Despite the buzz around AI and all the flashy things it can do, foundational marketing channels such as SMS are still leading the way when it comes to customer engagement. In the Salesforce world, SMS marketing is made easy using Mobile Connect - part of Mobile Studio - which comes with many options for connecting customers with brands.
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We’re a world glued to our devices - from performing the next TikTok trend, spamming the group chat on WhatsApp, or frantically tapping our phone to send SMS texts every few minutes, you could say we are phone junkies.
It’s also fair to say that this trend will only increase as smartphone adoption rises globally, and artificial intelligence agents assist us in our everyday lives. Perhaps smartphones will evolve into wearable technologies like smart glasses, where an AI agent orders your favourite takeaway or replies to SMS messages automatically based on your previous interactions. Only time will tell…
One thing is for sure, SMS isn’t going anywhere.
According to Statista ‘ad spending in the SMS advertising market in the United Kingdom is forecasted to reach £34.38m in 2025’. This surge is expected due to extremely high engagement rates and competitive pricing. Studies by Simple Texting support this forecast, finding businesses that text their customers are 5.89 times more likely to report digital marketing success than businesses that don’t use text message marketing. Financial firms are leading the way, with 72% achieving a 20%+ click-through rate.
All this to say, if you’re a Marketing Cloud Engagement customer who’s yet to tap into Mobile Connect, now’s the time!
As with any marketing channel, integrating with other channels increases the potential for engagement. Marketing Cloud Engagement is the powerhouse of Salesforce because it enables you to target your audience across many different platforms.
Take WhatsApp, for example. SMS creates urgency by provoking a direct response, but WhatsApp can take a conversation further and act as the perfect complement to SMS. By connecting Marketing Cloud and WhatsApp for customer journeys, you can deliver integrated and aligned multi-channel marketing.
Let’s not forget the power of retargeting audiences in Advertising Studio. Combining SMS with Marketing Cloud advertising - whether it’s Google or Facebook ads, for example - can help increase familiarity and engagement.
Mobile Connect is a studio in Marketing Cloud Engagement that caters solely to SMS messaging. It’s particularly powerful when combined with Journey Builder for omni-channel marketing, and used with Automation Studio to pull out engagement reporting for campaigns.
Mobile Connect is built for traditional SMS messages and push notifications, triggered by activities performed or not performed in an app. This dual capability makes it possible to send an offer that is expiring, or prompt customers to complete their profile, from a single place.
When managing Marketing Cloud client campaigns, we use Mobile Connect frequently. Here are three types of SMS we send often:
If you’re looking to promote a new product or service and track interactions with your web link, outbound messages tick the box. They can also be a handy customer reminder for online account alerts, order status updates, or event reminders. To be more strategic with outbound SMS, consider aligning this channel with your email activity. For example, if a customer has not engaged with emails, you might follow up with SMS (or vice versa!).
Get fast, valuable feedback on your products, events, or services by inviting people to participate in a survey via SMS. What doesn’t capture conversion on email or your advertising channels could capture response here through a concise and evocative text.
We’ve all visited a website and been asked to fill in too many time-consuming form fields. An info capture SMS aims to capture customer details progressively, one piece at a time, such as age, product interest, or location, to learn more about that customer. Before you do this, it’s wise to provide a reason for collecting this information and how you plan to use it - always adhere to GDPR policies.
First, you need to purchase a short or long code from Salesforce.
These codes allow you to connect your SMS number with the correct local carrier for that country. For example, ‘44’ is used for UK numbers. Short codes are usually the best option as they allow bi-directional (two-way) conversation between the customer and your brand, whereas long codes are one-directional.
While we do our best not to oversaturate prospects with too many messages, it’s important to give a mechanism for opting out. Requesting a reply with STOP or END are good examples for opting out of all marketing messages, but you can also manage this on a keyword-per-campaign basis - just make it clear which campaign they are opting out from!
Additionally, a HELP keyword can be set up to request assistance.
When creating SMS messages in Content Builder, you can preview them via different subscribers to see how they look. Key points to focus on include:
Don’t bloat the SMS - be short, snappy, and informal.
Stick to 160 characters - if you go over, you will be charged more for an SMS ‘super message’.
Short URLs for tracking - see how people have engaged with your links.
Provide a STOP keyword - make it simple for customers to opt out if they want to.
Bonus use case: Use Ampscript to dynamically change SMS content for each contact. For example, you could deliver different offers for different loyalty tiers and total customer spend, then A/B test variations in an automated journey to see which gets the most redemptions!
You have two options: to send the message from Mobile Connect as a one-off send or automate the process in an omnichannel journey.
If you choose to send this way you will need to import your contacts into a list. Be careful not to duplicate contacts by using a unique contact key - an identifier that matches up to the contact you may already have on your list with an email address (so it’s using the same record to send to).
Tip: Be very careful when you are importing mobile numbers into Marketing Cloud. Each country has a unique locale for example UK is ‘en-gb’ and all numbers will have ‘44’ appended to the start of the number. Not setting this up effectively will encounter import errors.
This is definitely my favourite way of building because you can create many different paths for a contact to go down. You can send an email, wait for so many days to see if they have opened or clicked a specific link, then send them an SMS. If they have not engaged in either channel, send a task to Salesforce CRM for your sales agent to pick up.
Here’s a simple example of how SMS can be used in Journey Builder:
Free webinar: Learn more about Journey Builder and how to grow campaign ROI in the upcoming Marketing Cloud Engagement Journeys & Campaigns webinar.
If you’re getting a high click-through rate for email, don’t be complacent and ignore SMS. Likewise, don’t be defeated if an SMS message doesn’t get the clicks you expected - content can always be fine-tuned to find your sweet spot!
Be sure to A/B test what type of SMS works the best for your customers and goals, and experiment with the tone of voice or personalisation fields to improve CTR.
Lastly, plan your monthly strategy, always be evolving, and see which combination of digital channels gets the best results.
We’ve covered a lot in this short guide, and barely touched on some of the channels that SMS can be integrated with. If you’re looking to enhance your mobile strategy and integrate it with your marketing mix to deliver greater ROI, book a call with our team.
David has worked in marketing roles for nearly 20 years across a mix of insurance, travel/tourism, and dental businesses. He has a passion for new technology and all things digital, specialising in Salesforce Marketing Cloud Engagement. He believes in achieving the best outcome for customers through automated journeys and personalised messaging.
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