What is SMS marketing?
Nicklas Segatz Mortensen · Growth Hacker · Fractional CMO · Meta Ads Nerd · 8 July 2026 · 3 min.
Definition
SMS marketing is marketing via text messages to customers who've given consent — typically used for time-sensitive messages like launches, offers and flow-triggered reminders.
Also called: SMS marketing, Text message marketing, Text marketing
Sådan virker det
SMS læses næsten altid og næsten med det samme — åbningsraterne er langt højere end e-mail. Det gør kanalen stærk til tidskritiske beskeder, men også nem at misbruge: den kræver eksplicit samtykke og skal doseres, ellers afmelder folk sig hurtigt.
01Proximity and immediacy
SMS has open rates email can only dream of — messages get read almost always, and almost immediately. That makes the channel strong for the time-sensitive: a launch, a sale that's closing, an abandoned checkout reminder, a delivery update. Combined with email in flows, it reaches the customer on whichever medium works best in the moment.
But precisely because it's so direct, it's easy to abuse. SMS requires explicit consent, and people unsubscribe quickly if they're bombarded. Dosed right — few, relevant, well-timed messages — it's one of the strongest retention channels; overdone, it's a fast track to unsubscribes.
Frequently asked questions
Why does SMS have such high open rates?+
Because text messages are personal and immediate — most get read within minutes. That makes SMS strong for time-sensitive messages, but also easy to abuse if the frequency gets too high.
Does SMS marketing require consent?+
Yes, explicit consent — stricter than email. Contacts must actively opt in to SMS, and you have to make unsubscribing easy. Dose the messages, or unsubscribes climb fast.
Related terms
Glossary
What's the difference between flows and campaigns?
A campaign is a single email or SMS sent to a segment at a set time. A flow is an automated sequence triggered by a customer's behavior (like a sign-up or a purchase) that runs on its own.
Read the entry →Glossary
What is deliverability?
Deliverability is the share of your sent emails that actually land in the recipient's inbox rather than in spam or getting rejected entirely.
Read the entry →Glossary
What is an abandoned checkout flow?
An abandoned checkout flow is triggered when a customer starts the purchase but doesn't complete it — reminding them to finish the order via email or SMS.
Read the entry →
Nicklas Segatz Mortensen
Growth Hacker · Fractional CMO · Meta Ads Nerd at Oaksmond
Growth hacker and fractional CMO with 10+ years' experience and hundreds of millions in managed ad spend behind him. Background from larger Danish and international scale-ups, and from the agency world.
Meet the team →