Boost your Black Friday sales with SMS tips and templates

Black Friday is just around the corner, it’s time to fine-tune your SMS marketing strategy. In 2023 a record $9.8 billion in Black Friday online sales and Cyber Monday recorded a staggering $12.4 billion.[source: Adobe Analytics]. Whether you're a seasoned e-commerce marketer or just starting out with SMS campaigns, having a solid plan and the right tools can make all the difference. Let’s dive into how you can use SMS to boost your Black Friday sales, with tips and handy templates.

Why SMS marketing for Black Friday

If you’re wondering why SMS should be your go to for your Black Friday campaign:

1. Reach your audience on the go

Customers are shopping more online and on their phones. Sending deals via text ensures you reach them on the device they prefer when they make purchases.85% of smartphone users prefer SMS to emails or calls. Most customers, especially younger generations prefer to be reached via text messages.

2. Instantly connect with your customers

 Most SMS messages are read within 3 minutes of receipt. This makes SMS perfect for driving urgent, time-sensitive promotions such as Flash sales this Black Friday.

3. High engagement

With a 98% open rate, SMS outshines email at an average open rate of 20%. SMS has the highest engagement compared to other channels.  If you want to ensure your offers are seen, SMS is the way to go.

4. Strong Click-Through Rates (CTR)

SMS messages see average click-through rates between 6-19%, which is much higher compared to email’s 2.3%.

Tips for an effective Black Friday SMS campaign

1. Set clear goals

Before hitting send, set your campaign goals. What are you aiming to achieve? Whether it's a certain revenue target, a specific number of conversions, or increasing your SMS subscriber list, clear goals will guide your strategy.

2. Build your SMS list early

Your campaign is only as good as your contact list. Start building your SMS subscriber list now. Use opt-in forms on your website, offer incentives for sign-ups, or convert existing email subscribers into SMS subscribers. Ensure you follow compliance regulations in your region 

3. Craft concise and compelling messages

Your SMS messages need to be short but punchy with a character limit of 160 characters. Make sure they are clear, create urgency, and include a strong call to action. Add a human touch with emojis or symbols.

4. Personalise and segment

Segment your list to tailor messages to different customer groups. Based on their purchase history, preferences or abandoned cart items can personalise your messages and offers which can significantly boost engagement and conversion rates.

5. Check your formatting

Test your messages on different devices and ensure the links work correctly. Ensure you can track and measure your offers with codes and tracking links.

6. Stay compliant

Adhere to SMS marketing regulations in your region. Make sure you have explicit consent to send texts, provide an easy opt-out method, and avoid texting during restricted hours.

7. Timing and frequency matter

Depending on your goals for BFCM and your customer base, find the right timing for sending your SMS campaign. Just like other marketing channels, when and how often you communicate your promotional messages impacts the effectiveness of your campaign. Too many messages can seem intrusive, while too few may reduce your promotional impact. 

Experiment with timing and frequency to see what works best for your audience. 

Split testing can be a good way to test the timing of your campaign as well as understanding your customer audience and how they like to communicate.

8. Ensure consistency across channels

Ensure your SMS messaging is consistent with your other marketing channels. For a unified brand message across platforms such as social media, email, website, digital ads which will improve your overall campaign performance.

9. Automate responses

Set up automated replies for common queries and to manage high-volume traffic. This helps maintain customer satisfaction even during peak times.

10. Track and analyse

Monitor your campaign performance. Track metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversions to assess and refine your strategy.

Here’s some SMS templates you can use for different stages of your Black Friday campaign from planning through to launch and gathering customer feedback.

Pre-Black Friday

Generate excitement before the main event (1-2 weeks) with these teaser messages:

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Early access - Presale (2-3 days before BFCM)

Grant early VIP access for your audience to create a sense of exclusivity:

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Promote deals:

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Build anticipation for Cyber Monday:

Cyber Monday Launch

Kick off Cyber Monday with these engaging messages:

Final Hours Reminder (Cyber Monday Evening)

Create urgency as the sale nears its end:

Recover abandoned carts:

Create a sense of urgency:

Extend the sale:

Show appreciation for your customers

Feedback requests

Gather customer feedback:

Flash Sale Alerts:

Wrapping up

Black Friday is a huge opportunity to boost your sales, and SMS marketing can give you the edge you need. Use these templates and tips to create an impactful campaign, connect with your customers, and make the most of one of the biggest shopping events of the year for retailers.

Using these templates make it quick and easy to kickstart your SMS marketing campaign for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. With clear goals, engaging content, and timely messages, you’ll be well on your way to smashing your BFCM sales.