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From social to email, competition for eyeballs is intensifying. So, what is the next best channel for growing brands? Enter SMS, the low-cost and increasingly effective channel that you should invest in now.

I use the SMS search engine Tiny Texts to track every text that top brands send, and it provides insights into how often brands are leaning into text. For example, Crocs sends 7 to 8 texts per month. Alice and Olivia sent 12 texts in just the first couple weeks of June.

One of the reasons SMS is growing and will continue to grow is the relationship younger consumers have with texting. SMS is openly embraced by Gen Z, the brands they run, and the brands they love.

Chamberlain Coffee, the brand started by YouTuber Emma Chamberlain, sends 8 to 9 texts per month.

I’m also seeing higher open and conversion rates on SMS than email. On average, over 95% of SMS messages are opened and read within the first three minutes of delivery, compared to email open rates which average around 20-30% for most businesses.

Whether you are trying to drive first-time purchasers or increase LTV from your most loyal customers, there is plenty to learn from these 6 brands highlighted below.

1. Alo

Alo uses newness to drive traffic via text

Alo’s business and marketing strategy relies heavily on new product drops to drive momentum. In the last year, Alo has introduced skiwear, formalwear, skincare, supplements, and plenty of celebrity collaborations. So, it’s no surprise that their text messaging strategy also focuses heavily on new product announcements.

Roughly every 2 to 7 days Alo texts subscribers with a new color drop, announcing the arrival of shades like Wild Berry, Espresso, Bluestone, Olive Tree, and Midnight Green. Scan their past texts, and you will see new color drops make up a large portion of the messaging strategy. That doesn’t mean the new colors are their best-selling items, it just means announcing new colors drives traffic.

Cher Fuller, Alo’s Senior Director of Digital Marketing, told Glossy in 2023 that promoting their Barbie-esque shade Paradise Pink drove clicks, but if the subscriber converted, it was black leggings they purchased first. A bright color or trendy item may be the fun thing that brings you in, but it’s not where new customers are converting, Fuller said.

2. Skims

Skims is committed to MMS

MMS, multimedia message, refers to texts with an image or gif. Among fashion brands and retailers, we see a variety of approaches to images in texts. Khaite never includes images. Bergdorf never includes images either. & Other Stories sometimes includes images. But Skims is all in on MMS.

MMS messages do not always drive better click-through rates, but I have encouraged brands I work with, like Steven Alan and Marion Parke, to at least test MMS alongside different types of copy. If you’re paying attention to costs, this does add up. For example, brands using Attentive for text messaging spend about $0.0175 to send each SMS message, and about $.04250 to send each MMS. Even with the increased cost, it may be worth testing to find out whether an image increases the click-through rate or conversion rate on say, a new product drop or cart abandonment text.

But for brands with gorgeous photography like Skims, the decision to go all in makes sense. Every Skims text includes an image. As a result, their text thread is colorful, eye-catching, and sexy, and if I had to guess I would bet they have a lower unsubscribe rate than their peers.

FRAME, a denim brand that regularly includes gifs in its texts, is another fun one to watch.

3. The Beachwaver Co.

Beachwaver integrates text with other marketing channels

By combining SMS with other tactics, you can create a cohesive and omnichannel customer journey. An obvious and common example: send an email then follow up with an SMS reminder. Text also integrates nicely with social, in-store messaging, and even broadcast.

The Beachwaver Co. puts SMS to work in many ways. Scanning their recent texts, they send their subscribers a message roughly every 1 to 5 days promoting sitewide sales and discount codes. But I especially like how they integrate SMS with another emerging marketing tactic – live shopping.

Beachwaver hosts live videos multiple times a week, pulling in hundreds of thousands of views. Some videos demonstrate their patented curling iron, and some feature founder Sarah Potempa packing orders from their warehouse. If you have ever contemplated live shopping before, ensuring there are enough eyeballs to make it worthwhile is a valid concern. But if you have been cultivating an engaged base of text subscribers like Beachwaver has, then text is the perfect setting to announce when you go live.

4. FWRD

FWRD’s triggered messages create a personalized experience

FWRD is relatively new to texting, and so far, they are leaning into triggered messages as much as campaigns. FWRD frequently reminds me of the item waiting for me in my cart and compliments my good taste. I also get very frequent browse abandonment flows from them, which may be a reflection of how often I window shop on their site, how aggressively they are chasing non-converting traffic, or both.

Other smart uses of triggered text messages include low stock and restock notifications and loyalty rewards. If you collect birthdates from your customers, I love birthday text messages, and I see everyone from Sephora to the LA Dodgers using my birthday as a reason to engage.

5. Slutty Vegan

Slutty Vegan uses provocative texts for brand-building and engagement

You may not be familiar yet with Slutty Vegan, a vegan burger chain that began as an Instagram home-based business in 2018. In the past six years, it grew to 12 locations and recently sold a 25% stake to Danny Meyer. Part of this growth can be attributed to Slutty Vegan’s edgy, provocative, and culturally relevant brand. The slutty theme runs throughout the menu (with items like the Ménage à Trois), decor (neon signs remind you to “Eat Plants You Slut”), service (at the cash wrap first-time customers are referred to as “virgin sluts”), and texts.

I have been drawn in by Slutty Vegan’s provocative and sneaky texts many times, and usually find myself chuckling at the ways they get me to quickly open their messages. “I miss you”, “Turn around 👀,” “I have something to tell you,” and “This is my last time sending you nudes,” followed by a vegan burger pic or a reminder of Slutty Vegan’s store locations.  It’s a perfect example of what I always say about funny people in general, they take chances and while they might annoy you from time to time they don’t let that stop them.

Slutty Vegan incorporates its unique brand into text better than any other brand I have seen. Though for a second runner-up, read about Fashion Nova’s unhinged approach to text here.

6. The New York Post

The New York Post uses text to provide an interesting VIP experience

This example is a little different because I pay to receive these texts. For $4.99 a month, I subscribe to Post Sports+, a premium sports membership from the New York Post, that offers the opportunity to “Text with The Experts.” I get exclusive stories and analysis, and opportunities to interact with sportswriters like NHL reporter Mollie Walker and NCAA reporter Zach Braziller, all through text.

For example, Zach Braziller explained what was happening with college basketball players Chris Ledlum and Jordan Dingle, and sent me a link to the judge’s decision as soon as it was published. And Mollie Palmer regularly sends me NHL previews, line-ups, predictions, and post-game wrap-ups. Her texts come in at all hours of the day and sometimes when I'm lying on the couch at 9 p.m. and she reminds me to watch the game, it feels like I paid $4.99 for a new friend.

Conclusion

Text is just one piece of a comprehensive marketing strategy, but if you embrace it you can have a lot of fun with it and get a lot of mileage out of it. Now is a perfect time to explore SMS, and there are plenty of providers who can help. The brands I mentioned here are using SMS platforms like Community, Attentive, and Subtext, but there are many other options depending on your strategy and budget.

About the Author

Sheezan Bakali is a CMO who works with high growth, digital native consumer brands and brings experience from her work at Outdoor Voices, Blue Apron, Red Bull, Puma, Abercrombie & Fitch, Fab.com, and more.

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