6 Promotional Message Examples to Copy

What’s the best way to get the word out about an exciting new deal or product launch?

Promotional messaging, or “promos” are messages sent with the intent to sell, upsell, or advertise a product, business, or service.

They can be a great way to share news and engage customers. But when they start to slide toward the overly promotional end of the scale, it starts to get a little dicey.

There’s nothing like receiving a text like this…

…to turn you off from a brand.

But you can still share deals, coupons, products, and more with promotional messages. We’ll show you how and give you some helpful examples.

Disclaimer: Please note that this advice is for informational purposes only and is neither intended as nor should be substituted for consultation with appropriate legal counsel and/or your organization’s regulatory compliance team.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• What is a Promotional Message?
• Promotional Message Examples
• Promotional Text Message Best Practices

What is a Promotional Message? 

Promotional messages are just that — promotional. The trick to an excellent promotional message, however, is not to come off too salesy.

What do we mean by salesy?

• Messages that don’t provide clear value to a customer
• Messages that come across as overly promotional (think “BUY RIGHT NOW”)
• Messages without a clear call to action
• Messages that overuse caps lock or include buzzwords like “free”

The trick to writing a good promotional message is to simply send a text that you would want to receive from a business.

It should be conversational, stick to one main topic, be timely/topical, provide a clear picture of what action the customer should take, and deliver some added value/information.

Like this:

Promotional Message Examples

There are a few variations on the traditional sales text. Here are just a few examples of promotional messages your business might send.

1. Mobile Coupons

Sharing discounts directly to customers’ phones is a great way to translate messages into actions quickly. 79% of smartphone users have made a purchase online using their mobile devices in the last six months.

Shopping from your phone is the new norm, so why not drive more mobile purchases with mobile coupons?

• Happy birthday, Lindsay! As a gift from us, take 20% off your next purchase with code HTY65.
• Summer is coming, so shine on with 15% off spray tans this month with code GLOW23.

2. Traditional Advertisements

Sometimes your business may go through a slow period, in which case you may want to give people a reason to visit.

Because 98% of texts are read, text ads are a great way to push people to your business right when you need them.

• Craving a self-care day? Book a brow appointment with us at [link]
• Every day is a good day for ice cream! Come in and see us for a sweet treat (and some brand-new flavors) today.

3. Product/Service Announcement

If you’ve recently launched a new product or service, it’s a newsworthy event for your customers. Build up some momentum by sending an SMS broadcast before, during, and after the big release.

• Today’s the day! Our new swimwear line is officially live. Check it out at [link] and get yours!
• Are you ready? The CherryBomb collection is out and on sale on our site! Grab your favorites before they’re gone.

4. Sales Alert

Another event worth noting to customers would be sales and clearance events. Your sales alerts must include what’s discounted, for how long, and specific price points in order to draw the most intrigue.

If it’s a larger sale, like an annual or semi-annual event, priming your customers with texts leading up to it can also help build anticipation.

• It’s our favorite time of year. Our annual PriceSlash sale is coming up on Friday! Join us for the best deals of the season.
• Ready for major deals? Shop our semi-annual sale this Saturday (and don’t forget, Platinum members get in an hour early at 9 AM).

5. Holiday Promotion

According to Adobe Analytics, U.S. holiday shoppers spent a record $211.7 billion online holiday shopping last year. The rules tend to go out the door when it comes to the holidays because spending habits simply aren’t the same.

In order to help you break through the noisiest marketing season of the year, send customers promotional text messages. With texts, the open rate is significantly higher than email, giving your message a much better chance of getting noticed.

Also, be sure to include a photo whenever possible. Research shows that messages with photos have higher click-through rates.

On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, 15% off cashmere! Shop JCPenny today and gift your loved ones something luxurious.

• Ho ho holiday savings! Shop our warmest winter gear online at [link] and use code SANTA at checkout for 10% off.
• What’s on your wishlist? Take 20% off beauty collections at [link], now through the 21st!

6. Flash Sale

A flash sale is a type of promotion that runs for only a short amount of time and usually features a specific product/service.

Another common hallmark of flash sales is a limited quantity of items up for grabs. Flash sales are great for offloading old products that may be out of season. They can also just be an exciting way to drive new or more traffic to your site.

Either way, texts are a fantastic way to announce a flash sale because they’re read so quickly. The odds of your customer seeing the text right when the flash sale is happening is exponentially higher.

• The flash sale is on tomorrow from 9 AM to noon at Katy’s Boutique! Take an extra 15% off our biggest deals of the year when you show this text at checkout.
• Ready, set, sale! Our Spring flash sale is coming up from 2-4pm on Sunday — stock up on warm weather styles.

When it comes to sales, promotional messages may very well become the lifeblood of your business.

Promotional Text Message Best Practices

Now you know a lot more about what promotional texts are and the creative juices are flowing.

Before you start sending, keep a few key best practices in mind.

• Message consistently. I mean consistently, not constantly. Strike a balance between disappearing for six weeks between texts and messaging contacts twice a day, every day. This will help keep you stay top-of-mind for your contacts (and in their good graces).
  
• Always have express consent from your contacts to text them. This will help keep your texts compliant with industry laws and regulations.
  
• Personalize your texts. Include any details your contacts have shared with you (like their name, birthday, or location) to make each message feel like it was written for them.
  
  Hint: Tools like custom fields make personalization a breeze.
  
• Keep it quick and casual. One of the best parts about SMS and its 160-character limit is that you must get the details across in a short space. Even if you’re using the larger MMS format, no one wants to receive a novel over text.
  
  So, stick to the important information and your brand’s voice. There’s no need to be formal unless that’s an integral part of your business.
  
• Don’t send any messages you wouldn’t be excited to receive. This is hands down the best way to make sure contacts are always happy to hear from you.
  
  Looking at your text, does it sound like a real person wrote it? Is it pushy or too vague? If you said yes to the former and no to the latter, you’re ready to send.

With those five tips in mind, you’re sure to see an ROI like many of our customers already have!

• Year Round Brown Increased Revenue By 20% With Text Promotions
• How Toroe Eyewear Generated an Extra $7K in 30 Days with Our Mobile Sign-Up Widget
• How Eu Natural Earned a 563% ROI With One SMS Campaign