3 Types of SMS Marketing Messages to Add to Your Strategy

July 10, 2023

Which category do your marketing text messages fall into? 

That’s probably not the first thing you think of when building out your SMS marketing strategy. You just know that texting can help you solve business problems and provide a better customer experience.

That said, knowing the types of SMS marketing campaigns can help you maximize your outcomes from this strategic marketing channel.

Some common texting use cases for SimpleTexting customers are:

• Getting more sales with mobile coupons
• Preventing no-shows with timely appointment reminders
• Reducing call volume with automated FAQ responses

But there are so many more types of SMS marketing campaigns available to you, and most only take a few minutes to write and schedule. 

What are the three types of SMS marketing?

1. Promotional text campaigns
2. Transactional text messages
3. Conversational SMS

I’ll walk you through these three text message marketing categories and share examples inspired by independent businesses that use our SMS marketing platform.

Businesses that text customers are 217% more likely to report success. Take advantage of SMS marketing. Meaningful connections are just a text away with SimpleTexting.

Disclaimer: Please note that any advice about compliance for these text messages 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.

Promotional text messages showcase your products and services, educate customers, and keep them engaged with your brand.

Most often, promotional SMS are sent as mass texting campaigns (also known as one-way messaging) to help increase sales and customer loyalty.

Before you can send someone a promotional text, you need to get their express written consent that they want you to text them. 

In other words, you need electronic or paper proof that your contact:

• Has agreed to receive marketing text messages from an autodialer (or automated texting software).
• Knows that signing up for your texts isn’t a condition of any transaction.

Even if you already have a list of past customers in your CRM software, you need to have a record of their consent to receive promotional texts. You can invite people to join your list using compliant opt-in methods.

📚 Learn more about opt-in methods like keywords, web forms, and click-to-text buttons in our opt-in methods guide.

Use these example promotional texts as inspiration for your upcoming SMS campaigns.

💡 Beat writer’s block with AI Assist — an automated tool that writes your text messages for you! Sign up for a free 14-day trial of SimpleTexting to test out this feature. 

Transactional text messages provide customers with information that’s necessary to use your product or service. 

They can help you manage your customers’ expectations and increase satisfaction before, during, and after they interact with your business.   

What is transactional SMS vs. promotional SMS?

Unlike promotional text messages, transactional texts don’t advertise your products or services or nurture leads. They simply provide essential information, like order tracking numbers and password reset codes. 

These texts can also prompt customers to confirm details, like whether they’re planning to attend an upcoming appointment, or take an action, like making a payment.

Though these types of text messages aren’t promotional, you still need to get your contacts’ permission to message them. 

The difference from promotional texts, though, is that you only need express consent (instead of express written consent). When a customer gives you their phone number, you can text them information they may expect to receive.

For instance, you may add a line to the contact information section of your checkout process that says, “Provide your number for order status and shipping updates.” The customer can consent by entering their number in the form.

This doesn’t mean that you can send them promotional messages later. You’d need to get their written permission using one of the opt-in methods for promotional texts that I mentioned above.

Keep your customers informed and encourage them to take necessary actions with these transaction text message examples.

Order and booking confirmations

Shipping and delivery notifications

Payment reminders and confirmations

Conversational SMS, also called customer service SMS, is real-time customer support via text.  It often involves automated messages, two-way messaging with a live representative, or a combination of the two.

For example, you can set up triggers — keywords that a customer texts to your number — that prompt an automated response to frequently asked questions.

Watch the video below to see an example of FAQ triggers and how to set one up.

Sometimes, conversational texting refers to prompting your contacts to reply to your message to spark a conversation. 

That might look like:

Did you see any types of SMS marketing that would improve your strategy? Test them out today by signing up for a free 14-day trial of SimpleTexting. You can send your first message in minutes, and our support team is here seven days a week to lend a hand.

This article was written July 10, 2023, by Dani Henion. Nathan Ellering contributed to this piece.