SMS marketing is a staple in today’s direct-to-consumer toolkit, opening new opportunities for customer engagement, retention, and revenue growth. The channel’s reach and popularity have extended to all corners of the world, including in Australia, where more brands and consumers are going mobile to not only communicate but shop.
More than 74 per cent of Australian shoppers are already signed up to receive SMS marketing messages from brands, while more than half (51 per cent) say they would sign up for texts so they can know immediately about promotions, offers, and updates. As SMS continues to evolve, offering consumers even more convenient, fast, and personalised ways to purchase products from seemingly anywhere, we can only expect these numbers to grow.
These Australian brands have told us exactly what prompted them to add SMS to their marketing strategy, along with which texting tactics have worked best for them so far.
JSHealth Vitamins
JSHealth is a leading wellness and lifestyle brand, founded in 2012 by Jessica Sepel, three-time best-selling health author. Born as a natural extension of this philosophy, JSHealth Vitamins provides unique supplements and vitamin-infused skincare, based on ingredients backed by traditional use and scientific evidence, in order to help people feel their best. Having her own formulations has allowed Sepel to use carefully chosen ingredients in specific doses, created with the intention to nourish well-being and confidence from the inside out.
What inspired the company to get started with SMS marketing:
“We wanted to reach and engage with our customers in a way that is easiest for them,” says Megan Wearing, digital marketing manager at JSHealth. “SMS has enabled us to quickly communicate new product launches, promotions, and any exciting events to our customers. It also enables us to nourish our relationships with our loyalty program members.”
A top SMS marketing strategy JSHealth recommends to other brands:
“Personalisation through segmentation has been a key strategy of ours,” says Wearing. “Using Yotpo SMSBump segments, we have been able to further enhance our SMS campaigns. For example, we can send a campaign to all customers. Then, as the promotion is coming to an end, we can send a reminder to a smaller segment of engaged customers. Loyalty flows, specifically ‘points reminders,’ have also been very successful for us.”
Bangn Body
Bangn Body is a leader in firming, multi-purpose, and anti-aging skincare. A clean and conscious skincare brand, it focuses on Australian-sourced, natural active ingredients that deliver proven benefits and visible results.
What inspired the company to get started with SMS marketing:
“The world of e-commerce has become more personalised. The way you interact with your customers needs to be measured and well-strategised on how they will receive a touch point from your brand,” says Priscilla Hajiantoni, CEO & founder of Bangn Body. “We decided SMS marketing was the perfect opportunity to provide customers with a more personalised service, as well as make them feel like a true VIP. Customers can subscribe to our SMS marketing list to receive VIP offers, access new product launches before anyone else, and also be reminded that they have left something in their cart, which in turn prompts them to make a purchasing decision. It’s important that SMS marketing is treated very differently from any other platform, as it’s super intimate and personable to the customer.”
A top SMS marketing strategy Bangn recommends to other brands:
“Integrating our SMS marketing into our Klaviyo email flows has worked wonders,” says Hajiantoni. “If someone receives an email but doesn’t purchase, a few hours later they will receive a text which reminds them, prompts them, and encourages them to make a purchasing decision. We have also found sending SMSs to our VIP customers about any new offerings, products, or promotions works extremely well, as they feel they are getting the VIP treatment. Our SMS lists are segmented and strategically positioned based on our monthly promotional campaigns, new product launches, and exclusive offers.”
Learn more about the current state of mobile commerce here.
