SMS or short message service marketing isn’t new. It’s been part of marketers’ toolkits for a while, and most mid-to-enterprise businesses have run SMS campaigns for over a decade. So, why talk about SMS now?
In reality, many brands—even well-established ones—are still scratching the surface when fully leveraging SMS. They might send out generic promotions or shipping alerts, but they’re missing out on advanced personalization, real-time triggers, AI-driven insights, and an integrated omnichannel experience.
In this article, we’ll skip the basics and dive straight into cutting-edge strategies for enterprise-level SMS marketing. We’ll explore common pitfalls, opportunities for innovation, use cases, and more.
In an age where customers expect meaningful and consistent interactions across all channels, SMS can be a powerful engagement engine—provided it’s done right.
According to Emarsys research, 53% of consumers find SMS helpful. However, 23% would stop using a brand because of timeliness, meaning that it “spams” them with too many texts, highlighting the importance of relevance and timing. Many enterprise brands plan to increase SMS budgets this year as consumer preferences shift towards the convenience of being able to text businesses back.
Discover 20+ SMS marketing statistics (with sources) to know in 2025.
Generic text messages might reach customers, but they rarely resonate. With AI, you can analyze real-time behaviors—like browsing history, purchase frequency, and loyalty tier—and send hyper-personalized SMS campaigns.
While basic A/B testing is common, multivariate testing on a large scale remains an untapped resource for many enterprise brands. Testing different message formats, send times, promotions, and personalization tokens reveals what truly boosts conversions.
Broadcast messages risk coming at inconvenient times—or worse, feeling irrelevant. Real-time triggers let you send the right text when it’s most useful: after a specific action (e.g., cart abandon), a loyalty milestone, or a product restock.
In fact, the Adidas running app uses real-time triggers to deliver personalized content. They have increased +300% in campaign efficiency, +8M app opens from campaign content, and more. Learn how they did this.
SMS doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Today’s consumers expect consistent, omnichannel experiences across email, social media, apps, and physical locations. When SMS is orchestrated with other channels, it can fill critical gaps and offer real-time nudges that convert.
Pro Tip: Research from Emarsys shows that 23% of consumers will abandon a brand that overcommunicates. Smart orchestration ensures you stay on their radar without pushing them away.
Enterprises often sit on massive data repositories but fail to segment customers effectively. When combined with predictive analytics, segmentation can identify future high-value buyers, potential churn risks, and even brand advocates who can be nurtured for referrals.
Even seasoned brands can fall into costly traps that erode customer trust and ROI. Here are the top challenges:
If you want to elevate your SMS approach, check out SAP Emarsys’s advanced SMS capabilities:
Check out SAP Emarsys’s AI-powered SMS Marketing to learn more.
If you’d like a demo or need guidance on taking your SMS strategy to new heights, reach out to Emarsys. Together, we’ll help you leverage advanced tactics, avoid common pitfalls, and deliver the personalized experiences your customers deserve.
Kirk Donlan is a content marketing manager at SAP Emarsys where he uses his marketing, customer success, and copywriting experience to develop engaging, industry-specific content for marketers and marketing leadership.
Connect with Kirk: LinkedIn
Kirk Donlan
Product Marketing Manager
