Demo Series Transcript: Maximizing Customer Engagement with SMS Marketing
Speakers:
- Kristen Session, Product Marketing Manager, Blueshift
- Eric Gordon, Senior Solutions Consultant, Blueshift
Why SMS Is a Game-Changer in Cross-Channel Marketing
Kristen Session: Welcome everyone to our demo series. Today’s focus is SMS marketing and how it drives customer engagement. I’m joined by Eric Gordon, one of our senior solutions consultants.
So, why include SMS in your cross-channel strategy? Well, it’s fast, personal, and incredibly effective. With 95% of texts read within three minutes and a 26% higher CTR than email, SMS is unmatched in engagement. And when combined with other channels, it gets even better—102% higher CTR when part of a cross-channel campaign.
Customers want this kind of interaction too—61% want the ability to text a brand back. So today, we'll show you how to build and scale personalized SMS with Blueshift.
Overview of Blueshift's SMS Capabilities
Eric Gordon: Thanks, Kristen. Blueshift’s SMS offering is flexible and powerful, whether you're new to SMS or looking to optimize your strategy.
You can:
- Use Blueshift as your SMS vendor or integrate with over 10 providers
- Consolidate your tech stack and manage SMS alongside email, push, in-app, and more
It all starts in the App Hub, where you configure vendor integrations or run SMS natively through Blueshift.
Creating Personalized SMS and MMS Campaigns
Let’s walk through creating a personalized MMS message. In the SMS Studio, you can:
- Personalize with first names and Liquid templating
- Add recommendation blocks (powered by our AI recommendation engine)
- Include media like images, GIFs, video, audio, or PDFs
Want to test new copy? Use Blueshift’s Gen AI to generate subject lines and body text tailored to specific audiences. Just select tone, demographic, and keywords, and you’re ready to test.
To ensure great UX, use link shorteners and tracking so your messages stay compact and measurable.
Enhancing Campaigns with Smart SMS Automation
Let’s talk about journeys. One use case is Abandoned Cart:
- A user adds something to their cart
- Wait 30 minutes, then check for a purchase
- If no purchase, send an email
- Still no conversion? Send an SMS a few hours later
Want to get smarter? Use Predictive Studio:
- Predict channel engagement likelihood (SMS, Push, Email)
- Target high-propensity users with SMS
- Route others to push or email based on what they’re likely to engage with
Onboarding and Two-Way Conversations
Now let’s look at onboarding. On a retail site:
- User signs up with email and phone
- Trigger a double opt-in via SMS
- Once confirmed, use inbound SMS to ask about preferences (e.g., men’s, women’s, both)
Blueshift captures and stores this data (like "offer type: both") in the customer profile for future targeting.
Reporting and Optimization
Marketers need to know what’s working. With Blueshift, you get:
- Out-of-the-box dashboards by channel
- Campaign-level breakdowns (clicks, orders, conversions)
- Custom reports by channel, segment, or campaign type
You can slice performance data as broadly or deeply as needed.
Final Takeaways: SMS as a Core Driver of Engagement
Kristen Session: Thanks, Eric. As you saw, SMS is a high-performing channel—especially when integrated into a broader cross-channel strategy.
With Blueshift, you get:
- A complete cross-channel hub with native SMS
- Predictive AI for channel selection
- Two-way messaging for richer engagement
- Unified reporting and journey orchestration
Whether you’re scaling SMS or just getting started, Blueshift helps you create more personal, effective campaigns. Visit blueshift.com/contact-us to learn more or reach out to your customer success manager.
Thanks for joining us!
