SMS Marketing: When to Send Promotions

We know SMS marketing works, and even that people typically want to receive promotional texts.

But when should you send those messages to get the most bang for your buck? Here are three things to keep in mind so you send at the best time.

1. Something Worth Saying

Don’t force it. The best SMS promotions feel natural.

You’ve got a new product or service
The season’s changing
There’s a holiday
You’re hosting an event
There’s a big update people need to know about
Things are going on sale

These are common examples of when consumers would expect something from you, and that expectation gives you the best chance of converting your message into money.

What you want to avoid is sending a text just for the sake of it. Make sure you have something your audience will appreciate receiving first.

2. They Can Act on It

Put yourself in your audience’s shoes.

The best time and day to send a text varies between industries and sometimes between companies, so think about when your audience is best able to act on your promotion.

For instance, retail or lawn service messages may perform best on Saturday mornings when subscribers have time to browse and book, while financial services may do best during the work week when clients have their schedules and other accounts in front of them.

The image below shares common best practices, but when in doubt, think about things from your customers’ view—and feel free to experiment sending at different times and days.

3. You Need a Boost

Re-engage previous leads and customers.

You probably have a ton of opportunities waiting inside your CRM (or other contact database). Opportunities like:

Leads who said “not right now”
Customers overdue for their next service
People who’ve bought from you before

So when you need to add momentum to your sales and marketing, pull a contact list of these opportunities, add them to Text Request, and send your promotion.

Pro Tip: Use custom merge messaging to personalize your promotions with contacts’ first names or other unique details.