# What is SMS Marketing?

What is SMS Marketing? Sending marketing messages via SMS. Open rate: 90%+ within 3 minutes. Requires opt-in. SMS is the most personal channel.

## How it works in practice

SMS is the most personal channel. A 98% open rate compared to 22% for email. Limit to 2-4 SMS messages per month.

## Related metrics

- Email Marketing — SMS and email complement each other
- Opt-in — required before SMS
- Flash Sales — SMS is the ideal channel
- Abandonment Flows — SMS plus email together

## Common misconception

'SMS is spam.' SMS with consent, relevant content, and low frequency is highly effective.

## How to fix it

Low sign-ups? (1) offer an incentive unavailable via email, (2) opt-in at checkout, (3) a first flow within minutes.

## Real-world example

A cosmetics store: an SMS flash sale to 3,000 subscribers generated 340 orders within an hour. An email to a 25,000-person list generated 290 orders.

## Where to start

SMS is step 3, after email and retargeting.

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Category: Marketing · From the [Jimmy OS KPI Glossary](https://jimmy-os.com/glossary/kpi.md) · Source page: https://jimmy-os.com/glossary/kpi/sms-marketing