The Kudosity SMS Marketing playbook for Black Friday

Your 6‑week SMS campaign strategy for Black Friday & Cyber Monday success.

Why SMS? Why Now?

Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) are the biggest sales moments of the year, and competition is fierce.

Fastest Reach

98% open rates vs ~20% for email.

Cuts through the noise

Billions of emails flood inboxes during BFCM; SMS is direct, immediate.

Higher ROI

Brands using SMS for BFCM campaigns see up to 30% uplift in conversions when paired with email/social.

Kudosity advantage

Built-in link tracking, direct connections, global deliverability, 24/7, 365 helpdesk, and compliance.

Your 6-week plan to maximise BFCM sales

Week 1

Prepare & plan

Lay the foundation for scale and compliance

Prepare and segment your CRM data
Upload customer list — auto-cleans duplicates and formats
Lease an Alphanumeric Sender ID or a Dedicated Virtual Number
Set up your landing page with UTM tracking (i.e. utm_source=sms)

Use our Track link service instead of other shorteners to avoid blocking
Save SMS templates with [tracked-links]
Include opt instructions, i.e. “Opt-out reply STOP” or [unsub-reply-link]
Test unsubscribes are being added correctly to the “Global Opt-Out List”

Compliance Tip 💡

Your CRM should be your single source of truth. Use CRM filters to remove unsubscribes and opt-outs, keeping data clean and reducing compliance risk. Alternatively, add them to the Global Opt-out list, which is automatically applied to every send.

Week 2

Awareness

Build anticipation before BFCM hype peaks

Goal: Visibility & early signups

Checklist:

Test delivery windows (mid-morning/evening often best)
Use an Alphanumeric Sender ID to boost recognition and cut through
Run a small send, then scale

Example SMS (Teaser)

Hi [Firstname],

Our BIGGEST Black Friday is coming. Want VIP early access?

Opt-out
[unsub-reply-link]

Pro Tip 💡

Test MMS with a product image or countdown timer; it's more visual and memorable.

Week 3

Consideration

Turn interest into intent

Goal: Build trust and segment high-intent subscribers

Checklist:

A/B test CTAs (“Shop Now” vs “Unlock Early Access”)
Tag clickers as high-intent → create priority audiences
Segment Members vs Non-Members

Example SMS (VIP Invite):

Hi [Firstname],

You’re on our exclusive VIP list. Early Black Friday deals drop tomorrow. Don’t miss it!

Opt-out
[unsub-reply-link]

Pro Tip 💡

Avoid using third-party link shorteners like Bit.ly as these are sometimes blocked by carriers (e.g. United States). Our Tracked link service includes a shortener, ensuring your messages are delivered.