My March Swipe File

Are you struggling with what to say this month?

Most brands reduced their SMS sends during March, but have no fear, I still found plenty of inspiration to add to your swipe file. In today’s newsletter, you’ll see a bunch of examples from beauty and luxury brands, segments that are doing relatively well against a troubled retail backdrop. Most of their tactics can be applied by brands in any category.

What’s ahead:

Let’s get into the 6 themes I saved in March!

I’ve seen a “happy hour” concept before but I’m calling out these 2 texts, from Bondi Boost and La Roche-Posay for their emphasis on SMS. If you promised exclusive access to get your subscriber to sign on, this is a nice way to deliver on that. And even if you did not, signaling to the subscriber that there are unique benefits to being on the list helps reduce churn and grow your program. See additional examples of “Happy Hour” texts.

Three Fridays fall on the 13th this year, and it’s an opportunity for fun and funny messaging, or a time-boxed campaign. By / Rosie Jane, Aurate, and Comfrt were some of the brands that leaned in on March 13, but so many brands ignored it. November 13th will be the next opportunity. Plan something good. See more Friday the 13th text messages.

A well-timed educational text builds trust before it asks for anything, like this message from ScottsMiracle-Gro which reminded me to feed my lawn this month to wake it up from its winter slumber. This kind of reminder text works especially well for brands whose product is seasonal and habitual - gardening, sun care, supplements, home maintenance. The question worth asking yourself is what does my customer need to do right now and can I improve their lives by reminding them?

For brands with a celebrity founder, using their famous name is an obvious move. But some brands take it beyond namedropping. Give your founder a job in the message like curation, education, live events. This example from Victoria Beckham Beauty invites the recipient to “See how Victoria creates her nude lip look” and links to a lip color tutorial. Do I want to see how she does it? Yes I do.

This peek behind the scenes at Goop’s photo shoot feels insider-y and authentic, the way TikTok content feels more authentic than Instagram’s. This is a refreshing direction for SMS, a channel that is made for messages between friends.

Last month I pointed out that SMS marketers were leaning into Bridgerton-themed messages and this month Netflix’s Love Story is propelling Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy to SMS dominance. What this emphasizes for me is that taking a glance at Netflix’s upcoming releases each quarter might give you a jump on your own content planning and allow you to have relevant assets and landing experiences ready to go.

I threw this one in just because it’s funny. Zoom in so you can see that this statuette is wearing the Omnilux Red Light LED Mask. It’s not often that a brand’s hero product ties in this well with a tentpole event, but when it does it’s {chef’s kiss}.

Content planning gets way easier when you have a swipe file. Here’s how you can do it for free:

Finally, are you looking for a retention marketing role in New York? I’m helping an NYC-based luxury apparel brand find an experienced retention marketing candidate. If you’re interested, please reply to this message with your LinkedIn profile.

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Thanks for reading and see you next week!