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How to Increase Sales With Business Text Messages
Texts are an effective, low-cost way to reach prospects and customers.
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Today’s busy consumers have little time and patience for phone calls. They often ignore calls from unknown numbers entirely or let such calls go to voicemail; they may not even listen to voicemails from numbers they don’t recognize. Texting has become a preferred communication method — allowing people to connect when their schedule permits and respond to messages and inquiries at their convenience.
Texting is ubiquitous and integrated into people’s lifestyles. So, businesses are discovering how to leverage it to boost sales through text message marketing, reminders, inquiries and more. We’ll examine nine common business text message uses that can improve your bottom line and streamline customer communication and overall operations.
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How to Increase Sales With Business Text Messages
Businesses use text messages to reach their target audience, engage prospects and more. Here are nine ways you can use text messaging to boost engagement and sales:
1. Engage with new leads via text messages.
Texting is a valuable way to reach and convert prospects. According to EZ Texting’s 2025 Consumer Texting Behavior report, 86 percent of consumers say they opt in to receive text messages from businesses they’re interested in — demonstrating a clear interest in potentially making a purchase. Additionally, text messages spark interest in prospects and entice them to buy. In fact, 67 percent of consumers report increased interest in a product after receiving a text about it.
To start engaging new leads via text, do the following:
- Ask potential customers to opt in to your texts. When potential customers show interest in your company, ask them to sign up to receive text messages. Then, you can use short message service (SMS) marketing to tell them about promotions, events and other vital happenings within your company.
- Craft quality, concise messages. Keep your messages concise and polite. Get your point across as succinctly as possible.
- Include contact information in your texts. Put all your contact information in your text messages. This practice makes it easy for customers to respond and ask questions. Then, if they are interested, they can call you.
2. Reengage with cold leads by sending a straightforward text.
One of the best ways to use business texting is to remind people they were once interested in your company. Texting is an excellent way to reengage past clients or leads who fell off the radar. Unlike a phone call, a text doesn’t demand an immediate response. Recipients can mull over the information you sent and respond when ready. This strategy works well: According to Attentive, 79 percent of companies rely on text messaging as a retention channel.
To get the most from this type of marketing, Camden Olivero, owner of Niche and Needle Marketing, recommended using zero-party data. This is information customers have willingly shared about their preference
“Reengaging cold leads with business text messaging is far more effective when leveraging zero-party data … a tailored text offering a limited-time discount or a relevant update can reignite engagement,” Olivero explained. This customer-centric approach “consistently leads to higher conversion rates because it aligns directly with the recipient’s intent.”
If you reignite a cold lead’s interest, they can contact you at their convenience via phone or visit your website to learn more. With two-way business texting, you can answer questions and provide the information they need to move forward with your company.
Try sending a simple text to a cold lead or former customer that says, “Are you still interested in [your product or service]?” Then, watch the replies roll in.
3. Reduce no-shows for appointments, meetings or webinars with SMS reminders.
We all have busy lives, and it’s easy to forget things. However, when someone misses an appointment with your company, you lose out on potential revenue. Help your clients remember their appointments by sending a reminder text the day before or the day of the event.
Texting is more efficient than calling people with reminders. You and your employees don’t have to spend valuable time making phone calls. Instead, your team can focus on essential operational tasks.
Ryan Elam, founder and CEO of LocalEyes Video Production, recommended taking reminders a step further.
“Instead of just reminding customers of their appointment, add a micro-commitment,” Elam advised. “[For example,] ‘We’re looking forward to seeing you tomorrow at 3 p.m. Reply YES to confirm or RESCHEDULE if needed.’ This simple change reduces no-shows by up to 30 percent because it increases engagement rather than passive acknowledgment.”
4. Send last-minute reminders before promotions end.
People don’t like to miss out on a good deal. Help your customers avoid missing out on savings by sending text messages letting them know when a promotion is ending or a coupon is about to expire.
It’s a good idea to send a message a day or two before the promotion ends and then another on the last day. These timely reminders encourage customers to act before it’s too late.
5. Qualify leads over text before calling.
Salespeople often spend time on the phone with someone who doesn’t need or qualify for the product or service. Instead, text the potential customer first with information to help them decide if they’re a good candidate for your offering.
For example, send a brief message that outlines what your product or service offers and who it’s best suited for. You can also ask a quick question or two to gauge interest or fit — saving everyone time. If the lead responds positively, you’ll know they’re worth a follow-up call.
Using text in this way helps you prioritize high-intent leads, reduce unproductive calls and create a smoother prospect experience.
6. Personalize your texts for extra impact.
The personal touch matters in marketing, so consider personalizing your texts with recipients’ names and offers that matter to them.
Many of the best text message marketing services support extensive personalization options, particularly when integrated with your CRM platform. You can send personalized offers and recommendations based on customers’ past purchases or browsing history.
Here’s an example of a text a home goods business could send to a recent buyer: “Hey [Customer Name]! Loving your new coffee maker? Complete your set with these stylish mugs — here’s 15% off just for you: [link].”
John Nash, chief marketing and strategy officer at Redpoint Global, said personalization is evolving quickly thanks to AI. Specifically, AI-driven sentiment analysis — using data to understand how a customer feels — can make texts even more relevant.
“The real power of sentiment analysis lies in connecting these emotional signals to a unified, comprehensive customer profile,” Nash explained before he cautioned that data integrity is key to enhancing customer relationships, not damaging them. “Businesses must prioritize clean, reliable data sources and ensure AI tools are trained to minimize bias, maintaining trust and relevance at every touchpoint.”
With the right data, texting will be empathic and problem-solving. “The next frontier for businesses isn’t just understanding what customers do, but how they feel — and, more importantly, using that insight to deliver text message interactions that feel truly human,” Nash added.
In short, AI can unlock deeper personalization — but only if the data behind it is accurate and trustworthy. When you combine smart tools with clean data, you can send texts that address both what customers want and how they feel. That kind of personalization creates a deeper connection and drives stronger results.
7. Segment your subscriber lists.
Segmenting your text message lists is another way to personalize messages to recipients. With list segmentation, you divide your customer base into smaller target audiences based on shared characteristics like purchase history, demographics or geographical location. This approach helps ensure subscribers receive relevant content that’s timely and more likely to resonate.
Georgi Todorov, founder and CEO of link-building agency Create & Grow, emphasized the importance of well-timed, customized texts. “We sent custom suggestions by SMS and tested segmenting consumers based on past purchases,” Todorov recalled. “Conversion rates rose by 30 percent [and] click-through rates climbed by 45 percent. The more relevant a message is, the more likely it is to become a sale.”
8. Canvass customers for recommendations and testimonials.
Good customer reviews matter. Unlike in the past, your business is now instantly discoverable online, so it’s essential to proactively manage your reputation.
You can use text messaging software like Podium to send texts to customers asking them to post reviews on Google, Facebook and other sites. (Read our Podium review to learn more about this tool.)
While this approach won’t directly generate sales, it will help boost your reviews over time as more customers feel confident buying from you. Send a short message after each purchase to request a review — you can even offer a small incentive as a thank-you.
9. Recover sales from abandoned shopping carts.
Reducing shopping cart abandonment is a priority for e-commerce retailers. This happens when a visitor fills their basket while shopping on your website but leaves without paying. If you connect your CRM to your website, text messaging can be a powerful way to win back those lost orders.
Todorov shared that one customer dramatically recovered sales from abandoned shopping carts using text messaging. “[They] recovered 25 percent more lost sales with a basic reminder SMS, including a time-sensitive discount, than with email alone,” Todorov recalled. “People check texts right away; take advantage of that urgency.”
For maximum impact, schedule a reminder SMS to go out shortly after someone abandons their cart — but not immediately, as that can feel too high-pressure. Provide a clear link back to their cart and ensure they know how much time is left to use the discount.
Benefits of Business Text Messages
Businesses are known for underutilizing texts despite the benefits of this communication method. Business text messages are an exceptional tool for improving customer reach; they provide one of the highest returns on investment (ROIs) due to increased engagement levels.
Consider the following five benefits of business texting:
1. Text messages have higher open rates.
According to CTIA data, text messages have open rates of 98 percent — much higher than email open rates, which average 37.27 percent.
Plus, your messages go directly into customers’ hands — making them hard to miss. Nearly half of all SMS campaigns generate revenue, and they deliver even better digital marketing ROI when paired with other promotional efforts.
2. Texting can improve customer satisfaction.
Many businesses use text messaging for customer service to boost customer satisfaction. When you choose SMS communication, your customers realize you respect their needs and time. They will likely appreciate the reminders, announcements and updates you send.
Customers can communicate 24/7 at their convenience via text. Whether at home or on the go, they can send a reply quickly and easily.
3. Texting leaves a virtual paper trail.
Contacting a customer via phone can be costly. You must get them to answer the call and spend time on a quality conversation. Plus, there’s no written record of what you talked about or the next action steps.
With texting, businesses can automate messages and track responses, much like automated email sequences. This virtual paper trail keeps both you and the customer accountable while helping streamline your service process.
4. Texting is a low-cost marketing option.
You can work text messaging into your promotional events quickly and at virtually no cost. Many businesses integrate text messaging with social media marketing. Like social media posts, text messages are direct and to the point.
Contact databases are easy to build when using text messaging as a marketing tool. You can use a simple opt-in and opt-out feature to determine who receives communications from your business.
Within your database, you can save customer details and send targeted offers to those who have opted in to SMS. With the analytics these platforms offer, you can track the effectiveness of your communication efforts. For example, some text messaging software solutions show your campaign’s click-through rate and how many purchases you’ve gotten through text communications.
5. Texting provides another way for customers to pay you.
Using business texting to accept mobile payments via SMS helps you get paid faster and improves your cash flow.
Before you can start, you’ll need permission to text your customer and a payment gateway. Once that’s set up, send them a message with a link to a landing page where they can enter their payment details and settle their account. You can also send friendly follow-up texts to late payers with the same link to remind them they’re overdue.
Elijah Masek-Kelly contributed to this article.
