Insights
30+ SMS templates to get you started
Insights
The benefits of SMS are clear: Reaching an audience of billions. Message delivery in a matter of seconds. Sky-high read and open rates. But even with all of these benefits, it can still be difficult to know where to start when texting your customers, especially when you only have 160 characters to craft a message that will resonate with your audience.
In last year’s Customer Connections survey of over 500 U.S. consumers, we found that SMS was easily their most preferred messaging channel for all sorts of use cases. And those preferences make it a great tool for meeting customers where they want to be met – on their phones, ready to engage.
Engaging your customers through SMS is a must in today’s mobile-first world. To help you get started, we’ve compiled a number of best practices and text message templates to engage, inspire, and create meaningful conversations with your audience.
Before you get started, understanding the difference between promotional and transactional SMS is key. It’s a legal requirement to include opt-out language on promotional text messages, but at Sinch we also recommend that you include it in transactional texts, even if it isn’t compulsory – that’s why all our examples below have it.
Still, as you start any new marketing program, it’s smart to consult with your legal team first to make sure you’re all on the same page.
SMS templates are a great way to make sure every message you’re sending abides by best practices. These include things like:
Whether you’re welcoming a new group of subscribers to your loyalty club, celebrating a special occasion with them, or sending a delivery order, we’ve compiled a list of templates to get you started and make sure your messages are as effective as possible.
Welcome texts are your brand’s opportunity to make a great first impression. You can send them to new subscribers, setting the tone for a positive and engaging relationship right from the start.
Here are a few welcome templates to inspire you for your own SMS marketing campaigns.
If you’re a retailer, this template can help you give a little extra something to someone after they’ve successfully signed up for a new account:
Whether you run an ecommerce store or you expect in-person customers, a template like this can help you drive repeat business after someone has made their first purchase:
It’s best practice to ask customers to confirm their subscription to promotional SMS text messages by asking them to opt in twice (also called a double opt-in). Here’s a quick template showing what that might look like:
After they’ve said, “yes,” and confirmed their interest in promotional texts, you can send a “thank you” message that sets expectations of how often they can expect to hear from you:
These “thank you” templates can help you express appreciation for customer interactions like new subscriptions. You can give thanks as well as special offers to encourage repeat purchases, setting the tone for your future interactions.
We should note: You’ll need to find a balance of messaging and special offers, avoiding the overuse of the word “free” and refraining from exaggerated financial claims. You want to steer clear of spam filters – so maintaining authenticity is key!
This template can be good for sending to subscribers after they’ve opted in to receive your text messages, or after they’ve signed up to be a part of your loyalty program.
Want to give your subscribers a special offer? Try this text message:
If you have a rewards program, you can use this template when someone has accumulated enough points to earn a prize:
Use this template to thank someone who has signed up to be a part of your loyalty club:
Or, use this template to give someone who has signed up to be a part of your loyalty club a discount:
In the world of SMS for retail, limited-time or time-sensitive offers can help create buzz and excitement among subscribers. Here are a few easy-to-use SMS marketing templates for big events like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, back-to-school season, or just when you want to give someone early access to a good deal.
Using mobile messaging around Black Friday can help you create a sense of urgency. Here’s how you could do that:
Meanwhile, an SMS template on Cyber Monday can help direct a subscriber directly to your website, like the following:
Parents and students will appreciate discounts on school supplies as they’re preparing for the school year, and SMS is a convenient way to deliver those savings directly to them:
Flash sales are a great way to generate excitement and prompt quick customer action. Here’s a flash sale SMS template for inspiration.
You can also give a discount code as part of your flash sale:
This text message template can help you recognize a loyal customer by making them feel special with special access to new product or event:
Special occasions might include a holiday, anniversary, or milestone. These are opportunities to connect with customers and express gratitude for their support.
Here are a few SMS campaign templates for ecommerce that you can use on holidays or special occasions.
Celebrating customer loyalty can go a long way. Here’s some text to work with if you want to reward a customer on their anniversary with a discount code:
Let your customers know you think about them on their birthday. Make your subscribers feel special by offering them a discount code:
If you have face-to-face interactions with your customers, this is a good template to show them you’re thinking of them in the new year:
This template can be inspiration for an ecommerce store leaning into the Valentine’s Day frenzy:
Halloween is also becoming a big shopping event for customers. Work with this template to offer a special discount around the scariest time of the year:
Event marketing offers a great opportunity to connect with customers and attendees by inviting them to your events. These SMS invite templates are designed to drive engagement and boost attendance for your upcoming events.
Make your VIP customers feel valued by inviting them to an exclusive preview event. Use this template to entice them and drive attendance:
Opening a new store can be a big occasion for brands, and a great marketing opportunity. Celebrate your new location or store opening by inviting your community to join the festivities:
Launching a new product or feature? Generate buzz around it by inviting customers to a lively launch event:
A networking event is a big opportunity to create stronger relationships with partners and customers. Encourage community building and professional networking with this invitation to your event:
Have something more planned for the night? Keep the energy alive after the main event with a fun after party invitation:
Abandoned cart reminder messages are incredibly important for ecommerce, especially when you need to give a gentle yet effective nudge to get someone back into the checkout lane.
Here are a few must-haves for abandoned cart reminder messages:
Let’s take a look at some templates.
Sometimes, a gentle nudge is enough to get someone back on track. Use this SMS template to nudge a subscriber to pick up their cart where they left off:
If someone has totally abandoned their cart, you may be able to incentivize them back with a discount code:
Or you can be a bit more conversational, like:
An appointment reminder is a message you can send to people who’ve scheduled engagements, reminding them of the date, time, and location. You might also want to include the name of the person associated with the appointment (if, for instance, a particular doctor or stylist is involved), and if the person needs to bring anything.
Remember there’s a 160-character limit, though. Other important information like links to your website or opportunities to make changes to the booking can always go out in follow-up messages.
For healthcare companies, SMS can help reduce no-shows for appointments. Want to see it in action? Check out how Doctolib connects millions of doctors and patients effortlessly with automated, timely, and GDPR-compliant messages.
Here are some templates you can work with for after someone has scheduled an appointment with your business.
This SMS template is great to send directly after someone has booked an appointment if your SMS API allows for two-way messaging capabilities:
Or you can use an automated message like this if you don’t have two-way capabilities:
A week before a scheduled appointment, you can use automation to remind people that their visit is just around the corner, ensuring they don’t miss any important details:
And don’t forget to send a day-of reminder! Even the most organized need a little help remembering all the details from time to time:
Order confirmation SMS templates can help play a crucial role in reassuring customers and keeping them in the loop after they’ve purchased something.
Good order confirmation SMS messages will have the following elements:
Beyond confirmation, the following SMS templates can help enhance customer experience by serving as a reference point for any future inquiries or concerns.
An order confirmation template like this works well to give a customer peace-of-mind that a new order is safely in your hands:
And once the order is ready to ship, here’s a template you might use to let someone know their purchase is on its way:
Use text like this to keep your customers updated on the day an order is supposed to arrive at its final destination. This will minimize the number of re-deliveries and on-the-day issues:
Delivery notifications are similar to order confirmations, but they should come after an item has shipped. Use these below as a basis for your own delivery confirmations, but feel free to add in your own brand’s flair!
Updating your customer after an order has been successfully delivered to its destination is a great way to reassure your audience or flag any potential issues with the delivery address. Here’s a template you can use:
Or, if the recipient has selected that they’ll pick up their delivery from a pickup point, you can work with this text to let them know:
Requesting feedback is a great way to make your customer feel appreciated and to identify improvement areas in your service. You can use this SMS template to ask for feedback after a package has been delivered:
Verification SMS templates can play a crucial role in helping your business confirm the authenticity of users and securing online interactions to help reduce fraud. With elements like one-time passwords (OTPs), these templates can help you add an extra layer of security.
Our Customer Connections survey found that 61% expect 2FA messages to arrive in a minute or less. Because SMS is delivered almost immediately to every mobile phone, it’s the ideal channel for critical verification messages.
These examples cover just a few of the many use cases for verification and are meant to inspire you rather than provide a one-size-fits-all solution. We recommend consulting with your team to determine what’s required for your business’ needs.
Here is a standard OTP message template that you can use when you need to send a passcode:
A verification template like the one below can help you confirm a new user’s identity and prevent unauthorized access to a new account:
Forgotten password? No worries – use this password reset template to confirm a requested password change:
A post-transaction text like the one below can help provide someone with a secure confirmation of their purchase:
Seems easy, right? The right SMS marketing templates can help you have meaningful conversations with your customers at scale. By following best practices, you can capitalize on SMS messaging to boost your marketing strategy and drive sales.
Once you’re ready to get started, check out our guide about how to choose an SMS provider to help you meet your messaging, compliance, and security needs and reach your target audience wherever they are and test what SMS can do for you by signing up for a free trial with Sinch Engage.
Or, if you want to know more about how Sinch can help you navigate your complex SMS marketing needs, let’s chat. Our team can help you take your strategy to the next level!
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