Promotional Message Examples That Drive Conversions and Revenue

Many business owners may have the misconception that users are irritated by promotional messages. However, the truth is quite the opposite. It holds immense potential when you send strategically curated SMS to a target audience. A study found that more than 58% of people prefer to receive text messages from businesses multiple times a week. It shows that customers are excited to hear from you through this convenient marketing channel.

Moreover, text messages have a higher open rate than email, making them an excellent way to communicate with your customers directly and a promising pathway for your marketing efforts. Before we dive deep into the promotional message examples and best practices, let us understand what a promotional message is.

What is a promotional message?

A promotional message is a type of text message marketing that brands utilize to inform their customers regarding limited-time deals, discounts, and special offers. The main goal of this message is to increase sales, engage consumers, and promote offers. As these messages instantly grab attention, they create urgency and eventually drive sales.

The main reason for the higher success rate of promotional messages is its permission-based marketing approach. As subscribers have opted in to hear from your business, they would love to get updates and offers from your business. Ultimately, it can help you build deeper consumer relationships with high response rates.

Now that you understand what a promotional message is let us move to the next section.

What are the key elements of promotional text messages?

The key elements of effective promotional text messages are:

1) Clear Value Proposition

This means that your promotional message should provide value to the customer. It should give them the information they want to know. So, without being too salesy, you need to include all the necessary information in your promotional SMS message. Also, use concise language and highlight your product/service USP without including unnecessary information.

2) Strong Call-to-action

If you don’t include a strong and clear CTA in your text message, it will not bring you the desired results. So, guide your customers on what they should do and what they will get after clicking on the link or making the call. Your CTA should be clear, actionable, enticing, and easy to follow.

3) Targeted Audience

You should send your promotional message to the right audience at the right time. When the message reaches the right people, there is a high chance of conversion.

4) Sense of Urgency

The message you send should evoke a sense of urgency. However, that does not mean you should include unnecessary or overused buzzwords like FREE or Act Now. Without being too salesy, these messages should encourage recipients to make a purchase, grab your limited-time offer, or participate in an event.

5) Brand Name

Don’t forget to include the brand name with each SMS. It will help consumers identify who is sending the message. They will get to know that they are not getting any spam messages. 

You can use phrases such as “limited time offer” or “till the stock lasts” to convey to your target audience that your offer is time-sensitive and encourage them to take immediate action.

Now, one question will pop into your mind – how can I send a promotional text message?

Read the next section to get its answer.

What are the best practices for promotional messages?

When any promotional message is backed by personalization and data, it can easily wow the target audience and drive conversions. Here are a few best practices that you should follow to get the most out of your promotional SMS campaign.

• Before sending any message, get explicit consent from the recipients. Follow the TCPA and 10DLC registration rules and regulations.
• Your message should be clear, concise, and captivating. You need to grab your potential customer’s attention only in 160 characters. Of course, you can split it into multiple texts and even opt for MMS to provide additional details.
• Include clear call to action such as “shop now”, “click here”, “claim offer”, etc., so it encourages immediate action.
• Send messages at the preferred time for your audience. Consider the time zone.
• Ensure your promotional message provides value to the recipient so it grabs the attention of recipients and encourages them to sign up and retain.
• If you are expecting to increase the effectiveness of your promotional messages, it would be best to personalize the message as per their name, past purchases, and location preference. It shows that you value your customers and improves customer loyalty.
• Continuously monitor and optimize the performance of your SMS campaign. Track metrics such as click-through rates, open rates, and conversion rates. It will help you understand what works best and what does not. Based on this data, you can refine your strategy for better results.
• If any of your customers do not want to receive messages from you, make it easy for them to opt out.

Types of promotional messages (promotional message examples) with use cases

1) Welcome message

Welcome promotional messages help build trust and drive engagement. Check its use case and example.

Use Case & Promotional Message Example

Jessica is a busy professional who has just booked her first appointment at Seniora Salon via their online booking system. She was in search of a reliable salon for her hair and skincare needs and decided to try Seniora Salon after seeing its positive reviews online.

Seniora Salon sends her a welcome promotional message.

Hey, Jessica!
Welcome to the Senior Salon family.
To make your first visit special, we are offering you 20% off on hair spas.
Your appointment is confirmed for [date] at [time].
See you soon!
Reply STOP to unsubscribe.

Outcome

This message will not only give a warm welcome to Jessica but also offer her a special discount. It will make her feel valued and thrilled about her upcoming salon and spa visit.

2) Product announcement

Whenever you launch a new product and want to inform your loyal customers about it, you can use this product announcement template.

Use Case & Promotional Message Example

Allen is a marketing manager at Techiefy, an e-commerce store specializing in tech gadgets. His firm is launching a new product line of eco-friendly smart home devices. He wants to share this good news with his loyal customers, build excitement, and drive traffic to the website, so he sends a promotional product announcement message.

Hey [first],
Discover the future of smart living!
Techify’s exclusive range of eco-friendly smart home devices is here!
Shop today and get a 25% discount on your first purchase!
Visit: [Link]
Reply STOP to opt out.

Outcome

This message is clear and concise, with an immediate CTA that will grab the consumer’s attention and encourage them to buy.

3) Collection launch announcement

This type of message is the strategic way to introduce the brand-new collection of products to the customers.

Use Case & Promotional Message Example

Jack is a marketing director of Elite Motors, which is a popular car dealership brand. He wants to unveil the brand-new collection of SUVs to attract new and existing clients to visit their showroom for a firsthand look by creating excitement and urgency.

For that, he sends the following collection launch announcement promotional message.

Hi [first],
Experience luxury like never before!
Visit Elite Motors today to explore our new collection of SUVs.
Limited time offer!
Don’t miss!
Reply STOP to unsubscribe.

Outcome

It will significantly increase showroom traffic and sales.

4) Flash sale announcement

You can use a flash sale announcement promotional message whenever you want to create some excitement and urgency regarding your product/service/offer.

Use Case & Promotional Message Example

Wanderlust Travels wants to boost its mid-year booking with a limited-time flash sale. For that, their marketing team decided to send their subscribers 48-hour flash sale messages.

Flash Sale! 48H Only!
Save up to 50% on Bali, NZ, and Iceland adventures.
Limited spots!
Book now at Wanderlust Travels: [Link]
Reply STOP to opt out.

Result

This promotional message will create urgency and excitement and encourage immediate bookings.

5) BOGO promotions

Who does not love free items? With BOGO – Buy One Get One Free promotion message, you can inform consumers about your free item offer.

Use case & Promotional Message Example

Tyko is a popular restaurant and the bar is experiencing decreased weekday traffic. So, with the aim of increasing traffic, they decided to run a BOGO offer on their signature cocktails. To inform their subscribers of this, they run a promotional SMS campaign by sending the following message:

Hey [first],
Cheers to exclusive deals at Tyko!
Enjoy our BOGO-free cocktails every weekday from 4 to 7 PM.
Bring your friend & double the fun!
See you tonight!
Reply STOP to unsubscribe.

Result

It will boost sales and build customer loyalty.

6) Free shipping promo

You can run a free shipping SMS campaign to attract more customers to buy from your eCommerce brand.

Use Case & Promotional Message Example

Lisa is a busy professional who always finds herself short on time for shopping. One fine day, she remembers her friend’s upcoming birthday and decides to buy the perfect birthday gift, but she is confused about where to buy the gift. At that time, she received a text from her favourite brand, Trendy Fashion mentioned free shipping during weekend on all orders.

Hey Lisa,
Shop at Trendy Fashion this weekend & enjoy FREE shipping on all your orders!
Hurry! The offer ends Sunday at midnight.
Find the perfect gift now: [link].

Outcome

It will attract new customers and drive more sales.  

7) Referral program reminder

Do you want your loyal customers to share positive experiences with friends and family? Then, you can run a referral program reminder SMS campaign.

Use Case & Promotional Message Example

Dr. Emily is a well-known physician. She wants to encourage current patients to refer her clinic to their friends and family in exchange for a discount on their next visit. Dr. Emily’s clinic sends SMS reminders to keep patients informed and engaged.

Hi [Patient Name],
Refer Dr. Emily’s clinic and enjoy 15% off on your next visit!
Quality care for all.
Call us at [number] to learn more.

Outcome

It will help Dr. Emily build a strong and community-focused patient base, increase footprints at her clinic, and increase patient loyalty.

8) Abandoned cart reminder

Generally, the abandoned shopping cart rate globally is approximately around 73%. If your business is struggling with the same, you can try sending them an abandoned cart reminder message.

Use Case & Promotional Message Example

Ema is a working professional who often adds items to her online shopping. She recently visited the TechGadget store to buy a new pair of wireless headphones. However, she found that other competitor websites are giving better pricing. So, she leaves the cart without completing the transaction. The next day, Ema received a personalized message reminder to complete her purchase with a 10% discount if she completed her purchase within 24 hours.

Here is the message that the TechGadget sent her.

Hey Ema!
We noticed you added amazing items to your TechGadget’s cart.
Complete your purchase within 24 hours and enjoy 10% off!
Shop now: [cart link].

Result

By sending this kind of reminder message, you can convert your lost sale into a happy consumer.

9) FOMO Promotional Message

FOMO stands for Fear Of Missing Out, a Marketing technique with immense potential to make any brand/product stand out in the industry. Whenever businesses want to create a sense of urgency among consumers by making them feel that they will miss the opportunity to buy a specific service/product, they can use the FOMO promotional messages.  This type of message helps businesses increase consumer engagement rates and drive more sales

Use Case & Promotional Message Example

Jessica loves to do online shopping and explore new home decor items. For that, she follows various eCommerce brands to stay up to date about the latest trends. One fine day, she received a FOMO promotional message from her favourite online furniture brand with a limited-time flash sale offer and an exclusive discount on handcrafted pieces. 

By informing her that there are only a few hours left to grab this offer, this message has created a sense of urgency and fear of missing out in Jessica and encouraged her to visit their website and make the purchase before the sale ends.

Hey Jessica,
Flash Sale – TODAY ONLY!!
Get up to 50% off on all home decor items.
Limited time offer!
Grab it before it goes!
Visit [link]
Reply STOP to unsubscribe.

Result

It has created a sense of urgency, increased engagement rate, and driven more sales for the furniture brand.