The SMS welcome series is the first impression you make with a new subscriber. Think of your welcome flow as the opening line of a conversation—a way to introduce your brand or communicate your mission. It sets the tone for the rest of your relationship with your subscriber. It’s also your first chance to drive action—whether that’s encouraging a shopper to make a purchase or building brand loyalty.
Text messages have 98%+ open rates and 90% of messages are opened within the first 3 minutes, so you can count on your welcome messages being seen. Brands often use these introductory messages to deliver special offers, give a friendly hello, and establish a relationship with their new customer.
Easily create and manage welcome messages that greet new subscribers with relevant and targeted content immediately after they opt-in to receive text messages from your brand.
- SMS welcome messages are the perfect opportunity to introduce shoppers to the unique identity of your brand.
- Automated welcome texts set the tone and expectations for future communications and encourage new subscribers to further engage with your brand.
A good starting point would be to look at what's working well in your email flows, and continue to test until you find what resonates most for your audience through text messaging.
Here are some high-level content tips:
- Make it memorable. Images, GIFs, and emojis are a friendly and visually-appealing way to introduce people to your brand and get them excited about purchasing. Even though it’s an added cost to send an MMS, brands often find it worthwhile because conversion rates are typically higher on that first message.
- Use discount codes to incentivize first-time purchasers and drive immediate sales from the welcome flow. While dollar-off and percentage-off discounts are highly effective, you can start small by offering new subscribers 10% off just for signing up. Or, you can lead with a simple welcome message introducing your brand and include a discount code later in the welcome series. If a subscriber still hasn't converted toward the end of the welcome flow, you always have the option to increase the discount as a final incentive to purchase before they exit the welcome series.
- For higher AOV businesses, focus on building brand affinity and providing additional product information.
- For lower AOV businesses, focus on reminding people about their discount code and pointing them toward your bestsellers.
Let’s break down what a successful welcome message looks like:
- Stay compliant. It's important to mention this, but you don't have to worry about it. DojoMojo ensures you remain compliant by auto-sending to new subscribers a message that includes the description of the SMS program, the message frequency, a disclaimer that message and data rates may apply, and information about how to get help or opt-out. This type of message is legally required and cannot be edited.
- Give a warm welcome to subscribers who opt-in to your SMS program. Remember that SMS is a personal channel—text your subscribers as if you were having a real conversation with a friend—use “you” and “we,” and infuse your brand voice into your content.
- Provide shoppers with an offer. If you’re driving sign-ups with an incentive, like a discount on their next order, remember to include the coupon code or a link with the offer automatically applied in the text message. If you’re not promoting a special offer, link to your bestsellers or a piece of editorial content so subscribers can learn more about your brand.
- End with a strong CTA to immediately drive traffic to your website and product pages.
Here are some examples of strong welcome messages:
- Welcome 👋 Use code {Coupon Code} for 20% OFF your next purchase. Click here to automatically apply it to your cart: {Store URL}
- Welcome! Your free bag of premium beans with any coffee machine purchase is waiting at checkout. Shop now: {Store URL}
- We'll text you about new arrivals & special offers as they happen. For now, shop our latest styles here 👉 {Store URL}
- You're on the list! You'll only hear from us every now & then, but when you do, it'll be good. Until then, use {Coupon Code} for 15% off your next purchase 😎: {Store URL}
- You made the list! Now, tap the link to get 20% OFF our ENTIRE site 👉 {Store URL}