Maximize Your Klaviyo Marketing ROI With Proven SMS Tips

With the cost of living crisis hitting many hard in America, it would be logical to assume that consume rs are tightening their belts. However, US consumer spending recently hit record levels, although buyers have become more mindful about which products they buy and from whom.

Instead of spending their hard-earned cash on products from multiple brands, discerning customers are opting to take a more measured approach and buy from a single, preferred supplier. So, it would seem they’ll either buy from you or your competition.

In 2022, brands worldwide sent 62.3% more SMS campaigns than the previous year

Statista

Ensuring you get the sales involves the creation of impactful marketing campaigns. Paid ads have recently lost much of their impact, so marketers must choose more imaginative alternatives. Klaviyo SMS marketing is one of those alternatives, and it’s an increasingly adopted avenue by brands worldwide.

Owned marketing channels like these allow you to send reminders, updates and promotions right into your subscribers’ palms, providing complete control to the sender. In this article, we look at some proven SMS tactics you can use to optimize your marketing spend.

Klaviyo SMS Marketing Offers a Range of Benefits

According to Klaviyo’s Customer Sentiment Report, several compelling statistics highlight the efficacy of SMS marketing. Surveying over 2,000 consumers, they uncovered some interesting facts.

• 73% of consumers have bought products due to receiving a brand’s SMS marketing messages, with more than 50% having done so twice or more.
• Compared to social media, over twice as many people would rather receive a text message from a brand about news, offers or promotions.
• Over 96% of buyers are happy to receive branded text messages at least once per week.

With this in mind, we now look at various pro tips to help you get the utmost from your Klaviyo SMS marketing campaigns. Put the following information in action, and you’ll do much to ensure that when money gets spent, it gets spent on your products.

Klaviyo SMS Pro Tip: Always Get The Necessary Opt-In

There are strict SMS marketing compliance laws in the US, and it’s vital to understand that there’s no mileage in attempting to bend these guidelines. Put in place to stop marketers from sending unsolicited messages, breaching these guidelines is sometimes met with penalties.

Fines, expensive lawsuits and the deterioration of your SMS subscriber list are all possible when sending messages without permission. Unlike emails that people can ignore, messages that go direct to a person’s phone tend to result in increased opt-outs and diminishing returns.

You Need to Get Permission Confirm It, Continuously

Klaviyo

Get excessive SMS subscribers opting out, and you could see your carriers flagging your brand and blocking your numbers. Following the rules by getting permission and continuously confirming is the only sensible path. For guidance on common myths and best SMS opt-in policy practices, check out the Klaviyo Help Centre.

Klaviyo SMS Pro Tip: Combine the Power of Email & SMS

You shouldn’t see Klaviyo SMS marketing as an alternative or replacement for email marketing but rather as an opportunity to enhance and supplement your email marketing strategy with SMS.

Capitalizing on the strength of both owned channels is the name of the game, as it gives you much more control over your success. While non-owned channels like social media - impacted heavily by Apple’s iOS 14.5 update in terms of attribution and targeting - involve a broad engagement strategy, SMS and email offer a high-conversion, high-touch approach.

Combining SMS email leads to a 6.6X increase in purchases per user

Braze

Some brands are reluctant to explore the benefits of SMS marketing due to a misperception that it will require sending a vast number of costly texts. In truth, it can save money, as a well-crafted email/SMS strategy will result in you sending fewer texts and emails to a much more engaged audience.

As they say, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and once you experience the impressive returns possible with this approach, its wisdom becomes patently clear.

Klaviyo SMS Pro Tip: Keep Your Messaging Brief & Actionable

Naturally, what goes into your Klaviyo SMS message content also matters greatly, and you need to be smart to use the restricted character count fully. 160 is all you get to have sufficient impact on the reader, meaning messages must be brief yet punchy.

When putting together each text, ask yourself the following questions:

• Does the content talk to the reader like it’s speaking to a friend?
• What kind of action do we want the reader to take?
• Why should the reader care about what’s written?

Texts don’t have to be overly formal, so you don’t have to use whole sentences, meaning you get the freedom to get the message across in a brief, immediately actionable way. Include a hyperlink in your CTA to a relevant landing page, giving readers a quick and frictionless way to make the purchase.

Klaviyo SMS Pro Tip: Use SMS to Offer an Exclusive VIP Experience

One of the primary factors that drive people to sign up for SMS is a love for the brand, so it’s up to you to treat them in a way that makes them feel special - because, to you, they are! It’s about giving customers a reason to care about you long-term, so you should do what you can to a) be helpful and b) offer a sense of exclusivity.

Texting is super personal. Most people check their phones first thing in the morning

Forbes

Texts are much more personal than emails, so it’s a great idea to use the owned channel to offer a VIP experience to your subscribers. Whether providing a gated link to a podcast or exclusive opportunities to get a first look at a new product, messages like these make readers feel valued and like sticking around.

Pro Tip: Make Use of SMS Automations

Klaviyo email and SMS campaigns will usually generate higher revenues and more conversions than automations due to the number of messages sent. That said, automated SMS flows are more personalized, targeted and relevant, as the end user’s actions trigger them.

As such, they’re essential for the experience, so taking the time to experiment with SMS flows is a great idea. Various SMS flows can be used, like:

• Replenishment reminders
• Welcome series flows
• Post-purchase flows

Sending messages to create interactions after purchasing without selling is a nice touch that often resonates with the reader. This post-purchase touchpoint is an excellent place to make a connection that leads to a long-term relationship.

Leveraging the Power of Klaviyo SMS & Email to Increase ROI

With an average open rate of 98% and a 45% response rate, SMS marketing messages can hugely benefit your marketing efforts. Combine an SMS strategy with Klaviyo emails, and you can take advantage of the benefits of both to maximize your ROI.

It’s also extremely wise to comply with all opt-in requirements while ensuring that every text you send to subscribers is brief, offers value and makes the reader feel like they’re part of an exclusive group.

Complement this approach with the intelligent use of Klaviyo SMS automation, and you should see an increase in engagement, customer satisfaction and, ultimately, sales.