Why Promotional Texts Are the Highest-ROI Tool in SMS Marketing

Promotional text messages reach people where they’re most active — on their smartphones. Unlike emails or ads, which are often ignored, SMS goes straight to your customer’s attention. No wonder 75% of consumers prefer to receive promotional messages via SMS.

Promotional texts deliver fast results while providing personal connections that lead to exceptional effectiveness. They help you share offers in real time, generate instant interest, and build lasting customer loyalty.

If you’re serious about growing your business, SMS campaigns should be part of your marketing strategy. With a reliable platform like DecisionTelecom, you can send smarter, faster, and more impactful messages — exactly when your customers need them.

What are promotional texts?

The main purpose of promotional texts as SMS marketing messages is to notify customers about sales and special offers, stimulating their activity and purchases. Typically, brands use these messages to announce things like flash sales, exclusive discounts, new product launches, or exclusive events. Mostly, promo text messages look like this:

“Weekend deal! All shirts are 30% off! Shop now!”

It’s directly informing customers about the sale, encouraging them to take advantage of the favorable offer and purchase an item.

Promotional texts are a form of A2P (Application-to-Person) messaging, meaning they’re sent from a business app, mostly from an SMS marketing platform, to a person's smartphone. The main difference between promotional and transactional texts is that the second ones are triggered by customer behavior or requests like order confirmations, shipping notifications, or OTP verification codes. Simply put, transactional messages deliver important information, and promotional texts highlight something valuable to a target audience (TA). Both types are useful, but only promotional SMS messages increase sales and engagement. Compare:

Why are promotional texts effective?

SMS advertising campaigns have surged in popularity just because they work. We collected the most important reasons why this communication channel remains a top choice even in the Internet age. We took into account visibility, immediacy, urgency, and personalization, and this is what we came up with.

Sky-high open rates

Using SMS nearly always ensures your content gets seen. SMS has an open rate of around 98%, meaning that almost all messages are opened and read. In fact, it’s about 3.7 times greater than email or social media. That means that through texting, your carefully designed offer won't get lost in a spam folder.

Direct and immediate reach

SMS delivers your purpose straight to consumers’ mobile devices in just a few seconds. Any user, with or without internet access, can receive promotional texts because they do not need any special software. This technology works on all devices because it supports basic flip phones and advanced smartphones.

Significantly, people tend to check texts right away. In fact, 90% of SMS messages are opened within three minutes after delivery because people quickly pay attention to a new text. This efficiency allows you to take advantage of marketing opportunities in real-time.

Urgency and timeliness

Since SMS come into a private messaging inbox, they naturally create a feeling of urgency. Consumers typically receive push notifications for messages, so an SMS feels more immediate than an email.

Businesses should take advantage of this by creating limited-time promotions such as “Today only” deals and alerts when a sale is ending soon. The combination of an easy-to-read format and relevant content can engage customers to make swift decisions.

If you have a flash sale that ends at midnight, an SMS sent that afternoon creates a sense of “I need to check this now” for the customer. The timely nature of SMS is a huge advantage when you want to drive instant traffic to your store or website.

Personal and engaging

The natural conversational tone of text message marketing stems from their function as an everyday communication tool between friends and family members. The marketing text experience creates an individualized connection that stands apart from standard ads.

You can personalize messages with the customer’s name or tailor the content to their past purchases and preferences, making the message more relevant. Customers show greater interest in content if you send the right offer to the right person. Research shows approximately 72% of consumers respond to marketing SMS messages that match their concerns or desires.

Overall, using personal data increases customer engagement and builds positive brand relationships. Users who regularly receive useful deals are likely to feel appreciated and remain open to your brand’s communications.

Types of promotional texts

You can send promotional messages based on your goals and the value you want to offer. By varying them, you can keep your SMS content interesting and fresh. In one week, hold a flash sale, and the next — provide a loyalty reward. The key is to match the type with your purpose. Need a quick revenue boost? Try a flash sale. Launching a new product? Offer early access. There's a promotional text for every situation. Let’s explore common types of them and understand their functions.

Flash sale announcements

The messages in these texts use immediate large discounts with time-sensitive offers. The goal is to get people to buy now by using the fear of missing out (FOMO). Flash sale messages are typically sent right when the sale starts (or shortly before). One of such promotional text message example:

Early access offers

This type of text makes subscribers feel like insiders. Early access offers not only drive sales but also motivate more people to join your SMS list for exclusive benefits. For example:

Loyalty program updates and rewards

If you have a customer loyalty or rewards program, you should send point balance updates with reward coupons and special “thank you” offers. The mix of informative and delightful content helps loyal customers feel more connected to your brand. For example:

Free shipping or perk offers

Sometimes, the motivation to purchase is as simple as waiving shipping fees or adding a free bonus. You can use a code for free shipping or a bonus gift in the SMS. Such messages aim at customers who may be hesitant to buy, but a little encouragement, such as free shipping, can push them to make a purchase. For example:

Seasonal and holiday discounts

Tie your promotions to the season or upcoming holidays to make them timely and relevant. Seasonal texts take into account what customers already care about and create excitement around your brand's special offers during these periods. For example:

Best practices for writing effective promotional texts

Writing effective promotional SMS campaigns is a bit of an art and science. You have limited characters to grab attention, convey your message, and spark action. Here are some best practices to ensure your promotional texts hit the mark.

Keep it short and clear

SMS messages force you to be concise (they’re generally 160 characters or fewer per segment). Get to the point quickly. Make concise messages if possible. A good rule of thumb is to write a draft of your message, then trim any unnecessary words.

Be direct and include a CTA

Every promotional text should have a clear call-to-action (CTA) that tells the customer what to do next. After all, the goal is to drive an action (shop, claim a coupon, visit a site, etc.). Use action verbs and make it obvious. Common CTAs in SMS include phrases like “Shop Now,” “Show this text,” “Use code ___,” “Click,” or “Reply YES to claim.”

Time it right

Timing can make or break your SMS campaign. You want to send texts when customers are awake, alert, and likely to act. Blasting out a promo at 3 AM is a sure way to irritate people (and probably get a bunch of opt-outs). Studies suggest the best times to send promotional texts are around midday (e.g., lunchtime) or early evening when people have a moment to check their phones — for instance, around 12 PM or 2 PM, and again around 6-8 P.

These times catch people during breaks or after work when they can shop or at least pay attention. Also consider the context: if you’re a restaurant, late morning (just before lunch) might be ideal for a lunch special, whereas a retail offer might perform well in the early evening when folks are relaxing with their phones. And always respect time zones — schedule messages based on the recipient’s local time. Many SMS platforms let you automate send times so you can schedule texts to go out at the optimal moment for each audience segment.

Personalize when possible

Adding a personal touch can significantly increase engagement. If your contact list has customer names or other info, use it. Even simple personalization like a name or referencing a recent purchase can make the customer feel valued. People are more likely to respond to messages that seem tailored just for them.

Most SMS marketing tools, including DecisionTelecom’s API, support merge tags or segments to personalize messages at scale. Use these features to your advantage – but double-check that your data is accurate.

Create urgency (but be genuine)

A classic marketing tactic is to instill a sense of urgency — and it works well in SMS. Phrases like “today only,” “ends tomorrow,” “limited supply,” or “for the first 100 customers” can motivate quick action.

Don’t claim something is “one day only” if you’ll just extend the sale later; customers catch on to that, and it erodes trust. And don’t overdo the exclamation points or ALL CAPS; you want to excite customers, not scare or annoy them. Striking a friendly tone of “hey, here’s a great deal but it won’t last” is usually effective.

Maintain compliance & offer opt-outs

This is critical. Only send promotional texts to people who have opted in to receive them. Unsolicited texts are not just a bad practice — in many regions, they’re illegal under laws like the TCPA (in the US) or GDPR (in Europe). Always include a simple way for recipients to opt out, typically by replying “STOP.”

A common best practice is to end your message with something like “Reply STOP to unsubscribe.” It might take up a bit of your character count, but it’s necessary to respect users’ choices. Also, be mindful of frequency — even with consent, bombarding subscribers with daily texts for no good reason can be seen as spam.

Test, analyze, and refine

The beauty of digital marketing, SMS included, is that you can often track performance and make improvements. Pay attention to metrics: Did a particular message get a lot of clicks or conversions? Did another cause a spike in unsubscribes? Learn from these. You might A/B test different wording or offers on small segments of your list to see what works best before scaling up. Perhaps you test one message that says “50% off” vs. another that says “Buy One, Get One Free” to see which phrasing your audience responds to more.

Over time, these tests and the data from your SMS platform’s analytics will guide you to refine your content and timing. Additionally, leverage tools that simplify this process. An SMS marketing platform like DecisionTelecom provides built-in analytics dashboards to track delivery rates, open rates, click-through rates, and even responses. By reviewing these reports, you can identify what types of messages are home runs and which ones need tweaking.

Promotional text examples for different industries

Promotional SMS excels across industries like retail, food, and services, delivering clear customer lifetime value through deals and convenient access, encouraging easy action on offers.

Fashion Retail (Flash Sale)

A boutique clothing store wants to drive traffic for a one-day sale. They could use SMS to instantly reach their customers when the sale kicks off. For example:

Restaurant/Café (Holiday Discount)

A local café or restaurant can use SMS to promote special deals around holidays or events. Suppose a café wants to bring in more customers on Valentine’s Day. They might schedule an SMS on the morning of February 14th. For example:

Beauty/Health Services (Bundled Deal)

A spa, salon, or health clinic can boost sales by texting out promotions on bundled services or limited-time packages. By using a two-way messaging capability via DecisionTelecom’s API, the spa can capture responses and follow up to confirm appointments, all through text. For instance, a day spa could send:

E-commerce Retail (Free Shipping Offer)

An online store looking to reduce cart abandonment or entice customers to shop might promote a free shipping deal exclusively via SMS. For example:

Common mistakes to avoid in promotional text messaging

Research shows that more than 23% of consumers abandon a brand if they feel bombarded by spam SMS. This emphasizes how important it is to get your SMS marketing campaign right. Even well-intentioned campaigns can have negative consequences if they aren’t executed well. Marketers should be careful to avoid these common mistakes:

• Sending too many texts. If you’re texting users every day (or multiple times a day) without a very compelling reason, it's probably too much. Remember that SMS is a highly attentive channel, so treat it with respect. It's much better to send one or two effective messages a week than to overwhelm users with noise.
• Poor timing. No one wants their smartphone buzzing with a marketing text while they’re sleeping. Similarly, sending a text during rush hour or during work hours can be ignored if people are busy. Try to send messages during windows when people are free to read and act.

A good practice is to stick to daytime and early evening slots. For example, between 9 AM and 8 PM local time, depending on your audience’s habits.

• Weak or missing Call-to-Action (CTA). Every promo text should encourage customers on what to do next. Otherwise, the impact will be minimal. Don’t assume that the customer will take the initiative to find your site or store — guide them. Also, make the CTA stand out by its placement or using caps.
• Non-personalized messaging. Segment your audience and tailor messages when possible. If you have data on purchase history or preferences, use it to your advantage. Personalize the greeting with a name if you have it.
• Neglecting opt-outs and compliance. Every promotional text you send should be to a person who consented to receive it. Sending texts to people who didn’t opt in is a recipe for irritating recipients and potentially violating laws like the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. It's also important to make it easy to stop receiving messages.

Tools and platforms for effective promotional text messaging

While it’s technically possible to send texts one by one from a phone, it’s not practical (or efficient) when you have a growing business and potentially hundreds or thousands of customers to reach. An SMS platform is a bridge between your business and mobile networks, providing a dashboard or interface to manage your messages. You can use this platform to upload your contact list, create messages, plan campaigns, and many more functions from one place. These tools take care of many operations: deliverability, opt-out management, carrier compliance, and delivery receipts.

DecisionTelecom’s SMS API offers an all-in-one business messaging platform that simplifies and enhances SMS marketing. You can seamlessly integrate our API into your current systems. Main characteristics and advantages of the platform:

1. Automation. DecisionTelecom allows users to create automated SMS workflows. The system allows you to send messages automatically when certain criteria are met. You can also schedule mass mailings in advance.
2. Personalization. DecisionTelecom’s platform supports dynamic fields and segmentation. You might insert the customer’s name, reference a product category they like, or send a special offer only to your VIP segment. This level of personalization at scale would be impossible to do manually, but the API can handle it effortlessly by pulling in data from your databases or CRM.
3. Analytics and reporting. The system generates delivery reports and supports URL tracking to measure link click-through rates. Some advanced metrics might include response rates (if using two-way messaging), conversion tracking (if integrated with your sales system), and overall ROI of campaigns.
4. Templates and campaign management. Save message templates for future use so you don’t have to begin composing messages from the beginning every time. The platform offers a centralized dashboard that enables users to manage all their campaigns. The platform provides instant visibility into your current and upcoming campaigns, as well as campaign performance metrics.

In short, investing in a robust SMS marketing platform like DecisionTelecom’s API can supercharge your promotional texting efforts. It takes care of the technical complexities and provides you with tools to optimize your messaging. And let’s not forget reliability: DecisionTelecom, for example, works directly with mobile network operators to ensure your messages get delivered quickly and reliably.

Final thoughts

In conclusion, success with SMS marketing always comes from doing it right: respect your customers’ preferences, provide real value, and use optimization tools. When done right, promotional texts lead to significant sales increases. We’ve discussed best practices from timing to content to compliance to help you find the perfect point at which customers welcome your texts. And with the advent of user-friendly SMS platforms like DecisionTelecom, even small businesses can manage sophisticated texting campaigns with ease.

The SMS API by DecisionTelecom provides an ideal foundation for businesses to begin their SMS marketing initiatives. Our platform includes automation tools, personalization features, and analytics capabilities, which give you everything required to succeed in promotional texting. Boost your sales and build stronger customer relationships today. Let’s get started!

FAQ

What is a promotional text?

It’s a marketing SMS message that businesses send to customers to promote something — typically sales, special offers, birthday discounts, or product updates. Promotional texts are part of advertising and outreach efforts to encourage more business.

What is an example message for promotion?

A promotional message usually highlights a deal or exciting news and invites the customer to act. For instance: “Our summer sale just started! All items are 30% off through Sunday. Shop now!” This example is short, upbeat, and clear about the offer and includes a direct call to action (CTA). When crafting your own, you can follow a similar template: hook + offer + action + (optional) urgency/emoji for flair.

What is an example of a discount text message?

A discount text message is a type of promotional text that specifically gives the recipient a discount or coupon, for example: “Hi Tom! Thank you for being a valued customer. Enjoy 15% off your next order with code THANKS15.” In this example, the message addresses the customer by name (personal touch), clearly states the discount (15% off), and provides a unique code to use.