SMS marketing overview: What it is and how it can help your business

Learn more about SMS (short message service) marketing features, and how you can use it to reach your audience in a new and more personal way

SMS marketing helps you connect and engage with your audience through targeted text messaging. Here's everything you need to know about how SMS marketing works and the benefits of using it:

• What is SMS marketing and how does it work?
• Why should I consider adding SMS marketing to my email plan?
• What SMS marketing features are included?
• Why use email, social media, and SMS together?
• How can I grow my SMS marketing list?
• Content for SMS vs email vs social
• How to register for SMS marketing?
• Is there anything else I should know?

Tip: All Constant Contact customers can preview the SMS feature, regardless of plan! Draft your messages and prepare your campaigns. Then, when you’re ready, purchase the SMS add-on to send your SMS campaigns. Find out how.

When you’re ready, follow these steps to add SMS to your email plan and then register for SMS marketing in your account. We'll automatically create a Sign-up Landing Page with SMS enabled for you, so you can start building your SMS list immediately after your registration is approved.

What is SMS marketing and how does it work? 

SMS marketing is a form of consent-based communication that lets you engage your contacts through text messages sent directly to their mobile phones.

First, your contacts opt in and give you explicit permission to send text messages to the mobile number they provide. Then you can create and send SMS messages that include announcements, information, or a call to action. Your contacts can't respond back to you by text, but you can provide them with a URL to access more targeted information.

Learn about Constant Contact's SMS permission policy to understand how contacts opt in.

Since most people read their text messages quickly after receiving them, SMS marketing is a great way to get your message in front of your customers and supporters!

Why should I consider adding SMS marketing to my email plan?

SMS marketing is cost-effective. Messages are typically opened within minutes of being received and have high engagement rates. You can use it to appeal to customers and contacts who want to receive news, coupons, promotions, and other messages via text.  

Be a better marketer: Check out our Small Business Guide to SMS Marketing!

What SMS marketing features are included?

Constant Contact makes it easy to grow a list of opted-in SMS contacts and engage them with SMS messages. We offer:

• Easy-to-use editor: Create messages quickly with an editor that includes a live preview and a built-in link shortener. The editor also provides counters so you always know how many individual text messages your SMS includes and the number of contacts you're sending to so that you don't go over your monthly allotment. Plus, with AI tools built in, you'll never worry about writer's block! Click the AI button to generate the perfect message in seconds. 
• Phone number: We provide you with a dedicated phone number to send your texts from. The area code for your dedicated number is based on the support phone number you provide when you register. The phone number stays the same, so your contacts always know the message is coming from you.
• Privacy policy and terms of service templates: If you already have a privacy policy and terms of service, you can link to them or upload them into your Library to host them. If you don't yet have them, we provide templates you can use to create them, to get you up and running quickly.
• Sign-up Landing Pages: Grow your list with a custom webpage designed to capture new contacts! We create an SMS-enabled landing page for you that you can start using immediately. The landing page includes an SMS marketing consent field and a field to collect a mobile number independently from a general phone number. You can even create additional Sign-up Landing Pages that can be further customized for a specific audience.
• Automated communications: For those in the Plus package, you can automatically send communications at the right time without lifting a finger. Create abandoned-cart messages that trigger SMS reminders to increase sales via integrations with BigCommerce, Shopify, and Wix.
• Reporting: Know what works by seeing clicks, views, unsubscribes, revenue, and more, and use your data to inform future marketing campaigns.

Why use email, social media, and SMS together?

SMS is a powerful marketing channel that allows you to engage with your customers quickly and easily. Combined with email and social media marketing, you can maximize your reach and increase consistent customer engagement on whichever platform they prefer.

• Create and send an SMS marketing message while respecting quiet hours
• Create an automated customer journey for abandoned carts with email and SMS reminders

Be a better marketer: Learn more about How To Use SMS and Email Marketing To Boost Engagement.

How can I grow my SMS marketing list?

Once your registration is approved, we create a Sign-up Landing Page that can be shared via email, on your website, in social posts, in online ads, and more to grow your SMS contact list. In addition, you can create and customize your own landing page for a targeted audience, and if you already have existing email contacts, you can incentivize them to sign up for SMS updates and reminders too!

• Share your Sign-up Landing Page
• Create a Sign-up Landing Page to collect new email and SMS contacts online
• Ask your existing email contacts to opt into SMS
• Add new email and SMS subscribers through Text to Join

Be a better marketer: Learn more about using SMS Text Message Marketing Best Practices to Build Relationships and Increase Sales.

Content for SMS vs email vs social

SMS marketing is great for time-sensitive, short content (160 characters or less). Email marketing is ideal for increasing brand recognition, educating, engaging your audience, and promoting multiple products. Social media allows you to engage with your existing audience and reach your target audience with announcements, videos, article links, images, stories, and reviews.

Read this for best practices on drafting your SMS messages.

Be a better marketer: Want to learn more about using SMS marketing? Check out Text Message Marketing for Small Business,  What is SMS for Retail and How Can You Use It?, and How to Use SMS for Nonprofits for ideas.

How to register for SMS marketing?

• You need to be a US customer. 
• You need a valid EIN (Employer ID Number) for most SMS plans. Sole proprietors without an EIN can register for SMS, but are limited in the number of messages they send. EINs aren't just for corporations, nonprofit organizations, or partnerships. Sole proprietors are also eligible to apply for an EIN. Learn more.
• Your organization must be registered with the state where you conduct business. Our SMS messaging provider checks your SMS registration information against official state and federal databases. If the information you enter for your SMS registration doesn't match these databases, your registration can be rejected. Learn more.
  • Note: Texas state's telemarketing regulations are expanding to include text messages. If your business is located in Texas or sends marketing texts to Texas residents, you might need to take action. Learn more.
    
    
• You need a valid website or Facebook Business page. The website or Facebook Business page is linked in the response message when your SMS contacts reply "Help." Your website can't be a Constant Contact landing page. Learn more.
• You need a valid way of capturing SMS opt-ins. Once your registration is approved, we automatically create an SMS-enabled Sign-up Landing Page that you can start sharing immediately. This landing page is required and can't be deleted, but you can also create and customize additional sign-up landing pages. Learn more.
• You need a privacy policy. You can upload your own or create one during the registration process. This is linked in your Sign-up Landing Page for collecting new SMS subscribers. Learn more.
• You need mobile terms and conditions/terms of service (T&C/TOS). You can upload your own or create one during the registration process. This is linked in your Sign-up Landing Page for collecting new SMS subscribers. Learn more.
• You need to provide sample SMS message content. This helps us understand how your organization will be using SMS marketing.

Important: Our SMS marketing tools are only available to US customers (excluding Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands) with a valid 9-digit Tax ID Number (TIN), or an Employer ID Number (EIN) for businesses assigned by the IRS. For sole proprietors who are the only employee, they do not need to enter an Employer ID Number (EIN). Contacts with phone numbers from Puerto Rico can join your list and receive text messages.  Learn more.

For the full process, read Register your account for SMS marketing.

Is there anything else I should know?

Since SMS marketing is a separate communication channel from email marketing, there are a few additional policies you should be aware of. Read more about these policies and how Constant Contact’s tools automatically include required information and consent features built in to keep you compliant:

• Guidelines for using SMS marketing through Constant Contact
• Add your organization's SMS privacy policy and terms of service
• SMS marketing best practices

Phone carriers impose restrictions on small businesses based on the number of SMS messages sent. This may restrict your ability to send to large numbers of customers at once, so some messages may take 2 to 3 days to arrive. This is due to carrier sending restrictions and is not specific to Constant Contact.

• T-Mobile - sends 2000 messages/day (queuing currently unavailable for 4 to 6 weeks).
• AT&T - sends 75 messages/minute or 4500 per hour.

Any links we provide from non-Constant Contact sites or information about non-Constant Contact products or services are provided as a courtesy and should not be construed as an endorsement by Constant Contact.

Questions?