SMS marketing automation built for two-way conversations
Some people love email, others live in their texts. Design a strategy that reaches everyone with SMS marketing that works alongside your email marketing.
Your next win is just a text away
Ready to see SMS marketing in action? Click below to explore our interactive product tours.
Reach your whole audience
Put your message in the channel that people check the most. Share your latest offers and updates with everyone on your list in seconds.
Get the conversation started
Start real-time chats that help you answer questions and turn casual browsers into repeat buyers.
Convert more with SMS campaign automation
Send automated texts with a personal touch. Recover abandoned carts, follow-up with a new lead, or surprise your customers with a deal they'll love.
Quickly build your SMS audience
Get started fast with consent-ready opt-in forms, contact imports, and list management tools that make it easy to grow your audience and extend your reach.
Hear from our customers
Businesses like yours get real results with ActiveCampaign
SMS has become a critical part of our marketing strategy because it cuts through the noise. Unlike overcrowded email inboxes, text messages stand out—there are now unread messages, and people tend to engage right away, which is huge for time-sensitive updates and offers.
Active Intelligence
Scale your reach, not your workload
Active Intelligence plans and executes SMS campaigns, generates on-brand content, suggests personalized replies, and summarizes text conversations so your team can achieve more with less.
Cross-Channel Marketing
Orchestrate SMS, email, and WhatsApp from one platform
Use shared contact data to coordinate messaging across every touchpoint. Deliver cohesive, personalized cross-channel campaigns that drive engagement and conversions.
Deliverability & International Reach
Maximize deliverability and reach customers in 180+ countries
Get a dedicated 10-digit long code through easy, in-app registration that protects your number from being flagged as spam. Send broadcast campaigns in key markets and deliver SMS automations to 180+ supported countries worldwide.
Everything you need for SMS marketing success
- AI campaign planning & content generation
- Segmentation & personalization
- Two-way messaging & SMS inbox
- Dedicated 10-digit long code
- Broadcast & scheduled SMS campaigns
- Link shortening & tracking
- SMS automations
- MMS Marketing (US & AU Only)
- Consent-ready opt-in forms number
- Quiet hours
- AI reply suggestions & conversation summaries
- Phone number validation
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
What is SMS marketing?
SMS (Short Message Service) marketing or text marketing is a digital marketing strategy that uses text messages to communicate with customers directly on their mobile phones. Businesses use SMS marketing to send promotional offers, appointment reminders, order updates, personalized content, and time-sensitive notifications.
With open rates as high as 98%, SMS marketing delivers immediate, direct engagement that drives conversions and customer action faster than email or social media. It especially works well when integrated with email marketing and CRM systems as part of a cross-channel marketing strategy.
To learn more about the basics of SMS marketing, read the article: SMS Marketing 101: Everything You Need to Know.
Why should I use SMS marketing?
SMS marketing delivers high engagement with 90% of messages read within 3 minutes. Businesses use SMS marketing to reach customers instantly, drive immediate action with time-sensitive offers, build stronger relationships through two-way conversations, and automate personalized messaging at scale. SMS marketing integrates seamlessly with email and CRM platforms, creating unified customer experiences that increase conversions and revenue.
Is SMS marketing effective?
Yes, SMS marketing is highly effective. Industry reports show SMS messages have a 98% average open rate compared to email’s 20% average, and up to 19% average click-through rates for messages with links.
SMS marketing drives measurable results, including higher conversion rates, faster response times, increased customer engagement, and stronger ROI. When integrated with email marketing and automation, SMS becomes even more effective as part of a cross-channel marketing strategy.
Do contacts need to opt-in to receive SMS marketing messages?
Yes, customers must provide explicit written consent before receiving SMS marketing messages. This is required by regulations, including TCPA (US), GDPR (EU), and similar laws worldwide.
Customers can opt-in through web forms, keyword replies (like texting “JOIN” to a number), checkout processes, or in-person sign-ups. Businesses must maintain clear records of consent, provide easy opt-out options (like reply “STOP”), and never purchase SMS lists.
ActiveCampaign provides consent-ready opt-in forms and list management tools to ensure compliance.
What are some common SMS marketing use cases?
SMS marketing offers a wide range of use cases that can benefit businesses in various industries.
Here are some common use cases:
- Sending instant product and service updates
- Announcing events and driving event attendance
- Sending appointment reminders and confirmations
- Providing order status notifications to customers
- Running time-sensitive promotions and flash sales
- Gathering customer feedback through surveys
- Engaging customers with personalized offers and discounts
How do you measure SMS marketing success?
Measure SMS marketing performance by tracking engagement metrics (delivery rate, 90–98% open rates, click-through rates, and response rates), conversion metrics (conversion rate, attributed revenue, ROI, and cost per acquisition), and list health (opt-in rates, opt-out rates, and growth rate).
ActiveCampaign’s built-in analytics track all these metrics automatically, with cross-channel attribution showing how SMS and email work together to drive conversions.
