Customer journeys are no longer linear.

You see an ad on Instagram, but scroll past it, then it’s an exclusive offer you spot on the corner of your eye above emails and finally, you get it on a desktop before placing an order.

Consumers now jump between touchpoints like emails or social media, SMS, and even physical stores before finally making a purchase today. 

This is why integrating key channels like email and SMS are becoming crucial for effective marketing. 

Why Use Email and SMS Marketing Together?

Maximizing reach and engagement is what every brand wants.

Each channel you use as a touchpoint has unique strengths but it’s an intentional merging of both that can make a more enjoyable shopping experience.

The Power of Email Marketing

Studies have proven that email marketing can drive an ROI of an average of $42 for every dollar spent, firmly cementing itself as a cost-effective tool.

With an email, you have the option of sending different types of media and automating the whole workflow while having the ability to offer personalization to different segments of your audience.

You can tailor messages for each stage of your customer’s journey interacting with your brand, increasing engagement, and building stronger bonds.

The Advantage of SMS Marketing

With the addition of other channels, SMS marketing has gotten some of its intentional strategy back. Brands know customers allow very few marketing SMS now, which makes their messaging very intentional.

This has helped open (98%) and read rates (45%), SMS marketing remains a powerful channel to drive immediate engagement for eCommerce brands.

Customers tend to respond to time-sensitive updates like flash sales, or seasonal promotions faster with a well-timed and well-crafted SMS.

Its brevity is a strong reason for its success since the concise format is a well-balanced counterpart to email, helping brands deliver messages that are harder to miss.

With email being great for communicating more in-depth content and engaging in storytelling, you can use SMS to reach your customers instantly and urge quick actions

How to Combine Email and SMS Marketing

Integrating the two marketing channels is actually easier if you’re using Omnisend vs Klaviyo or ActiveCampaign to set up automations. Here’s how: 

1. Select the Right Platform

The right platform should allow you to manage email and SMS marketing from a single, unified dashboard.

You need to be able to see and coordinate all campaigns and manage customer data without having to jump back and forth.

With the right automation tools you can also create custom workflows that leverage email and SMS at different stages of the buying journey more strategically. This helps also offer more personalized communication. 

2. Segment Your Audience for Targeted Messaging

Good segmentation will help you reach your audience with personalized campaigns, increasing its relevancy, and boosting conversions. 

For example, the segment of new customers should be sent an introductory email series that’s complemented by SMS reminders for exclusive discounts, all of which are aimed at nudging them to make their first purchase.

3. Create Consistent Messaging Across Channels

The art of maintaining a consistent brand tone across channels is crucial to improve recall of your campaigns. 

For example, if you need to launch a new line of products, you can start with a sequence of emails introducing, nurturing the mystery and finally creating a buzz right to when it launches.

For higher impact, the final emails should be followed by a well-timed SMS reminder for a limited-time offer.

This consistency in messaging helps create a cohesive customer journey.

4. Automate Key Customer Journeys

With such detail needed to plan campaigns, automating the workflow is the best way to remain agile while reducing manual errors.

With tools like Omnisend, Klaviyo, and ActiveCampaign, you can automate your campaigns based on different customer actions.

Think welcome sequences, abandoned cart reminders, and re-engagement messages.

For example, say you have a customer who leaves items in their cart, you can send an email reminder followed by an SMS (spaced apart just right to nudge them without annoying them) with a special discount code.

With automation, you ensure timely interactions and can guide customers through the full funnel journey without needing constant manual effort.

5. A/B Test to Find the Perfect Balance

To improve how the two channels work together, A/B test often. 

Test variations in copy, timing, and frequency to find out when your unique audience browses or places an order.

For example, try sending an SMS immediately after a welcome email versus a few hours later.

Do your customers like a higher note of urgency, because you’re featuring a limited offer?

Or is it an item that would typically need more time to think through?

6. Monitor and Optimize Performance

Both Omnisend and Klaviyo offer built-in analytics to track key metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates across both channels.

By regularly analyzing KPIs, you can identify what’s working, be notified of it in real-time, have the ability to respond with agility, and make changes to campaigns on the fly, leading to higher engagement rates. 

Conclusion

Integrating email and SMS marketing can lead to stronger customer engagement because when done well, your brand remains top-of-mind across multiple touchpoints.

By leveraging platforms like Omnisend, Klaviyo, and ActiveCampaign, brands can reach their audience with consistent and well-timed campaigns.