2024 Black Friday/Cyber Monday SMS marketing guide: 7 steps to success

Black Friday/Cyber Monday is the most wonderful time of the year for brands.

It also puts consumers on the receiving end of a lot of marketing.

SMS marketing is a way to cut through the noise.

People are buying more frequently over text message—55% more frequently than 2022, according to our 2024 global texting takeaways research. It’s clear brands are already using SMS marketing to connect with their customers, year-round—and it stands to reason this strategy pays off even more over BFCM.

Want your piece of the pie? It’s never too early to start planning. Kick off on the right foot, with our top 7 tips for executing a successful Black Friday SMS marketing strategy.

1. Start your Black Friday/Cyber Monday campaign early

For a lot of brands, BFCM is the biggest event of the year. “Competition for people’s attention—and wallets—is fierce,” says Wei Tan, co-founder of The Orchard, an agency that specializes in email marketing and SMS automation for ecommerce brands.

The high rate of SMS readership can help you stand out from the crowd—but only if you start early. “Brands are starting their BFCM campaigns earlier every year. Consumers will be prepared to spend, but if you’re late to the game, the opportunity may be gone,” says Tan.

That means you should think about starting your BCFM prep—for both SMS and email campaigns—anytime from June onwards. It makes sense to prepare these campaigns together so you can create a cohesive, integrated strategy where email and SMS complement each other.

Establish a solid foundation for BFCM SMS marketing by collecting phone numbers and SMS marketing consent through website sign-up forms. You can also collect SMS consent at check-out, or send an email campaign to encourage your existing email subscribers to sign up for exclusive updates and deals in exchange for their digits.

2. Set goals for your BFCM strategy

As an outcome of stiff BFCM competition, the pressure of trying to make your marketing messages stand out to new customers can feel like an impossible battle for attention.

That’s why it’s important to focus on customer acquisition ahead of the holidays: so your marketing team is in a better position to drive incremental Black Friday sales and higher ROI.

“Set SMART goals, and make sure your email and SMS strategies are aligned and collaborative,” says Robin Glanz, SVP of group performance marketing at MERGE. “This means ensuring your segmentation and personalization strategies are aligned with holiday shoppers and adjusting your deliverability and sending cadences before the holidays to ensure inbox placement.”

BFCM SMS marketing tip: “Review the previous year’s holiday performance to leverage promotions that worked well in the past.” —Robin Glanz, SVP of group performance marketing at MERGE

When determining goals for your Black Friday SMS marketing strategy, keep average SMS benchmarks in mind.

These are average benchmarks, so it’s best to dig deeper into key benchmarks for your industry to see what you should be aiming for more precisely. You should also monitor quarter-over-quarter engagement rates and A/B test to see what best resonates with your customers.

3. Use segmentation to personalize your text messages

A generic SMS is easy for consumers to ignore, especially as more brands ramp up their marketing for BFCM. Personalizing these messages can help you stand out from the crowd, which really pays off: 63% of marketers in the US say personalization leads to increased conversion rates.

Since you started early collecting phone numbers back in June, you should be in a great position to send tailored text messages through segmentation before, during, and after BFCM. “As you get to know your users, create properties to utilize for segmented BFCM sales,” suggests Josh Rizzo, email marketing specialist at OuterBox (formerly Trinity).

“Speak differently to these users based on their interests and how they shop with you,” Rizzo adds. Don’t forget to exclude customers who have already made purchases over the BFCM period.

BFCM SMS marketing tip: “Send to a variety of segments. But during peak hours, target smaller audience sizes for the fastest sending possible. Quality over quantity ensures your messages reach your audience swiftly.” —Rob Hand, senior product marketing manager at Klaviyo

Here are a few BFCM SMS segmentation ideas to get you started.

BFCM SMS segment 1: engaged subscribers

This list includes customers who have recently interacted with your SMS content, including subscribing within the last 30 days or clicking within the last 90 days. Because they’ve shown an interest in receiving and reading your messages, these customers should be your priority during BFCM.

BFCM SMS segment 2: prefers SMS to email

Often, some subscribers prefer one communication channel over another. Based on their behavior, create an SMS segment for subscribers who interact with SMS but not email.

BFCM SMS segment 3: VIP customers

Customers who make frequent or high-value orders are your VIPs. Because texting feels so personal, SMS is a great way to engage this group with a range of exclusive offers and early-access deals.

Because every business is unique, VIP program criteria vary. Create a definition of what constitutes a VIP for your brand, based on factors like what best fits your business, your product prices, and your customer buying cycle.

BFCM SMS segment 4: previous BFCM buyers

Whether your BFCM marketing last year included SMS or it’s a new addition, try segmenting customers who tend to only purchase during BFCM. A friendly reminder might be the nudge they need to make a repeat purchase.

BFCM SMS segment 5: window shoppers

BFCM is a great time to engage window shoppers who’ve been eyeing your products but have yet to buy anything. A promo text might be the encouragement they need to make their first purchase.

BFCM SMS segment 6: local customers

If you have a brick-and-mortar location, Black Friday SMS marketing is a great way to keep local customers updated. Send details of any in-store exclusives like special discounts or options to buy online and pick up in-store.

BFCM SMS segment 7: giveaway and contest entrants

Consider running a giveaway or contest in the months leading up to Black Friday, in order to gather valuable information about preferences and more come shopping time.

Apparel and accessories brand POPFLEX started using Klaviyo SMS in 2022 and swiftly realized their customer base loved the informal and intimate nature of this marketing channel. As sales and sign-ups increased, they decided it was time to take their BFCM experience to a different level.

The goal was to create a VIP experience for each customer, which they achieved through several strategies, including a shopping spree giveaway they ran in October. The giveaway required entrants to create a holiday wishlist on the POPFLEX site.

When nearly 100K customers entered, the brand had plenty of browsing and wishlist data to use for targeted holiday messaging. It paid off: POPFLEX’s savvy segmentation efforts helped contribute to a 172% YoY increase in BFCM sales revenue from SMS.

“The first day of our Black Friday sale last year was our best day in the history of the company,” says Jen-Ai Notman, VP of marketing at POPFLEX. “And the first hour that we opened was the best hour we ever had.”

4. Use AI to generate Black Friday/Cyber Monday SMS messages

It’s clear personalization and segmentation are important for connecting with your customers before and during BFCM. Build on that tailored approach with the help of AI.

AI tools like Klaviyo’s SMS AI can help you generate unique, engaging SMS copy for campaigns and flows, as well as SMS replies. Rather than just giving a general overview, SMS AI’s suggestions are based on your specific prompts and audience—which supports giving your customers that personalized touch and earning their attention.

Ready to see what we mean? Check out these sample AI prompts for examples of what you might type in to AI to receive a range of BFCM text message options.

Early access to BFCM deals for VIP customers

• Write an SMS for [Company Name], letting VIP customers know they’ve been granted early access to our BFCM deals. Include the [Customer Name], emphasize that the offer is time-limited until [Date] and include the shop link: [Shop Link].
• Create an SMS offering exclusive early access to BFCM deals for VIP customers of [Company Name]. Personalize the message by addressing it to [Customer Name] plus include a CTA and the shop link: [Shop Link]. Use an inviting tone and highlight the value of being a VIP.

BFCM launch day

• Create an SMS for [Company Name] addressed to [Customer Name], letting them know that BFCM deals are now open. Use a friendly, informal tone, include the shop link: [Shop Link], and mention that discounts range from [X to X%] off.
• Write an SMS for [Company Name] customers using [Customer Name] announcing that BFCM deals are now live. Include details of [Discount]% and include the shop link: [Shop Link]. Match the tone to the example messages below.

Abandoned cart reminder

• Write an SMS reminder for [Customer Name] from [Company Name], reminding them that they’ve left items in their cart. Mention that BFCM discounts will expire on [Date] and include a direct link to their cart. Use a welcoming tone and encourage the customer to complete their purchase.
• Create an SMS for [Company Name] customers named [Customer Name], mentioning they didn’t complete their purchase and items are selling out fast. Remind them that BFCM discounts won’t be repeated until next year and include a link to their cart.

5. Be respectful when executing Black Friday SMS marketing

When people opt in to receive SMS from your brand, it’s a token of trust. Your job is to show them they’ve made the right decision. That means you need to offer a personalized customer experience, and only send messages when you have something meaningful to offer.

Part of a respectful SMS strategy is scheduling your text messages appropriately. Under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), brands cannot send non-transactional messages, including flows like abandoned cart and back-in-stock notifications, after 9 p.m. or before 8 a.m. in the recipient’s timezone—a period also known as quiet hours.

(Note that there are exceptions to this rule. We recommend disabling quiet hours for the first message of an SMS welcome series, for example, as well as Shopify post-purchase flows, such as order confirmations.)

The TCPA guidelines are US-specific, but it’s a best practice to follow them in other countries, too. Some brands even opt to use 11 a.m. as a more conservative threshold. The goal is not only to protect consumers’ rights to privacy (and uninterrupted sleep), but also to “get your messages out when your audience is most likely to engage,” Hand explains.

BFCM SMS marketing tip:“Ensure you’re not just sending SMS messages for the sake of it, but only when you’ve got something meaningful that’s worth communicating to the right audiences.” —Jane Magoffin, ecommerce director at Reload Media

6. Develop a strategic SMS sending schedule—and stick to it

Our 2024 global texting takeaways research also found that 72% of consumers who subscribe to SMS marketing expect to receive a message at least once a week.

It’s best practice to send SMS messages up to 7x a month, or once or twice a week. But during BFCM, you can stretch the rules a little.

Use the schedule template below as a starting point, then adjust it to meet the needs of your business and subscribers. Aim for 1 text per day, and if you only want to send certain promotions to specific customers, segment your audience based on engagement.

BFCM SMS marketing tip:“Consider staggering your campaigns throughout the day to avoid peak sending hours when customers are inundated with messages. Spread your impact and maximize your reach.” —Rob Hand, senior product marketing manager at Klaviyo

Day 1: Thanksgiving

Day 2: Black Friday

Days 3-4: the weekend before Cyber Monday

Day 5: Cyber Monday

7. Balance SMS and email

Rather than either-or, think of SMS and email marketing as two sides of the same coin. Engaging subscribers across different marketing channels can keep your brand top of mind and boost sales.

“SMS doesn’t work as well independently as it does when combined with email,” says Tabish Bhimani, executive director at Mastrat Digital. “With so much to say, you can’t possibly be effective in short messages alone.”

To keep SMS short and sweet, aim for concise messages with a 160-character limit. Try to avoid using emojis, which reduces your character count on many SMS marketing platforms. If you exceed the character limit, you’ll end up sending two messages, which costs more and takes longer to send.

BFCM SMS marketing tip:“Subscribers will receive many messages, so stand out by personalizing your offers and avoid over-communicating. Be mindful not to bombard subscribers with excessive or repetitive messages across email and SMS.” —Rob Hand, senior product marketing manager at Klaviyo

During BFCM, KURU Footwear used a hybrid email-and-SMS campaign. The initial email directed subscribers to a landing page where they could sign up for SMS and get first dibs on BFCM sales. This dual approach led to KURU’s best BFCM results to date.

“Leveraging the power of SMS and then backing it up with email in the same platform—it’s made it really easy to strategize,” says Stacey Bishop, email and SMS marketing manager at KURU Footwear.

Prepare your SMS marketing campaigns for BFCM with Klaviyo

BFCM can feel like a huge deal—which means it can be tempting to only stick to tried-and-true marketing channels like email.

But if your marketing strategy doesn’t include SMS, you’re missing out on an opportunity to connect with your customers.

Integrating these short messages into your existing strategy doesn’t have to be complicated, either—thanks to automated flows and AI-enhanced templates that help make every message count.