We get it; marketing is harsh. Sometimes it can seem like that whatever you do, you still can’t get the desired results.
Let’s take email marketing, for example. Even when its ROI (Return on Investment) is impressive $36 for every $1 spent, it still doesn’t guarantee that you’ll leave your competitors in the dust. You need something bigger, something more versatile. Something like the powerful addition of SMS marketing.
Combining both strategies allows you to reach a bigger audience more effectively and timely. But only if you go around their disadvantages and use all their benefits.
If you’re wondering whether you should take on SMS marketing when you’re already swamped, this blog post is right for you. We’ll walk you through the main ins and outs, pros and cons of omnichannel marketing to help you make a carefully considered choice. Let us continue!
Email Marketing and SMS Marketing
At first glance, the differences between text and email marketing aren’t pronounced except for how they’re delivered to your target audience.
Yet, both pose underlying characteristics you should consider when deciding how to employ each practice separately and combined. This will help you find the best way to include it in your marketing strategy.
Email Marketing
Email marketing is a powerful way for businesses to reach their audience with the help of email messages. It’s also one of the most popular ways, as 2 out 3 marketers use it to disseminate relevant content, promotions, updates, and more.
What makes email marketing strategies so widely applied? It allows you to send targeted emails to a group of people who’ve already expressed interest in your brand, products, or services, meaning that your messaging is not only expected – it’s welcomed.
Already on its own, email marketing is a powerhouse for nurturing relationships with your customers and encouraging them to take desired action.
There’s not enough pen and paper to list all the benefits this approach can offer, so we’ll stick to the main ones:
- Building brand loyalty;
- Increasing website traffic;
- Boosting sales;
- Providing valuable insights into customer preferences through data analysis.
Oh, and the best part – it’s an excellent fit for businesses with any size budget.
SMS Marketing
Simply put, SMS or text message marketing also involves sending your customers promotional messages, offers, updates, and alerts. What sets it far apart from any other communication strategy is an average open rate of sensational 98%.
How is that even possible? There are a few reasons for this:
- SMS messages go straight to customers’ mobile phones (aka the closest thing at hand), meaning that they’re read within minutes;
- More often than not, it comes with a screen notification quadrupling the chances it’s seen immediately;
- Limited to 160 characters, text messages often have the value proposition written upfront and seen first.
Unsurprisingly, most people (63%) prefer SMS over any other form of business communication. They’re highly personal and non-intrusive, allowing connection on a more personal level.
And for the cherry on top – it’s also cost-effective.
Pssst… are you looking for ways to get the best SMS marketing ROI? We’ve got a solution for you – Sender is the most affordable omnichannel platform on the market, empowering you to earn more by spending less.
Create, schedule, and send automated SMS and email marketing campaigns that lead your customers through the sales funnel.
Email vs. SMS: Comparison
Just before we move on to the advantages of this power duo, let’s quickly sum up each channel’s most prominent differences:
| Email Marketing | SMS Marketing | |
| Open Rate | Varied (15-25% on average) | High (98% on average) |
| Click-Through Rate (CTR) | Varied (2-3% on average) | High (19% on average) |
| Cost | Affordable, especially for large volumes | Generally higher per message |
| Customization | Highly customizable with rich content like images and videos | Limited to text and basic links |
| Personalization | Offers personalization using recipient’s name and dynamic content | Limited to the recipient’s name or simple variables |
| Response Rate | Moderate to low | High |
| Timing | Might take time to be noticed and acted upon | Immediate and quick response |
| Delivery | May end up in spam folders or go unnoticed | Directly to the recipient’s phone |
| Tracking and Analytics | Provides detailed insights and tracking | Provides basic tracking metrics |
| Reach | Broader reach due to a larger audience | Highly targeted and immediate reach |
Benefits of Email & Text Messaging Combo
There’s only one answer to “Email or SMS marketing?”. That is, “why not both?”.
Combined, these strategies promise the best results in engagement and ROI as one poses strength while the other lacks it.
Here are those promised benefits:
Cross-Channel Marketing
How many marketings do you get if you put email marketing and SMS marketing together? That’s right! Three, including cross-channel marketing. That’s seamlessly reaching and engaging your audience through several marketing channels to create a unified and impactful customer experience.
For example, if you have a company newsletter, you can reserve SMS for informing subscribers on the most attention-worthy pieces. This way, you’ll lure in more readers and improve brand recognition.
But don’t limit yourself to just two channels! Inviting other marketing channels (social media, SEO, and paid ads) can fire up an even better sale-boosting party.
Better Engagement
The combination of email and SMS marketing increases the chances of messages being seen as customers are reached in their email inboxes and mobile devices.
Moreover, email provides detailed information and visuals, while SMS delivers quick and concise updates directly to customers’ phones. Increased chances of interaction and response – who wouldn’t like those odds?
Improved Metrics
Easily track the performance of both communication strategies thanks to solid analytics and reports provided by omnichannel marketing services. You can use the insights to improve the most critical metrics and ensure you stay in the game.
Once you’ve identified the metrics needing improvement, leverage the unique strengths of each channel. For example, SMS works well to remind less engaged users about limited-time opportunities. In the meantime, email is a suitable medium for introducing new, exciting products and their features both visually and via copy.
What’s more? Each poses an opportunity to grow your email list. For instance, use email to invite people to enter their phone numbers or vice versa.
Cost Effectiveness
Both strategies are cost-effective, so combining email marketing and SMS marketing packs a double punch in saving you money while reaching more people.
It’s like getting two for the price of one – emails for detailed messages and SMS for quick, attention-grabbing updates. This way, you’re making the most of your budget and getting your message across efficiently.
Regulations and Compliance
In both email and SMS scenarios, individuals need to opt-in to receive communications from the brand, meaning that the messages are already welcomed.
But remember also to include an opt-out option in your email and SMS services, as it respects your audience’s preferences and leads to higher trust in your brand. Not to mention that people appreciate being able to opt-out if the content isn’t relevant to them.
Enhanced Subscriber Experience
Your subscribers deserve some good pampering, and a combination of email and SMS marketing campaigns is a top way to enhance their experience. Working hand in hand, these two channels can create a seamless and personalized journey. For instance, if a customer shows interest in pet-related text messages, segment them into an animal-loving email list. Then you can send out, for example, emails about flash sales with confidence that it’ll be pleasantly received!
Answered Consumer Preferences
The ability to choose is something we all sought after. And the choice of how we’re communicated with is no exception.
That’s why email and SMS marketing, used together, manages to align with consumers’ preferences perfectly. It allows some people to receive emails for detailed updates and others via quick SMS messages.
This way, the experience with your brand becomes smooth and tailored to a T. A product launch in an email or a time-sensitive offer via SMS, whatever it is, you can trust that you’re reaching your target audience the way they want to be contacted. Happy, engaged customers – doesn’t it sound nice?
Lower Cart Abandonment Rate
Emails have been proven to reduce cart abandonment rates effectively, but it doesn’t mean the abandoned cart recovery cannot be improved – you can include SMS messages.
While relatively effective, cart abandonment email campaigns can rarely brag about high open rates. The thing that SMS notifications are most celebrated for. You can expect immediate and pleasant results by incorporating text messages into your sequence.
Ensured Compliance with Anti-Spam Laws
Businesses are strongly motivated to adhere to specific regulations, such as the CAN-SPAM Act, if they’re US-based. To make absolutely sure that your marketing efforts align with anti-spam laws and avoid the possibility of hefty fines, it’s crucial to select a reputable third-party service for sending both email and SMS marketing messages.
Top SMS and Email Marketing Platforms
Ok, how hard is it to juggle both SMS and email marketing campaigns? These tools prove it’s breezy:
Sender
If you’re looking for an affordable yet powerful omnichannel tool, look no further than Sender.
The platform is a perfect fit for SMBs (Small-to-Medium Businesses) searching for a comprehensive platform that doesn’t compromise on features. With Sender’s workflow builder, you can easily automate and manage advanced email and text messaging in one human-friendly dashboard.
Use smart segmentation and personalization to group customers based on their preferences and behavior to guarantee that they receive engaging and timely communication from you. That’s the way to engage and boost loyalty.
With Sender, you may also stop worrying about fleeting time and effort. Their drag-and-drop builder and premade templates are designed to create visually stunning, high-converting emails, popups, and forms in a flash.
Key features:
- Email and SMS marketing automation;
- Intuitive drag-and-drop design builder and free library of premade templates;
- High-converting popups for lead generation;
- Real-time reporting and analytics to track and improve email and SMS marketing strategies;
- High deliverability rate;
- Smart segmentation and personalization for sending relevant and targeted messages.
Pricing
- Starts from $15 per month for up to 2,500 subscribers and 30,000 emails per month;
- Free Forever plan available for up to 2,500 subscribers and 15,000 emails per month (SMS marketing isn’t included in the Free plan).
Klaviyo
Klaviyo is an omnichannel marketing automation platform aimed at helping ecommerce businesses engage subscribers and boost sales.
The platform’s strengths lie in its comprehensive automation capabilities, empowering you to design timely email and SMS workflows — everything for the customer to feel valued and genuinely engaged.
Even more exciting is Klaviyo’s recent introduction of AI-powered tools. One of these tools, AI-driven predictive analytics, uses past data to provide future insights, allowing you to make smarter decisions. The AI content creator is also worth mentioning. One of the features, the SMS assistant, creates targeted and well-crafted text marketing messages in seconds.
Key features:
- Email and SMS flow automation;
- Smart segmentation;
- Web form builder;
- A vast library of premade email templates;
- AI-powered tools for behavior forecasting and content creation;
- Detailed analytics and reporting.
Pricing
- Free version available but with contact limit;
- Paid plans start out from $20 per month up to 500 subscribers.
Brevo (Formerly Sendinblue)
If your future forecasts implement more marketing channels like social media and chat, Brevo has covered you with its all-in-one solution.
Brevo brings a user-friendly charm and affordability into email and SMS marketing. And once you’re ready, it allows you to take control of other marketing channels effortlessly, including CRM, to help you take charge of your lead pipeline.
This versatile tool lets you manage your contact list effortlessly, create eye-catching emails and landing pages, and delve into insightful reporting features. Feel free to run A/B tests to fine-tune your strategies and more.
Key features:
- Intuitive drag-and-drop builder;
- Advanced CRM;
- Support for SMS campaigns & transactional emails;
- Dynamic personalization for targeted campaigns;
- Advanced segmentation;
- Smart A/B testing features.
Looking to explore the SMS marketing landscape more thoroughly? Take a peek at these 10 best SMS marketing platforms & text software in 2024.
Key Takeaways
Here you have it – the answer to how combining email and SMS marketing can make headway for your marketing efforts, engage your audience, and skyrocket your sales. Before you go, grab a short recap:
- Combining email and SMS marketing offers a powerful strategy to reach a wider audience effectively, using their strengths to maximize engagement;
- Email marketing provides detailed information and visuals, while SMS delivers quick and concise updates directly to customers’ phones, increasing interaction chances;
- By tracking metrics and using analytics from both communication strategies, you can improve performance and tailor content for better results;
- Cross-channel marketing, the synergy of email and SMS marketing, creates a unified customer experience, enhancing brand recognition and engagement;
- The combination of email and SMS marketing aligns with consumer preferences, offering tailored communication options and decreasing cart abandonment rates through effective SMS notifications;
- When choosing a tool for your omnichannel marketing strategy, consider its affordability, scalability, and possibility to seamlessly manage multiple channels at once.
By now, you’ve likely recognized the significance of not overlooking SMS marketing. Delve deeper into the intricacies of SMS marketing with these additional articles:
- SMS Marketing for Ecommerce: Strategies, Templates
- What is an SMS Notification? Definition, Examples
Author bio
Vesta Oldenburg is a content writer specializing in email marketing strategies. In her daily work, creativity intertwines with a strategic mindset to create content that captivates its readers.
