Email vs SMS Marketing: What to Send Where (Strategy, Examples & ROI)
Thu Jan 29 2026
Email and SMS work best as a duo, but only when the message is relevant, timed well, and earned through proper consent.In this session, Ali Wood (Head of Partnerships, UK & Ireland at Mailchimp) breaks down how to use SMS alongside email to create a more joined-up customer journey, from getting phone-number opt-ins (without being creepy) to segmentation, automation triggers, and what’s coming next with RCS (Rich Communication Services) and WhatsApp.We cover when SMS is a great fit (nudges, reminders, transactional updates), when email does the heavy lifting (story, detail, trust), and how to avoid turning your audience into full-time “STOP” typers.Key topics include: • Email vs SMS: what each channel is best for • How to collect phone numbers (quizzes, surveys, value exchange) • Segmentation beyond demographics (behaviour, intent, price sensitivity) • Automations: welcome, cart abandonment, VIP flows, reminders • Compliance essentials: consent, unsubscribe, timing rules • RCS: “SMS on steroids” (verified sender, rich media, buttons) • Q&A: emotional response to SMS, best send times, pop-ups that don’t convert______Timestamps:00:00 SMS marketing overview03:20 Email vs SMS marketing10:43 SMS automation examples11:42 SMS opt-in & list growth14:33 SMS segmentation & testing25:16 SMS compliance, timing & RCS29:50 Q&A: SMS marketing in practice_______Watch / listen:Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marketing-meetup-podcast/id1365546447Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5QvmFdxg5pMwsfPkKjhXl9_______Please take the time to check out our partners, all of whom we work with because we think they’re useful companies for lovely marketers.Frontify – All your brand assets in one place: Frontify combines DAM, brand guidelines, and templates into a collaborative source of brand truth.Mailchimp - The all-in-one marketing platform that helps teams turn emails, automation, and now SMS into smarter, more connected customer journeys (and they’ve been longtime friends of TMM!).Cambridge Marketing College – The best place to get your marketing qualifications and apprenticeships.Planable – the content collaboration platform that helps marketing teams create, plan, review, and approve all their awesome marketing content.Wistia – a complete video marketing platform that helps teams create, host, market, and measure their videos and webinars, all in one place.
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Email and SMS work best as a duo, but only when the message is relevant, timed well, and earned through proper consent.In this session, Ali Wood (Head of Partnerships, UK & Ireland at Mailchimp) breaks down how to use SMS alongside email to create a more joined-up customer journey, from getting phone-number opt-ins (without being creepy) to segmentation, automation triggers, and what’s coming next with RCS (Rich Communication Services) and WhatsApp.We cover when SMS is a great fit (nudges, reminders, transactional updates), when email does the heavy lifting (story, detail, trust), and how to avoid turning your audience into full-time “STOP” typers.Key topics include: • Email vs SMS: what each channel is best for • How to collect phone numbers (quizzes, surveys, value exchange) • Segmentation beyond demographics (behaviour, intent, price sensitivity) • Automations: welcome, cart abandonment, VIP flows, reminders • Compliance essentials: consent, unsubscribe, timing rules • RCS: “SMS on steroids” (verified sender, rich media, buttons) • Q&A: emotional response to SMS, best send times, pop-ups that don’t convert______Timestamps:00:00 SMS marketing overview03:20 Email vs SMS marketing10:43 SMS automation examples11:42 SMS opt-in & list growth14:33 SMS segmentation & testing25:16 SMS compliance, timing & RCS29:50 Q&A: SMS marketing in practice_______Watch / listen:Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marketing-meetup-podcast/id1365546447Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5QvmFdxg5pMwsfPkKjhXl9_______Please take the time to check out our partners, all of whom we work with because we think they’re useful companies for lovely marketers.Frontify – All your brand assets in one place: Frontify combines DAM, brand guidelines, and templates into a collaborative source of brand truth.Mailchimp - The all-in-one marketing platform that helps teams turn emails, automation, and now SMS into smarter, more connected customer journeys (and they’ve been longtime friends of TMM!).Cambridge Marketing College – The best place to get your marketing qualifications and apprenticeships.Planable – the content collaboration platform that helps marketing teams create, plan, review, and approve all their awesome marketing content.Wistia – a complete video marketing platform that helps teams create, host, market, and measure their videos and webinars, all in one place.