribers place a new order by simply replying with a keyword.
Noémie’s customer survey text
Make customers feel valued by asking for feedback. Noémie sent a quick survey to subscribers and paired it with a sweet discount.
Stratia’s winback text message
When customers haven’t purchased in a while, send a quick note to remind them what they’re missing. Stratia offers a coupon to dormant subscribers.
Educational SMS marketing ideas
Add value to your SMS marketing by teaching customers about your products, sharing useful tips, and providing helpful resources. These messages help customers get the most out of their purchases while positioning your brand as a trusted authority.
L’AMARUE’s core ingredient education text
If your product or the materials it’s made of are unusual, you could incorporate product education into your SMS marketing plan like L’AMARUE does with its proprietary ingredient. Since they’ve trademarked this ingredient, customers won’t see it anywhere else. So explaining its benefits is essential for getting them to understand its value.
Girlfriend Collective’s fabric education text
If you sell primarily online, product education can help customers understand your products without seeing them in person. Girlfriend Collective is another brand that uses product education in its SMS marketing campaigns. These descriptions help customers get a feel for the fabric, which can’t be conveyed in product photos.
Lively’s product care text message
Your job isn’t done when a customer buys your product. Helping them use it effectively through care tips helps them extend the life of their product, which makes them more likely to love it and come back for more. That’s why Lively shares product care tips in a post-purchase SMS flow.
Kosas’ product tutorial text
You can also help customers get more out of their products by showing them how to use them. As part of one product launch, Kosas shows customers how to use their new brightening powder. Beyond providing helpful instructions, this showcases the product’s benefits, therefore increasing purchases.
L’AMARUE’s FAQ answers
Proactively answer common customer questions to help them get the most out of their products and address objections to purchase. L’AMARUE answers a common skincare question in this SMS campaign.
Graza’s recipe text
Provide valuable content that helps customers use your products creatively. Graza shares a seasonal pie recipe from a respected baker inspires customers.
Stratia’s educational blog share
If your brand has a blog, share new posts with your SMS subscribers to provide value to your audience while getting more out of that content. Stratia shared a blog post about the science behind hydrated skin soon after launching their hydrating toner. So it benefited their sales for that launch, too.
MATE the Label’s sustainability report
If your brand has any social or environmental initiatives, share your progress transparently to build trust and brand affinity. MATE the Label shares their sustainability impact over the past year and their plans for the future.
Seasonal and timely SMS marketing ideas
Connect with customers throughout the year with messages that align with seasons, holidays, and cultural moments. These timely texts help your brand stay relevant while creating natural opportunities for engagement and promotion.
L’AMARUE’s healthy habits series
Boost engagement with an ongoing series of valuable tips and advice. L’AMARUE helps customers kick off the New Year on the right foot with daily healthy habits tips. Before starting the series, they asked customers if they wanted to opt in, which ensured only the customers who wanted to receive daily texts did.
Uncommon Goods’ campaign opt-out text
On the flip side, you can also give subscribers the option to opt out of text message campaigns for a period of time. Uncommon Goods knows how difficult certain holidays can be for customers, so they give them the option to pause campaigns.
Ami Colé’s cultural moment text
Jump on the excitement of what’s happening in your subscribers’ greater cultural context, for example, a popular movie release or a big sports event. Ami Colé celebrates the Emmys with a product recommendation that matches the vibes of the awards event.
Half Magic Beauty’s Halloween shipping deadline notice
Help customers get products in time for specific events, like Christmas gift giving, by clearly communicating holiday shipping deadlines. Half Magic Beauty ensures customers get their Halloween makeup on time by sending a timely reminder about ordering cutoffs.
Saatchi Art’s last-minute gift card text
For customers that miss a shipping deadline, offer gift cards as a solution for last-minute shopping. Saatchi Art saves the day by promoting digital gift cards.
Luna Grill honors the military on Veterans’ Day
Show appreciation for different communities by offering special promotions. For example, you could honor teachers during back-to-school or first responders on National First Responders Day. Luna Grill supports military members with a Veterans’ Day offer for a free entrée.
The Sill’s niche holiday text message
Leverage lesser-known holidays to create relevant promotional opportunities. The Sill turns National Pet Day into a smart marketing moment by highlighting their pet-safe plant collection.
Jack Rogers’ treat-yourself holiday text
Turn traditional gift-giving holidays into self-care opportunities. Jack Rogers encourages mothers to treat themselves with a special discount.
Monos’ holiday gift guide text
Make holiday shopping easier with curated gift guides for different audiences. Monos helps customers find the perfect travel gear gifts while reducing decision fatigue during the busy holiday season.
Graza’s seasonal playlist
Build brand affinity by sharing lifestyle content that goes beyond product promotion. Graza strengthens their connection with customers by curating a seasonal playlist.
Every Man Jack’s Giving Tuesday text
Connect with customers through charitable initiatives sparked by the calendar. Every Man Jack shows their brand values by participating in Giving Tuesday with a meaningful philanthropic campaign.
Flux’s gratitude text
Build customer relationships by sharing messages of appreciation during the fall season. Flux strengthens customer loyalty by expressing gratitude to their community.
Transactional SMS marketing ideas and examples
Clear, helpful transactional messages keep customers informed about their purchases and appointments. These essential communications build trust and reduce support inquiries by proactively providing important updates and confirmations.
Native’s order confirmation text
Confirm that a customer’s order went through so they know everything is running smoothly. Native adds a tone of celebration and gratitude to their order confirmation messages.
Vessi’s order shipment confirmation
Keep customers informed about their order status with clear shipping updates. Vessi maintains excitement for incoming purchases by promptly notifying customers when their orders ship.
Best Buy’s appointment confirmation text
Make service appointment details clear with confirmation messages. Best Buy reminds customers of their appointment details and gives a link to reschedule if necessary.
Hustead’s Auto Body appointment reminder text
Reduce no-shows with timely appointment reminders. Hustead’s Auto Body helps customers keep their appointments by sending clear reminder messages.
Buoy’s delivery confirmation text
Complete the purchase experience with friendly delivery notifications. Buoy ensures customers know when their orders have arrived safely at their destination—particularly helpful to avoid packages getting stolen or damaged by the weather.
Upgrade your SMS marketing campaigns with fresh ideas and examples
These SMS marketing ideas and examples span the practical to the inspired. Start adding the ideas that resonate most with your business goals to your SMS marketing strategy and see how your audience responds. Test different approaches and keep iterating based on the data.
Keep in mind that some of the most successful SMS marketing campaigns might start with inspiration from other brands, but they’ll evolve into something unique to your business. The brands that stand out are those that continuously experiment while staying true to their values and brand identity.
So take risks and experiment! The next best SMS marketing tactics are yet to be discovered.
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