The holiday season is an excellent opportunity for impactful engagement with your subscribers, and Black Friday is the first big moment of the holidays to connect to potential customers. If you have subscribers who are opting in to receive promotions, you need to be making use of this as an avenue to promote any Black Friday sales.

If your business isn't utilizing SMS marketing as part of your Black Friday strategy, you're missing out on one of the most effective channels to drive sales. With an average open rate of 98%, and a 90% success rate reported by businesses that use text messaging, it's clear that SMS is a must-have tool in your marketing strategy.

In this post, we’ll go over how to make the most of Black Friday SMS marketing, including essential tips, best practices, and examples to ensure your campaign stands out and drives maximum engagement.

Start Early: Get Registered and Plan Ahead

To kick off a successful Black Friday SMS campaign, preparation is essential. You should be getting your SMS campaigns ready far in advance by registering with mobile carriers to avoid any delays or issues with delivery. You will need to get your tax ID, message templates, and all the opt in information to prepare for registering with The Campaign Registry.

Starting your campaign early allows you to build anticipation and gives you the flexibility to tweak your strategy based on initial engagement rates. SignalWire's messaging API offers a programmable solution that allows you to manage and scale your SMS campaigns, and we experience quicker turnaround than other providers, ensuring you’re ready to go well before Black Friday hits​​.

Collect Opt-Ins Strategically

When it comes to SMS marketing, opt-ins are not optional. That means an opt-in strategy is a good place to start for your Black Friday marketing campaigns.

Utilize your website’s checkout page to gather opt-ins for promotional texts, include in-store signage advertising SMS-only promos, or make use of existing email lists to gather subscribers. This ensures that your SMS list is not only compliant with regulations but also primed with engaged customers ready for your offers.

Keep It Short, Sweet, and Impactful

The effectiveness of SMS marketing lies in its brevity. Black Friday texts should be concise, focusing on the value proposition—a discount, a limited-time offer, or an exclusive deal. Be sure your call-to-action (CTA) is clear and compelling.

A simple 25% off sitewide for one day or less with a “Click here to shop now” CTA can drive immediate action, as it will be delivered promptly, maintaining the urgency that makes SMS marketing so effective​.

Incorporate MMS for Higher Engagement

To stand out in a crowded inbox, consider using Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS). Visual content like images and videos can significantly increase engagement rates by grabbing attention, creating a mood, or telling a story. Use MMS to showcase product sneak peeks, exclusive offers, or even animations to create a more immersive experience.

Utilize Abandoned Cart Texts

Abandoned cart reminders are a powerful method to remind subscribers of incomplete purchases. By sending a gentle nudge to customers who have left items in their carts, you can recover potential lost sales. You could also Include a personalized message with a limited time Black Friday discount code to incentivize them to complete their purchase.

Create FOMO with Last-Minute Deals and Flash Sales

Fear of missing out is a powerful motivator, especially during Black Friday. Use SMS to announce flash sales and last-minute deals that create urgency. For example, a 50% off deal for only the next few hours can trigger immediate action.

Offer Promotion Tiers

Offering tiered promotions based on purchase amounts can encourage customers to spend more. For example, offering 15% off orders over $75, 20% off over $100, and 25% off over $150 gives customers an incentive to increase their cart value.

Opt-Out Information

Don’t forget that every message sent to your subscribers must include opt-out information. To avoid too many opt-outs, don’t send more than one message a week to your customers. Engage strategically with various segments of your audience, and when registering your campaigns, always remember to include a simple “Reply STOP to unsubscribe” with each message.

Examples and Templates for Black Friday Marketing

Looking for inspiration to get started on your Black Friday SMS marketing promotions? Below, you’ll find some sample messages that you can use to launch as you get ready to register your SMS campaigns.

Subscriber-only deals

Announce a general site-wide discount to create excitement and drive traffic just for your subscribers.

Example Message: 🎉 Black Friday is here! Enjoy 25% off on all items. Use code BF25 at checkout. Don’t miss out! Shop now: [Link]

Limited-Time Flash Sale

Create urgency and FOMO with a time-limited offer to prompt immediate purchases.

Example Message: ⏰ FLASH SALE ALERT! 50% off everything for the next 2 hours only! Grab your favorites before they’re gone: [Link]

Early Bird Special

Encourage early purchases by offering a discount for a limited timeframe, for example, a day or two before Black Friday begins.

Example Message: 🌅 Rise and shine! Early Bird Special: 30% off all orders placed before Black Friday. Shop now: [Link]

Abandoned Cart Reminder

Recover abandoned carts by offering a small additional discount.

Example Message: 🛒 Hey [First Name], you left something in your cart! Complete your purchase now and get an extra 10% off with code SAVE10: [Link]

VIP Exclusive Offer

Reward loyal customers with an exclusive discount to increase retention.

Example Message: 🎁 Black Friday VIP Exclusive: 40% off just for you! Use code VIP40 at checkout. Thank you for being a loyal customer: [Link]

Last-Minute Deal

Create FOMO by reminding customers of the end of the sale and encouraging last-minute purchases

Example Message: 🚨 LAST CHANCE! Final hours of our Black Friday sale. Get up to 50% off sitewide. Ends at midnight: [Link]

Free Shipping Offer

Offer free shipping as an added incentive to boost conversions.

Example Message: 🚚 Black Friday Special: Free Shipping on all orders today only! Don’t wait, start shopping now: [Link]

Exclusive Bundle Deal

Promote a bundled product deal to increase average order value.

Example Message: 🎁 Black Friday Bundle Deal! Get [Product 1] + [Product 2] for $X (Save $Y). Only available today: [Link]

SMS marketing is an indispensable tool for Black Friday campaigns. By texting deals directly to your customers, you can execute a campaign that drives engagement, increases sales, and leaves a lasting impression on your audience.

Get started with SignalWire’s messaging platform today by signing up for free and get access to our platform free trial. Bring any questions to our developer community on Slack or our community forum.