SMS Marketing

As a Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) eCommerce brand, you have access to two of the most powerful marketing channels: email and SMS. While both channels allow you to engage with your customers, the way you approach these audiences should be different. Email and SMS audiences expect distinct types of communication, have varying levels of urgency, and respond to different kinds of content.

In this blog, we’ll dive into the key differences between email and SMS audiences and how you can effectively market to each channel to drive results for your DTC eCommerce brand.

Understanding the Differences Between Email and SMS Audiences

1. Intent and Engagement

  • Email Audience: Email subscribers typically expect more detailed, value-driven content. Email is a great platform for storytelling, brand-building, product launches, promotions, and educational content. Customers generally engage with emails when they have more time, and their intent may be lower compared to SMS.
  • SMS Audience: SMS subscribers, on the other hand, expect brief, direct, and time-sensitive messages. SMS communication feels more personal and urgent because it’s delivered right to their mobile phones. People check their texts quickly, so SMS is perfect for flash sales, shipping updates, or personalized alerts.

2. Open and Click Rates

  • Email Audience: Open rates for email tend to vary between 15% and 30%, with click-through rates usually around 2-5%. Emails can often sit in inboxes for hours or days before they’re opened, meaning they are better suited for messages that don’t require immediate action.
  • SMS Audience: SMS open rates are significantly higher, often exceeding 90%, and most messages are read within minutes. The engagement here is much more immediate. As a result, the call to action (CTA) in SMS campaigns must be clear and actionable, typically designed to encourage an instant response.

3. Frequency and Expectation

  • Email Audience: Email marketing allows for more frequent communication without overwhelming subscribers. You can send weekly or bi-weekly newsletters, product updates, and promotional campaigns without much risk of burnout. However, relevance is key; overly promotional or irrelevant emails can lead to unsubscribes.
  • SMS Audience: SMS audiences expect less frequent but highly relevant communications. A few well-timed messages per month are ideal for SMS. Since this is a much more personal space, over-communication can easily result in opt-outs. SMS marketing should feel exclusive and only deliver the most urgent and relevant offers or updates.

4. Content Format

  • Email Audience: Emails offer more space for storytelling, product descriptions, and visuals. You can include images, GIFs, longer text, and multiple links. This makes email the best channel for newsletters, product education, and promotions that require more explanation.
  • SMS Audience: SMS messages are restricted in length, typically to 160 characters per message. This constraint forces brevity. The content should be clear and to the point, often including a link that directs customers to your website or landing page. SMS is perfect for reminders, exclusive discounts, and time-sensitive announcements.

5. Conversion Path

  • Email Audience: Emails are typically part of a longer customer journey. Subscribers often go through multiple emails in a drip sequence before converting. This means you can gradually nurture your audience with educational content, testimonials, and promotions over time.
  • SMS Audience: SMS subscribers are often further down the sales funnel, so the conversion path is more direct. Messages are designed to drive immediate action, whether it’s making a purchase, redeeming a code, or signing up for a service. SMS can serve as a last nudge or a reminder for limited-time offers.

How to Market to Email vs. SMS Audiences for DTC eCommerce

Now that we understand the differences between email and SMS audiences, let’s look at how to effectively market to each channel.

1. Email Marketing Strategies

  • Build and Nurture Relationships: Email is an excellent channel for nurturing leads and building long-term customer relationships. Use email to share your brand story, introduce new products, provide customer testimonials, and deliver educational content. Regular newsletters can keep your brand top-of-mind while driving engagement.
  • Segment and Personalize: As a DTC brand, segmentation is critical for email marketing success. Segment your audience by behavior (last purchase, browsing history), interests, or lifecycle stage (new customers vs. repeat buyers) and send personalized messages that speak directly to their needs.
  • Promotions and Product Launches: Email is ideal for in-depth promotions, seasonal sales, and new product announcements. You can include visually rich content to show off your products, explain the benefits, and guide subscribers to your online store with clear CTAs.
  • Abandoned Cart Emails: With email, you can send detailed abandoned cart reminders with product images, descriptions, and incentives (such as a discount or free shipping) to encourage customers to complete their purchase.

2. SMS Marketing Strategies

  • Urgency and Exclusivity: Use SMS for time-sensitive messages that demand immediate attention. Flash sales, exclusive discounts, restock alerts, and limited-time offers work well in SMS campaigns. Make your SMS subscribers feel like VIPs with early access to sales or special deals that are only available via text.
  • Personalized and Direct CTAs: Since SMS messages are short and direct, the CTA must be clear and actionable. For example, a message like, “Get 20% off your order today! Use code SAVE20 at checkout. Shop now: [link]” is concise, relevant, and drives immediate action.
  • Order and Shipping Updates: SMS is an excellent channel for transactional updates such as order confirmations, shipping updates, and delivery notifications. Customers appreciate real-time information, and these messages often lead to higher customer satisfaction and loyalty.
  • Re-Engagement Campaigns: If you have customers who haven’t made a purchase in a while, send a re-engagement SMS with a personalized offer. Since SMS has high open rates, this is a great way to bring inactive customers back into the fold.

Combining Email and SMS for Maximum Impact

While email and SMS marketing require different approaches, they work best when integrated into a cohesive omnichannel strategy. Combining both channels can amplify your results.

Here’s how you can align both strategies:

  • Welcome Series: Use email to introduce new subscribers to your brand with a more in-depth welcome series, and follow up with an exclusive SMS offer for immediate purchases.
  • Abandoned Cart: After sending an abandoned cart email, follow up with an SMS reminder offering an additional discount to encourage the customer to complete their purchase.
  • Post-Purchase Sequence: Use email for detailed order summaries, product recommendations, and satisfaction surveys, and send SMS for shipping and delivery notifications.
  • Product Launches: Announce new products or collections via email, providing detailed information and imagery, and then send an SMS with a direct link to shop as soon as the products go live.

Final Thoughts

As a DTC eCommerce brand, understanding the differences between your email and SMS audiences is essential for creating effective, targeted marketing strategies. While email is ideal for nurturing relationships, providing in-depth content, and sending promotional campaigns, SMS is a powerful tool for driving immediate action, offering exclusive deals, and delivering urgent messages. By leveraging both channels strategically, you can enhance the customer experience, increase conversions, and build long-lasting relationships with your audience