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How to build a winning Black Friday strategy with SMS and email

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Black Friday and Cyber Monday are getting bigger and busier every year. In 2023 alone, U.S. online sales from Black Friday generated $9.8 billion, up 7.5% from the year before. And  with shoppers spending more, they’re expecting more, too – in fact, a recent Sinch Black Friday communications survey revealed that 75.5% of consumers expect confirmation within five minutes of making a purchase, and 88% say their experience with a brand matters as much as what that brand is selling.

This is where an omnichannel marketing strategy with both email and SMS can come in to help you meet and exceed your customers’ needs. Email is great for sending detailed offers, while SMS delivers instant updates that drive action. Together, they ensure your message reaches customers effectively and at the right time.

In this article, we’ll cover how to craft a winning Black Friday strategy using both email and SMS, and walk through practical ecommerce use cases to help you maximize those holiday sales.

Why you need your SMS and email to work together in 2024

Did you know that in 2024, 90% of consumers check their text message inboxes more than 10 times per day? SMS is supported by every mobile device in the world (that’s 7.3 billion people!), so it’s truly one of the fastest and most effective ways to reach your target audience.  

But not every message needs to grab someone’s immediate attention. And that’s the beauty of email. In 2024, Sinch Mailgun found that 85% of consumers check their email inboxes at least twice a day, meaning they can engage at their own pace. 

So rather than thinking, “Which is better, SMS or email?” it’s more effective to recognize that they serve different purposes. The real power lies in using both together, depending on your audience’s needs.  

During Sinch Mailjet’s Email Camp 2024, Elizabeth Jacobi, Founder of MochaBear Marketing, explained why combining SMS and email is so essential for a successful 2024 strategy.

Watch the video to hear Elizabeth Jacobi, Founder of MochaBear Marketing, discusses why email and SMS are the ultimate pair.

Interesting, right? It goes to show that if you want to elevate your Black Friday marketing campaigns, using both email and SMS in a strategic way is key.

Best practices to make your Black Friday marketing strategy shine

We’ve established the importance of using both SMS and email together. But how can you make it happen? Here are a few key best practices for retailers and ecommerce businesses using both channels.

1. Plan ahead

Success starts with smart planning. First, set clear goals for your Black Friday campaign. Is your objective to boost sales? Optimize conversion rates? Grow your subscriber list? Or something else? Whatever your priority, defining your goals early will help keep your team aligned and help you measure success. 

After you’ve set your goals, you’ll have to start planning your messaging. But remember: Your Black Friday messages should start well before the holiday shopping season, regardless of if you plan to send SMS or email. In fact, in 2024, over half of consumers said they wanted to know about Black Friday promotions well before the day, with 35.5% preferring them one month before and 21.9% saying they want to hear from brands sooner than that. Starting early will help you avoid the rush and capture your potential customers’ attention before your competitors.

2. Start with an opt-in campaign

For both SMS and email, you need to make sure that the people you’re contacting have willingly opted in. Email compliance standards have tightened over the past decade and SMS compliance is even more strict.  

It’s your responsibility to make sure that your email and SMS efforts comply with relevant regulations, that you’ve obtained proper consent from recipients, and that you’ve provided clear opt-out options before starting any marketing program. 

When it comes to SMS, consider building a list of subscribers with an exclusive Black Friday offer. In a 2024 Sinch Mailgun report, 46% of consumers said they’d sign up for texts to get special offers or one-time discounts. You can grow your list with opt-in forms, promos, in-store signups, and even emails – sweetened with perks like discounts or early access.

Learn more: Check out this guide to learn about SMS opt-in best practices.  

3. Know your audience

Understanding your target audience is always crucial, but it’s especially important around Black Friday when you might be tempted to blast your special deals to your whole email list. But for email, sending messages to inactive contacts or people who aren’t interested anymore can lead to high bounce rates, which could have long-term negative effects on your email marketing efforts. Instead, focus on your most engaged contacts – these are the ones who actually want to hear from you.

For both email and SMS, it’s also important to make sure you have a proper segmentation strategy in place. Targeting specific groups based on their behavior or preferences will help you build stronger relationships with them.

2024 holiday dates to keep in mind
No matter if you’re using SMS or email, keep these 2024 dates in mind, because they’re when competition for your customers’ attention will be highest.

4. Don’t overwhelm people

Over 26% of people we surveyed in 2024 said that getting too many messages from a brand turns them off. Keep your customers happy by sticking to a reasonable SMS frequency – one to three messages a week max should do the trick

On the email side, gradually ramp up your sending volume as Black Friday approaches rather than all at once for better results.

5. Sync your email and SMS campaigns for maximum impact

Next, let’s talk content. Email gives you the space to get creative, so use it wisely – personalize your messages, target specific segments, and create catchy subject lines with clear CTAs. In our 2024 BFCM Communications Survey, over 80% of consumers said they want to receive personalized recommendations from brands, so make your emails so compelling that someone can’t help but open them! 

For SMS, keep your messages short and sweet. SMS marketing is all about quick, actionable offers, so only have one CTA per message – whether that’s a flash sale, a limited-time discount, or a reminder about an expiring deal. 

Our recommendation? Send SMS to share discounts with your most engaged users and use email to reach a broader audience, but make sure that your messaging is cohesive across channels for the best customer experience. 

Explore our full collection of SMS templates for ideas on welcome texts, limited-time offers, abandoned cart reminders, and more.

6. Use other channels

SMS is great for quick promos that reach your whole audience – but adding over-the-top channels like RCS or WhatsApp will let you send images and videos, too. Use different channels strategically to level up your campaigns and engage potential customers in ways that SMS can’t.  

With Sinch’s SMS API, you can easily upgrade your SMS messages to RCS, so that your messages are delivered in the most effective format possible. 

And, of course, you shouldn’t overlook the power of social media channels like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok to build awareness and engage people in real-time.  In fact, in our recent BFCM Communications Survey, Instagram DMs was the top choice for hearing about BFCM promotions for consumers under 30!

For a more in-depth walkthrough on how to use both email and SMS in 2024, download our free playbook to help you win over Black Friday shoppers in 2024.

Best Black Friday marketing ideas using email and SMS

Using email and SMS together can help you reach more customers, drive conversions, and cater to shoppers’ individual needs. In our recent Black Friday survey, nearly 20% of consumers said they’d like to get BFCM deals through both email and SMS, and over 30% of respondents chose this combination for their transactional messages.

Let’s look at some ideas for using email and SMS together for Black Friday.

Driving new customers to convert

Email is the perfect tool for delivering detailed, engaging content. It’s great for product highlights or showcasing longer-form content. Meanwhile, SMS is about instant engagement, so it’s fantastic for creating a sense of urgency. It can be a powerful way to incentivize final clicks and conversions, especially during Black Friday.  

What could this look like in real life? In early November, send an email featuring your best Black Friday deals. A few days later, send a reminder email with a countdown timer reiterating the value of the offers. And as it gets closer to Black Friday, create an SMS reminder with a 24-hour-only discount code that pushes people to act before the offer expires.

Incentivizing last-minute shoppers

As the clock winds down, last-minute shoppers will be in a frenzy searching for the best Black Friday sales. Sending quick reminders about low inventory or extended deals is where SMS shines and can push undecided shoppers to take action.

You can absolutely use an email marketing campaign to send early bird offers, but use SMS for sending last-minute messages or highlighting same-day delivery options that make the decision to buy even easier.

Here’s how you can make that happen: Kick off your campaign with an engaging email  promoting your Black Friday specials. You can even add in an opt-in widget that allows people to opt in for reminders via SMS. Then, as the deadline approaches, switch gears and start sending a few personalized SMS reminders. Last-minute shoppers will appreciate the quick updates and immediate access to deals right on their phones.

And if you need some inspiration, check out these 20 promotional text message examples.

Transactional messages

In 2024, Sinch Mailjet found that nearly 75% of consumers would choose email as their preferred channel for receiving transactional messages. While promotional campaigns tend to steal attention, it’s time to give transactional messaging the credit it deserves, as it could be exactly what your customers want to stay informed.

Email is great for sending long-form order confirmations, shipping details, and post-checkout follow-ups, because customers get all the information they need in a detailed, branded format.

But SMS can complement your transactional email strategy by providing real-time updates. In fact, over 30% of respondents in Sinch’s recent Black Friday survey said they’d want to get transactional messages through both email and SMS. With SMS, you can notify customers when their order has shipped, when it’s out for delivery, or if there’s any delay.

When a customer is making a purchase, invite them to subscribe to transactional SMS updates alongside their email notifications. If they opt in, send an email confirmation with their order details and a timeline for shipping updates. Then, use SMS to send real-time delivery updates, like when their package is out for delivery or if there’s any delay. These updates will help them have a better experience and help your brand build trust, so next time the customer is looking to make a purchase they immediately think of your brand.

Just keep in mind that just because someone has signed up for transactional messages, it doesn’t automatically enroll them for promotional ones. Be sure to get a separate opt-in for marketing messages to respect their preferences.

Get started with your Black Friday SMS and email strategy

The way your customers want to engage with your brand has evolved, and relying on a single channel just won’t cut it anymore. That’s why using both email and SMS strategically around Black Friday strategy will help you meet customers where they are and engage with them throughout their journey.  

Ready to dive deeper? Here are a few resources to help you prepare for Black Friday:  

Or, if you’re ready to take action, let’s chat. The Sinch team is ready to help you build an omnichannel experience that’ll keep your customers coming back. 

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