Brevo SMS Marketing: Combining Email and Text Campaigns

Why SMS Marketing Belongs in Your Brevo Strategy

Email marketing is powerful. SMS marketing is immediate. When you combine both in Brevo's unified platform, you create a multi-channel strategy that reaches subscribers wherever they are most responsive — and at exactly the right moment.

SMS messages have a 98% open rate. Most are read within 3 minutes of being received. No email campaign achieves this level of immediacy. For time-sensitive offers, critical notifications, appointment reminders, and cart recovery, SMS cuts through in a way that email simply cannot match.

Brevo is one of the few email marketing platforms that also offers full-featured SMS marketing built into the same dashboard — with the same contact database, the same automation workflows, and the same reporting interface. This tight integration is what makes Brevo's multi-channel approach so effective.

SMS Marketing in Brevo: How It Works

SMS Credits

Unlike email (which Brevo prices by volume per plan), SMS messages in Brevo are purchased as credits. One credit typically equals one standard SMS message (160 characters) to a recipient in a standard-rate country. Messages to premium-rate countries or longer messages may use more credits.

Credits can be purchased in packages directly from the Brevo dashboard under "SMS" → "Buy SMS Credits."

Setting Up Your Sender ID

In Brevo, your SMS messages will appear from either:

• A Sender Name (Alphanumeric ID): A custom name like your brand name. Available in most countries. Limitation: recipients cannot reply.
• A Short Code or Long Code: A dedicated phone number. Allows two-way SMS. Required for certain countries and compliance frameworks.

Check Brevo's documentation for the requirements and supported sender types in your target country, as regulations vary significantly.

Opt-In Requirements

SMS marketing requires explicit, written opt-in from contacts — the regulatory bar is higher than for email. In most markets (including the US under TCPA and EU under GDPR), you must:

• Obtain opt-in specifically for SMS (an email opt-in does not cover SMS)
• Clearly state what types of messages they will receive
• Provide a clear opt-out mechanism (typically replying "STOP")
• Honor opt-outs immediately

Brevo helps you manage SMS opt-ins by allowing you to store mobile numbers and SMS consent status as contact attributes. Use a dedicated field for SMS consent, separate from your email consent tracking.

Sending Your First SMS Campaign

Go to "SMS" → "SMS Campaigns" → "Create an SMS campaign."

Configure:

1. Campaign name: Internal reference only
2. Recipients: Select the list(s) of contacts to receive this SMS. Brevo will only send to contacts who have a mobile number in the SMS attribute field.
3. Sender ID: Choose your configured sender name or number
4. Message content: Write your SMS message

Writing Effective SMS Messages

SMS has strict character limits. A standard SMS is 160 characters (Latin characters). If your message exceeds 160 characters, it is split into multiple messages and may cost additional credits.

Guidelines for effective SMS copy:

• Identify yourself immediately: Start with your brand name since recipients may not recognize your sender ID
• State the offer or purpose clearly: No preamble — get to the point in the first sentence
• Include a short URL: Use a link shortener if needed. Brevo includes a link shortener so you can track clicks.
• Include an opt-out instruction: Required by law in most markets. "Reply STOP to unsubscribe" is the standard.

Example: [BrandName] Your order #12345 has shipped! Track it here: [link] Reply STOP to opt out.

Scheduling and Sending

Choose to send immediately or schedule for a specific date and time. For promotional SMS, timing matters — send during business hours (10am-6pm) in the recipient's local time zone. Avoid early morning, late evening, and weekends unless your audience and offer specifically call for it.

SMS Automation in Brevo

The most powerful use of SMS in Brevo is within automation workflows. You can add SMS actions alongside email actions in the same workflow, creating true multi-channel sequences.

Abandoned Cart Recovery with SMS

A high-converting cart recovery workflow might look like:

• 1 hour after abandonment: Send an email reminder (email 1)
• Wait 3 hours
• Check condition: Did the contact complete the purchase?
  • Yes: Exit the workflow
  • No: Send an SMS message — "Hey [name], your cart is waiting. Complete your order and save 10%: [link]"
• Wait 24 hours
• Check condition: Did the contact complete the purchase?
  • Yes: Exit the workflow
  • No: Send a final email (email 2)

The SMS step typically recovers an additional 5-15% of carts that did not respond to the first email.

Flash Sale Announcement

Email is ideal for detailed promotional content. SMS is ideal for announcement and urgency. Use them together:

• Day before the sale: Send an email with full details, images, and featured products
• Morning of the sale: Send an SMS — "[Brand] Flash Sale is LIVE for 24 hours only. 40% off everything: [link]"
• 3 hours before end: Send a final SMS — "[Brand] Sale ends in 3 hours. Don't miss it: [link]"

Appointment and Event Reminders

For service businesses and event organizers, automated SMS reminders dramatically reduce no-shows:

• 48 hours before: Email reminder with full details
• 24 hours before: SMS reminder — "Reminder: Your appointment with [Brand] is tomorrow at [time]. Reply to confirm or call [number] to reschedule."
• 2 hours before: Final SMS — "Your [Brand] appointment starts in 2 hours. See you at [address]."

Tracking SMS Campaign Performance

From "SMS" → "Statistics," you can review:

• Sent: Total messages sent
• Delivered: Confirmed delivered to handsets
• Clicked: Contacts who clicked the link in your SMS
• Errors: Failed deliveries with error codes

SMS click rates are significantly higher than email click rates. Benchmarks of 15-25% click rate on promotional SMS are achievable with a well-engaged list and a relevant offer.

Compliance and Best Practices Checklist

Before sending any SMS campaign:

• Confirm you have explicit SMS opt-in for every recipient
• Confirm the contact's country is supported by your sender configuration
• Include your brand name in the message
• Include opt-out instructions
• Do not send during restricted hours (check local regulations)
• Have a process for handling STOP replies and manual opt-out requests

Brevo handles STOP replies automatically for supported country/carrier combinations, but you should verify this works correctly in your specific configuration.

Integrating SMS with Your Email Strategy

The key to a successful multi-channel strategy is not sending the same message twice — it is using each channel for what it does best:

Use Case	Best Channel
Detailed content, long-form	Email
Urgency, time-sensitive	SMS
Relationship building	Email
Order/shipping notifications	Email or SMS
Flash sale announcements	SMS + Email
Event reminders (48h)	Email
Event reminders (2h)	SMS
Re-engagement of cold subscribers	Email

When email and SMS work together in Brevo's unified platform, you get the benefits of both without managing two separate systems.

Brevo Plan Comparison

Plan	Price	Emails/Month	Key Features
Free	$0/month	300/day	SMS credits available for purchase, basic campaigns
Starter	From $25/month	20,000	SMS campaigns, basic automation, no daily email limit
Business	From $65/month	20,000+	SMS in automation workflows, multi-channel sequences
Enterprise	Custom pricing	Unlimited	High-volume SMS, dedicated support, custom sender numbers

Adding SMS to your Brevo marketing strategy is one of the fastest ways to increase the reach and immediacy of your campaigns. Start with one high-value SMS automation — like cart recovery or appointment reminders — and measure the impact before expanding further.