Key takeaways
- Announce your brand before the offer so recipients recognize you and don’t flag the SMS as spam.
- Start messages with an attention grabber (e.g., “SALE”, “ONE NIGHT ONLY”).
- Prioritize value over fluff: use giveaways, contests or a powerful limited‑time Black Friday discount.
- Keep texts concise: target a 160‑character cap to avoid message splitting and a poor viewing experience.
- Cross‑promote SMS with email and social by retooling offers per channel to boost response and grow contact lists.
Introduction
Last week, we spent a little bit of time talking about exactly what it takes to win over your audience in the inbox this coming Black Friday – feel free to catch up on that post here if you happened to miss it. However, discussing email marketing tactics during this immensely important shopping event is really only half of the equation. With this in mind, let’s dig into how implementing the following five powerful SMS marketing tips can help you truly excel on every channel as this year’s Black Friday inches ever closer.
Announce Your Intentions ASAP
The first tip on this list is all about identifying your brand before jumping into the offer and sales pitch. As Veronica Maria Jarski of Marketing Profs explains in her look at powerful SMS tactics, starting off with a declaration of your brand is vital to standing out in a crowded text message inbox.
There’s a large chance that your target audience will be swamped over by a deluge of texts leading up to and during the Black Friday rush, so the sooner your let these viewers know who you are, the less likely they are to dismiss this message as spam. If you can’t be bothered to start off with this simple introductory greeting, don’t be surprised when the response to your SMS initiative is less than stellar.
Implement an Attention Grabber
Additionally, Jarski goes on to point out that leveraging an attention grabbing word or phrase at the start of your message can help drum up interest among your target audience. Naturally, with the focus of this campaign being oriented toward Black Friday, selections like “sale,” and “one night only” are premium choices on this front.
Once you’ve honed in on the right “attention grabber,” consider typing out this inclusion in all capitals or with an exclamation point tacked on at the end. These little additions might not seem like much, but they help this vital content jump off of the small screen and direct viewers to the meat and potatoes of your marketed text message.
Value Trumps Fluff
Speaking of the core of your SMS offering, Megan Totka of Small Business Trends suggests going all-in on value this Black Friday. With so many brands vying for the attention of a limited number of consumers, it’s beyond imperative that you find a way to differentiate your organization.
Whether you incorporate giveaways and contests into this process, or you knock the socks off of your viewership with a powerful limited time Black Friday discount, the message stays the same; skip the fluff and fill your SMS offerings to the brim with value if you really want to generate a response from your audience.
Keep Things as Short as Possible
Another key tip that takes into account the unique constraints of the Black Friday environment comes in the form of keeping your texts short, sweet, and to the point. Your valued contact list members only have so much time to peruse SMS messages during this hectic holiday event, so writing out a novel is far from an ideal approach.
Instead, try to limit your messages to a 160 character cap if possible. Anything over this character limit will not only cause the message to split into multiple parts and lead to a clunky or negative viewing experience for your audience, it also steps dangerously close to the line that separates quality texts from those that are simply too longwinded to make an impact.
Connect Your Texts with Other Marketing Channels
Finally, don’t be afraid to cross promote your content and offerings across multiple channels. Social media, email marketing, and SMS outreach all share plenty of common ground, so retooling and reworking your discounts and promotions for each channel can help boost the response to your brand’s offerings this Black Friday.
Applying this approach also has the added benefit of bolstering your contact list numbers and following on each channel significantly; something that can keep the good vibes flowing for your brand long after the holiday season comes to a close.By implementing these tips into your upcoming SMS marketing campaigns, there’s truly nothing that can stand between your company and its ability to forge a lasting – and lucrative – bond with its target audience. The only question left to answer now is whether you’re ready or not to seize this opportunity and give the people that matter most to your brand what they want during the exciting build up to this year’s Black Friday festivities.
FAQ
Announce your brand first with a brief, clear identifier before the sales pitch so recipients immediately recognize who the message is from, reducing the chance it’s dismissed as spam.
Use direct, sale‑oriented phrases such as “sale” or “one night only.” Present them prominently to make the message jump off the small screen.
Keep messages as short as possible and aim for a 160‑character cap, exceeding that limit can split the SMS into multiple parts and create a clunky viewing experience.
Value should trump fluff. Lead with clear, compelling value like a limited‑time discount, giveaway or contest rather than longwinded copy to generate a stronger response.
Cross‑promote the same offers across SMS, email and social by retooling creative and messaging for each channel. This boosts overall response and can help grow contact lists and followings beyond the holiday.
