Email and SMS are the two highest-ROI channels in local marketing. They are also the two channels most local businesses use the worst: sending too often, with no offer, no segmentation, and the same message to everyone.
| Ooklo | SMS | |
|---|---|---|
| Open rate | 24-32% | 95-98% |
| Click rate | 2-4% | 15-25% |
| Cost / message | ~€0 | €0.05-0.08 |
| Best for | Content, news | Offers, urgency |
| Acceptable freq. | 2-4 / month | 1 / month |
The cardinal rule of retention
Every message you send must be useful to the customer, not just to you. "Don't forget us!" is not a message. "20% off Sunday brunch: table for 4 still available" is a message. The bar is high because attention is scarce.
When to send what
- Email: monthly newsletter, new menu / collection, behind-the-scenes story, seasonal recipe or how-to.
- SMS: flash offer (24-72h validity), event reminder (booked customers only), urgent stock alert, personalised birthday code.
- Both, for the launch of a new product or location: email for the story, SMS as the day-of nudge.
Segmentation that takes 5 minutes and triples results
- Active: visited in the last 60 days. Send your normal cadence.
- Cooling: 60-180 days. Send a "we miss you" with a real incentive.
- Lost: 180+ days. One reactivation campaign per quarter, then stop emailing them.
- VIP: top 20% by spend or frequency. Earlier access, exclusive offers, real perks.
5x
higher conversion when segmented vs. blast
€42
avg. revenue per €1 spent on email (DMA 2025)
<1%
opt-out rate target on SMS to stay healthy
"We stopped emailing every week and started emailing once a month with something genuinely useful. Revenue from email tripled in 90 days."
Can I send the same content via email AND SMS?+
Almost never. Email gets the long version, SMS gets one line and a link. Same content, different format.
Is buying an email or SMS list a good idea?+
No. It is illegal under GDPR and the conversion is near zero. Build it from real customers: slow but the only thing that works.
What time should I send?+
For local: SMS Thursday-Saturday 11am or 5pm. Email Tuesday-Wednesday 9-10am. Test from there.
