Viber + SMS: Doubling the Effectiveness of Your Messaging Campaign

“Selling has become harder” is a phrase that many marketers have started saying recently. According to the 4press agency, in 2024, the number of users who pay attention to ads on social media dropped by 12%, and this is not the limit. Other colleagues note that the promotion model that used to be highly effective in some niches—”launch targeted ads and offer a discount”—has almost stopped working.

You can spend a long time digging into the reasons behind changes in consumer behavior and even identify some of them. The list would include, among other things, mental maturity, changes in social media algorithms, and shifts in consumer habits, where things that used to catch attention are now simply ignored.

You cannot influence these reasons directly. The way forward is to find new hooks for attracting attention while also adding extra promotion channels. These include message campaigns—not the classic ones sent only through Viber or SMS, but cascade campaigns that combine both communication channels. Why this makes sense is explained below.

Three Benefits of Cascade Messaging

A cascade messaging campaign is when a message is first sent to a subscriber in Viber, and if it is not read within a certain period of time set by the sender, a similar message is then sent to the same person via SMS.

In today’s reality, this is a relevant solution: just because someone has Viber installed does not mean they use it regularly, let alone check the folder with business offers at least once a week.

Marketers point out several reasons why cascade messaging can be a good solution in certain situations.

1. Reason One. Reach

With a cascade campaign, 90% of customers are guaranteed to receive your information. This is almost twice as much as sending messages through Viber alone.

2. Reason Two. Opens

Duplicating the message is meant to make sure the person at least glances at the ad and remembers that your store or salon exists. After all, the main thing brands are fighting for in the market today is consumer attention. According to statistics, more than 90% of subscribers open SMS messages within 3 minutes of receiving them, regardless of who the sender is.

3. Reason Three. Payback

Cascade messages are slightly more expensive than regular standalone messages, but the effectiveness — and therefore the payback — of this advertising method is higher. Especially since SMS is sent only to those subscribers who did not read the message in the messenger.

A Real-World Example

One household goods store ran two identical promotions in April and May:

• “Half-price deals” on laundry products from manufacturer X. This was a regular campaign—Viber only;
• “40% off” a line of cleaning products from manufacturer Y. This campaign was an experiment for the marketer—Viber + SMS.

Both campaigns were sent to the same target audience: women living in the city, ages 25–45. Internally, the store calls this group “desperados,” after the TV series “Desperate Housewives.”

Here is a comparison of the campaigns:

It is important to emphasize that every business has its own benchmarks and observation history for evaluating campaign performance. Therefore, the numbers in this example are not a gold standard. Results will vary even within the same niche.

For this specific consumer group, the cascade campaign worked better than the standard Viber campaign.

There was also another attempt with a sale of cosmetic products for a different target audience. It produced a weaker result, but despite that, the store says that combined campaigns are a good approach when the target audience is adjusted more precisely.

Approaches to Creating Cascade Campaigns

You can read more about which communication tool is better suited for different marketing cases in the article “Which Content Is Better to Send via Viber and Which via SMS“.

There are two approaches to creating content for a cascade campaign.

• Duplicating the text. In this case, you can send something like this to both channels: “Discounts up to 60%! Take advantage of this special offer by June 1.”

This is easier. But it also cancels out the technical advantages of Viber—the ability to use more characters, add an active call-to-action button, illustrate the ad with a funny image, and so on.

• Separating the text. Here, you need to write about the same thing but adapt the message to the technical features of each channel.

For example, you could send the following long message through Viber. With smileys and emojis, it would be perceived quite well:

“Summer kickoff sale! From May 25 to June 2, enjoy discounts of up to 50% on the entire assortment, up to 60% on bestsellers, and new offers every day! Get an extra 10% off with the promo code “Summer.” Increase your discount, visit the website, spin the wheel, and win up to 80% off—here is the link!”

For the SMS version, a few words would be enough:

“From May 25 to June 2—discounts of up to 50% on our store’s entire assortment! More information is available on the website.”

What should an SMS message look like so the recipient definitely notices it, reads it, and at least visits your website? You can find a selection of examples with ready-made texts for discounts and promotions in the article “How to Write About Discounts in SMS: Recommendations and Templates“.

Instead of a Conclusion

Whichever option the sender chooses, the most important thing is to correctly and accurately:

• fill in the fields required for both message formats;
• fill in the “Message lifetime” field.

This is what allows the SMS CLUB system to duplicate the text to the SMS channel automatically, without any additional action from you. This may happen three hours, three days, or three months after the Viber campaign. The sender is the one who decides what timing is optimal.

Contact the professionals who know exactly how to determine whether a combined campaign makes sense for your marketing case and how many hours after the Viber message you should send the SMS to your customers.

FAQ

How do you create a business messaging campaign through Viber?

The easiest way is to register on the website of a trusted platform that provides specialized messaging services. This helps you avoid legal violations, integrate campaigns into your CRM system, and save money by combining Viber with other reliable business communication channels.

SMS campaign price

The sending cost starts at $0.03 per message, including VAT. The cost of SMS campaigns depends on the number of messages sent during the month. It is also affected by the rates set by mobile operators.