How to Combine SMS and Email Marketing for Your Ecommerce Business

Having an e-commerce business does not end with having an online store. You also need to develop robust marketing strategies to promote your products and drive sales.

That said, we will not be surprised if you use organic and paid digital marketing methods. It is also possible that you have a favorite method. But we will bet that email and SMS marketing is not one of them.

You might think of these methods as old school. However, implementing email and SMS marketing right can help boost customer retention and revenue. The best part is that one compliments the other.

Keep on reading if you are curious to know, how:

Build Each Other’s List

If you do email marketing, you used a couple of tactics to build an email list.

But have you thought of using SMS to collect email addresses from your customers? What about doing it the other way around?

Of course, the first thing to do is to encourage your online customers to subscribe to both channels. Another way is to leverage email and SMS is to use them when sending an update. For instance, when notifying a customer that his package is ready for shipping.

Using Email to Build Your SMS List

If you have an established online store, you may have a collection of email addresses. When done right, you can use this list to increase your SMS subscribers.

For one, you can encourage your email subscribers to contact you via SMS for faster transactions. It can be as simple as asking them to send a code to a particular number.

You can also head to your email marketing tool and update your template to ensure that your mobile number is included in your email’s footer.

But here’s the thing: Asking your email subscribers to subscribe via SMS can be an easy feat. That’s because 70% of customers prefer to connect with businesses via SMS.

Use SMS to Build Your Email List

Meanwhile, you may have customers who gave you their mobile number but not their email.

What you can do is encourage your SMS subscribers to subscribe via email in exchange for an incentive. It can be exclusive dibs for upcoming promos and sales. Because who would not want that?

Another is to give them a discount in exchange for subscribing to your newsletter.

Save the Date

If you can have plenty of matching subscribers in your email and SMS lists, the next thing to do is figure is how you can use channels.

One way to do that is to use both channels for the Save the Date campaign.

For instance, your online store will have an upcoming grand sale. What you can do is send a reminder to your SMS subscribers, letting them know that they will receive a save the date email within 24 hours.

And in case they are not yet subscribed, send a short link where they can opt-in.

What’s cool about this tactic is that you have at least a 50% chance that people will be on the lookout for an email invite. That’s because there are customers who check their phones often than their email inbox.

Another reason is that it allows them to mark their calendars immediately. This creates a sense of excitement, which ensures that you will generate sales on your upcoming event.

Follow-Ups and Reminders

Many e-commerce business owners make the mistake of relying on email alone. They do not realize that SMS can be a great way to remind your subscribers to check their email.

As mentioned earlier, some people check their phones more than their email.

If you want to ensure that more people will see your email, consider sending them a notification, reminder, or follow up via SMS.

Alerts and Notifications

Say you need to make an update on your e-commerce store’s technical backend.

For example, you are updating your codes to ensure that it complies with one of your payment gateway’s regulations. And you know that this can affect the customer experience in your online store.

We suggest that you notify your existing customers and subscribers that you are making an update in times like these. And please send it through all your channels, including email and SMS.

For one, it allows them to plan accordingly. If you update on a Sunday morning, your customers can choose to postpone their online shopping on Monday. They can also opt to use a different payment channel if the update is only meant for a specific gateway.

What’s important is that you explain what the update is about, how long it will take, and what other actions your customers can take. It would also be best to send a message to inform your subscribers if the update is done.

And as mentioned earlier, use all your communication channels.

Running an e-commerce business means you have many online tools at your disposal. So, why settle on a single communication line when you can use SMS and email?