SMS marketing is one of the few channels where the message lands directly on the recipient's phone screen – without an algorithm in between and without competing for attention in a crowded inbox. The SMS-fly platform has been running since 2012, works with the main GSM operators in Poland, and has handled over 30 billion messages for more than 67 thousand companies.
Below you will find a complete guide: from the definition, through building a contact database and legal requirements, to tools, sample SMS content, and ways of measuring effectiveness.
SMS-fly was created by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs, to provide easy and effective communication with customers.
SMS marketing is a form of mobile marketing based on sending short promotional text messages to a group of recipients who have consented to such communication. It covers both bulk sends to the entire database and narrowly targeted SMS campaigns aimed at a selected customer segment.
It is worth distinguishing two types of message. Transactional messages – order confirmation, shipment status, a one-time code – do not require marketing consent, because they serve the performance of a contract. Promotions, invitations and offers require separate, voluntary consent from the recipient.
In practice, SMS in marketing acts as the closing channel. It does not replace email, but it reaches where other tools fail: the customer without internet access, within a dozen or so seconds of launching the send, on a device they carry all day.
SMS marketing campaigns translate into measurable results in several areas at once:
The common denominator is directness. The message does not land in the promotions folder or get lost in a feed – it appears where the recipient gets messages from friends.
The effectiveness of SMS marketing depends first on the quality of the contact database, and only then on the content. A number obtained without consent is worthless – you may not use it. Below are four moments when it is worth asking for a phone number.
deliver personalised SMS messages that will not be ignored or lost among spam;
quickly capture recipients' attention, because messages are read almost immediately after arrival;
increase conversion by establishing direct contact with the target audience.
The moment after placing an order is the best opportunity to extend the relationship – the customer has just trusted the brand and is providing a number for delivery purposes. It is enough to add a separate checkbox, unticked by default, with consent to SMS marketing, plus a short note about the benefit: early access to sales or a discount code for the next purchase.
A loyalty programme provides the most valuable part of the database: customers who declared the wish to be contacted themselves. It is worth separating them and treating them differently – exclusive offers, early access to new products, an individual discount code. An SMS newsletter with a clearly defined frequency lowers the number of opt-outs.
In a store or salon, a tablet at the till or a QR code on the receipt works well. The incentive given straight away is key – a discount on the current purchase works better than the promise of future offers. Sign-ups collected offline must be documented in the same way as online ones.
Trade fairs and campaigns in traditional media let you acquire contacts outside your own channels. A mechanism based on an inbound number works well – the recipient sends an SMS with a keyword to enter a competition. A short number (shortcode) is easy to remember from a radio spot or a poster.
Sending marketing messages falls under two regimes at once: GDPR for the processing of personal data, and electronic communication rules for the marketing contact itself. The second layer is governed by the Electronic Communications Law (PKE), which came into force on 10 November 2024 and replaced the earlier provisions of the Telecommunications Law and the Act on Providing Services by Electronic Means.
The information below is organisational in nature and does not constitute legal advice. Details: GDPR and SMS sending.
Consent must be voluntary, specific, informed and unambiguous: a separate checkbox detached from accepting the terms and conditions, a clear indication of the data controller, and a statement of the channel it covers – consent for email does not cover SMS messages.
You must be able to demonstrate consent, so record the date, the source and the wording of the clause. A database bought from an external party practically never meets this condition.
The recipient must be able to withdraw consent as easily as they gave it – the standard is an unsubscribe link in the content or a reply with a set keyword to an inbound number. A number that has opted out goes onto an exclusion list and is automatically skipped in subsequent sends.
The opt-out rate is worth treating as a diagnostic signal – a sudden rise means the content has diverged from the expectations of the target group.
SMS marketing works well in industries where the delivery time of a message matters:
Online stores use order status notifications and cart recovery, retail chains send discount codes to be redeemed at a specific location, and restaurants confirm bookings and promote the lunch offer before noon. Financial institutions send payment reminders, medical centers reduce the number of missed appointments, beauty salons confirm dates, taxi services report vehicle arrival, and the sports and entertainment sector announces events and ticket presales.
Effective SMS marketing requires more than the ability to send a message to a list of numbers. Below are the features that decide the outcome of a campaign:
All features work from the browser – no installation and no IT department needed.
SMS marketing delivers the most value when it stops requiring manual handling. Automation means linking a send to an event in the system: placing an order, a change in shipment status, or a lack of customer activity for a defined period.
SMS-fly provides ready-made integrations with e-commerce platforms and CRM systems – PrestaShop, WordPress, Shoper, IdoSell, BaseLinker, Shopify, Magento, HubSpot, Pipedrive, as well as Make.com and Zapier. Full list: SMS integrations. You can connect custom software through the SMS API, using our SMS gateway and documentation. You can also schedule sends in advance – we described this on the automatic SMS sending page.
Eight templates that fit within the standard limit. Replace the elements in brackets with your own data.
Important: Using Polish diacritics (e.g. ą, ę, ś, ł) in the content, the customer's name, or the link automatically switches the message encoding to Unicode, which reduces the single SMS limit from 160 to 70 characters.
[BRAND]: Black Friday has started. -40% on the whole store until Sunday 23:59. Code: BF40. Shop: [link] Opt out: [link]
[BRAND]: Summer collection -50%. Sizes are selling out fast. Check before yours is gone: [link] Opt out: [link]
[NAME], all the best from [BRAND]! Claim -20% for 7 days. Code: BIRTHDAY20. [link] Opt out: [link]
[NAME], your cart at [BRAND] is still waiting. Complete your order and get free delivery: [link] Opt out: [link]
[BRAND]: a reminder about your appointment on [DATE] at [TIME], [ADDRESS]. To cancel, reply CANCEL.
[BRAND]: order [NUMBER] has been dispatched. The parcel will arrive on [DATE]. Track: [link]
[BRAND] invites you: open day on [DATE] at [TIME]. Consultations and -15% on site. Sign up: [link] Opt out: [link]
[NAME], we have not seen you in a while. Come back with -25% valid until [DATE]. Code: COMEBACK25. [link] Opt out: [link]
The common denominator of effective content: the sender name at the start, one specific point instead of generalities, a time limit, and a clear call to action.
The timing of a send affects results almost as much as the content itself:
The most reliable answer comes from a test on your own database: split a segment and send the same content at different times.
| Channel | Device reach | Requires internet | Message length | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SMS | every phone | no | 160 characters (70 with Unicode) | urgent messages, short-term promotions, reminders |
| mailbox users | yes | no limits | extensive content, newsletters, customer education | |
| Push | app owners | yes | short | engaging active app users |
| RCS | selected smartphones (mainly Android) | yes | multimedia, buttons | visual campaigns on modern devices |
The channels do not exclude each other. In an omnichannel approach a typical scenario looks like this: email presents the offer in detail, and an SMS sent a day later to those who did not open it closes the campaign with a short message and a deadline.
You pay only for the messages sent. There are no subscription fees, activation costs or hidden commissions, and the rate drops as the volume grows.
View all prices| Number of messages (pcs/month) | Cost of one SMS (PLN) |
|---|---|
| 1 – 10 000 | 0.069 PLN |
| 10 001 – 50 000 | 0.064 PLN |
| 50 001 – 100 000 | 0.062 PLN |
| 100 001 – 500 000 | 0.059 PLN |
| 500 001 – 1 000 000 | 0.054 PLN |
| from 1 000 001 | on request |
You will find the full breakdown in the price list.
SMS marketing is the sending of promotional messages to recipients who have given marketing consent. SMS notifications are transactional in nature – they inform about order status or an appointment date – and do not require separate consent.
Yes. Consent must be voluntary, specific and demonstrable. It should cover the SMS channel explicitly – consent to an email newsletter does not replace it. The recipient must have a simple way to opt out.
A single message holds 160 Latin alphabet characters. Polish diacritics reduce the limit to 70 characters. Longer content is split into parts and billed as several messages.
It is the brand name displayed instead of a phone number, up to 11 alphanumeric characters. It increases recognition and trust in the message. It requires submission and verification before the first send.
In the SMS channel it is structurally higher than in email, because the content appears in the on-screen notification. The specific value for your database is best established from your own campaigns.
Weekdays between 9:00 and 19:00 usually work well. The optimal time differs between industries, so it is worth testing two variants on a split segment and comparing the results.
Rates start at 0.069 PLN and drop to 0.054 PLN for sends above 500 thousand messages per month. No subscription and no hidden fees. Above one million messages we set the rate individually.
Yes. Ready-made integrations with popular e-commerce platforms and CRMs are available, as well as a connection through the API. This lets you send messages automatically in reaction to events, e.g. cart abandonment.
Online stores
Retail chains
Restaurants, cafes
Financial institutions
Medical centers
Beauty salons
Taxi services
Sports and entertainment