If you’ve been relying solely on email marketing to reach your customers, you’re missing out on the channel they actually check most – their text messages. While emails sit unopened in overflowing inboxes, text messages boast sky-high open rates and immediate attention.
Mailchimp SMS Marketing brings text messaging capabilities to the platform known primarily for email campaigns. As an add-on to Mailchimp’s paid plans, SMS marketing lets you reach customers directly on their phones while managing everything from one unified dashboard. But is adding SMS to your Mailchimp account worth the extra cost, or should you look elsewhere for your text marketing needs?
Key Features
Mailchimp SMS integrates text messaging into the email marketing platform used by millions of businesses worldwide. The tool focuses on creating omnichannel campaigns that coordinate email and SMS for maximum impact.
Plans and Pricing
Unlike Mailchimp’s tiered email plans, SMS operates on a credit-based system available to anyone with a paid Mailchimp account. You’ll need at least an Essentials plan ($13/month for 500 contacts) before you can add SMS capabilities.
SMS credits start at $20 for 1,000 credits and increase in blocks from there. Each standard SMS message costs 1 credit to send, while multimedia messages (MMS) containing images or longer text cost 3 credits each. Credits are purchased monthly and automatically renew on your billing date, but here’s the catch – unused credits expire at the end of each month with no rollover.
You’ll also need to complete an SMS Marketing application and get approval from Mailchimp before purchasing credits, adding an extra step to getting started. The good news? Qualified customers can access a 14-day free SMS trial to test the waters.
Unified Email and SMS Platform
The standout feature here is integration. Rather than juggling separate platforms for email and SMS, you manage both channels from the same Mailchimp dashboard. According to Mailchimp’s data, users who send both email and SMS campaigns see up to 97% higher click rates compared to email-only campaigns.
This unified approach means your customer data, segmentation, and automation workflows work across both channels. You can trigger an email campaign and follow up with an SMS reminder, all from a single customer journey builder.
AI-Powered Messaging with Intuit Assist
Mailchimp’s AI assistant helps draft SMS copy, generating message ideas based on your campaign goals and brand voice. The tool has helped customers send over 3.1 billion emails with AI-generated content, and now extends this capability to text messages.
While you’ll still need to review and refine AI suggestions, having a starting point speeds up campaign creation – especially valuable given the 160-character constraint of SMS messages.
Automation and Customer Journeys
Pre-built automation workflows let you send triggered messages based on customer actions. The most valuable automation? Abandoned cart recovery. Mailchimp claims users see up to 16.5x ROI after launching their first SMS campaign, largely driven by timely cart abandonment reminders.
Other automation options include welcome series for new subscribers, post-purchase follow-ups, appointment reminders, and birthday messages. You can also set up keyword-triggered responses where customers text a specific word to your number to receive automated information or offers.
SMS Short Codes
Mailchimp now offers SMS short codes – those memorable 5-6 digit numbers you see from major brands. Short codes can send up to 100 messages per second and appear more professional than standard 10-digit numbers, potentially improving open rates and brand trust.
The registration process takes 8-12 weeks from application to approval, but you can continue using your standard number while waiting. Short codes require an additional monthly fee beyond SMS credit costs.
Compliance and Consent Management
Text messaging comes with strict regulatory requirements, and Mailchimp handles much of the compliance burden for you. The platform includes built-in consent management, quiet hours settings (preventing messages during late-night hours), easy opt-out management, and guidance on double opt-in requirements.
With 24+ years of experience in data security, Mailchimp applies the same privacy standards to SMS that have made it trusted for email marketing.
Advantages
- Seamless Multi-Channel Marketing
The ability to coordinate email and SMS campaigns from one platform eliminates the hassle of managing multiple tools. Your customer segments, automation triggers, and analytics all work across both channels, creating a truly unified marketing approach. - High Engagement and ROI
SMS marketing delivers results that justify the investment. Mailchimp users report up to 58% higher click rates when using both email and SMS compared to email alone, and first-time SMS campaigns generate an average 16.5x return on investment for e-commerce businesses. - Automation That Actually Saves Time
Pre-built customer journey templates take the guesswork out of SMS automation. Set up abandoned cart recovery, post-purchase sequences, or re-engagement campaigns in minutes rather than hours. The AI copywriting assistant further accelerates campaign creation. - Flexibility Without Long-Term Commitment
The pay-as-you-go credit system means you’re never locked into expensive contracts. Scale your SMS volume up or down monthly based on your needs, and pause SMS entirely if you need a break without affecting your email plan.
Disadvantages
- Geographic and Feature Limitations
SMS marketing is only available in select countries, primarily the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. MMS (multimedia messages) are limited to US and Canada for Standard and Premium plans only. If you have an international customer base or need global SMS capabilities, you’ll need a different solution. - Expiring Credits Create Pressure
Unlike Mailchimp’s email credits that previously never expired, SMS credits disappear at the end of each month. If you don’t use all your credits, you lose them – creating pressure to send messages you might not have sent otherwise, or simply wasting money on unused credits. - Higher Per-Message Costs
At 1 credit per SMS and $20 per 1,000 credits, you’re paying $0.02 per text message. Dedicated SMS marketing platforms often offer lower per-message rates, especially at higher volumes. For businesses sending tens of thousands of messages monthly, those pennies add up quickly. - Additional Approval Hurdle
The application and approval process adds friction to getting started. While Mailchimp claims this protects against spam and maintains carrier relationships, it means you can’t start sending SMS the moment you decide to add the feature.
Final Word
Mailchimp SMS Marketing makes the most sense for businesses already using Mailchimp for email who want to add text messaging without the complexity of managing multiple platforms. The unified dashboard, shared customer data, and coordinated automation create genuine efficiency gains that justify the premium pricing for many small businesses.
The combination of email and SMS in one platform delivers measurable results – up to 97% higher click rates and 16.5x ROI on SMS campaigns tell a compelling story. If you’re serious about omnichannel marketing and value simplicity over rock-bottom pricing, Mailchimp SMS deserves consideration.
However, businesses needing international SMS capabilities, very high message volumes, or maximum cost efficiency per message should explore dedicated SMS platforms. The expiring credit structure and geographic limitations make Mailchimp SMS less suitable for certain business models.
For most small to mid-sized US businesses already in the Mailchimp ecosystem, adding SMS capabilities offers an easy path to higher engagement and revenue – just make sure you’ll use those credits before they expire each month.
