Text Message Marketing: Complete SMS Marketing Guide for Business (2026)
Master text message marketing with this complete guide. Learn SMS strategy, compliance, templates, and tools to drive sales with text campaigns.
Text message marketing delivers what email can’t: near-instant, near-guaranteed readership. With 98% of texts read (most within 3 minutes), SMS is the most direct marketing channel available.
This guide covers everything you need to launch text message marketing for your business.
Why Text Message Marketing Works
| Metric | SMS | |
|---|---|---|
| Open rate | 98% | 20% |
| Response rate | 45% | 6% |
| Read within 3 min | 90% | 17% |
| Average ROI | $8.11/msg | $42/campaign |
| Click-through rate | 19% | 2.5% |
Types of Text Message Marketing
Promotional SMS
- Flash sales and limited-time offers
- New product launches
- Seasonal promotions
- Exclusive subscriber deals
Transactional SMS
- Order confirmations
- Shipping notifications
- Appointment reminders
- Account alerts
Conversational SMS
- Customer support
- Two-way communication
- Feedback collection
- Appointment scheduling
Getting Started with Text Marketing
Step 1: Choose Your Platform
Brevo combines SMS + email + WhatsApp in one platform:
- No monthly SMS minimums
- Global coverage (200+ countries)
- Automation workflows
- Contact segmentation
See our best SMS marketing platforms comparison.
Step 2: Build Your SMS List
- Add SMS opt-in to checkout process
- Include in signup forms
- Offer SMS-exclusive incentives
- Use keyword campaigns (text DEALS to 12345)
- Add to loyalty program enrollment
Step 3: Get Proper Consent
- Written opt-in required (TCPA compliance)
- Clear disclosure of message frequency
- Easy opt-out mechanism (reply STOP)
- Privacy policy link
- Keep consent records
Step 4: Create Your First Campaign
Best practices for SMS copy:
- Keep under 160 characters
- Lead with value/offer
- Include clear CTA
- Add urgency when relevant
- Always include opt-out
Example:
[Brand]: Flash sale! 30% off all items for the next 24 hours. Shop now: [link]. Reply STOP to opt out.
SMS Marketing Automation
Set up automated texts with Brevo:
- Welcome text — Confirm subscription, share discount code
- Abandoned cart — Reminder 2 hours after abandonment
- Shipping updates — Real-time delivery notifications
- Post-purchase — Review request 7 days after delivery
- Birthday — Special offer on their day
- Win-back — Re-engage after 60+ days inactive
SMS + Email: Better Together
Don’t choose between SMS and email — use both:
- Email for detailed content, newsletters, nurturing
- SMS for time-sensitive offers, reminders, confirmations
- Combined for multi-touch campaigns with higher conversion
Brevo lets you build workflows mixing email, SMS, and WhatsApp in a single automation.
Compliance Checklist
- Written consent obtained before sending
- Clear identification of sender
- Opt-out mechanism in every message
- Message frequency disclosed at opt-in
- Privacy policy accessible
- Consent records maintained
- Sending only during appropriate hours (8AM-9PM)
- TCPA/GDPR/CASL compliant
Text Message Marketing Templates
Flash Sale
[Brand] 🔥 48-HR SALE: Save 40% sitewide! Use code FLASH40. Shop: [link] Reply STOP to opt out
Cart Recovery
Hi [Name], you left items in your cart! Complete your order and get free shipping: [link] Reply STOP to unsubscribe
Shipping Update
[Brand]: Your order #1234 has shipped! Track it here: [link]
Review Request
Hi [Name], how was your recent purchase? Leave a quick review: [link] Thanks! Reply STOP to opt out
Getting Started
- Sign up for Brevo (SMS included free)
- Add SMS opt-in to your signup forms
- Create your first SMS campaign
- Set up automated text messages
- Combine with email for multi-channel campaigns
For more detail, see our SMS marketing complete guide and SMS for small business.