How to create an SMS welcome flow

A flow is an automated series of actions or messages that sends after someone performs a specific action. For an SMS welcome flow (also called a welcome series), this means that after someone consents to SMS, they’ll automatically get messages welcoming them into your SMS program.

In a welcome flow, SMS messages offer you a way to make a more immediate impact on new subscribers.

On average, most text messages (~98%) are looked at within 90 seconds. In comparison, only 20% of emails are viewed, and it typically takes between 90 minutes and 3 hours for customers to view said emails.

The shorter time frame means you can reach SMS subscribers when their interest in your business is at its peak. It is a great chance to encourage them to move further down the funnel — driving them from being a subscriber to a customer.

You must have turned on SMS in Klaviyo before you can add SMS messages in your flows. Otherwise, you’ll be prompted to set up SMS while you’re trying to build your flow.

When someone signs up for text messages, they are really giving you a direct line of communication. Quiet hours can delay welcome messages until an allowed sending time.

Due to how personal SMS is as a channel, it’s a best practice to reward anyone who subscribes to SMS. If you have not already created a coupon and want to know how to do so, click the name of your ecommerce platform from the list below:

• BigCommerce
• Magento 1
• Magento 2
• Shopify
• WooCommerce
• PrestaShop

Virtual contact cards allow recipients to save your contact information. This way, they’ll know when messages are coming from your brand and will recognize your SMS sending number.

These contact cards are particularly useful in welcome flows, as that’s the first text message someone will receive from your brand.

Note that these cards automatically turn your text into an MMS, and will count as more credits than an SMS. Virtual contact cards can be sent to subscribers in the US, Canada, and Australia using an MMS-capable sending number. In Canada, use a toll-free number; in Australia, use a long code. They are not supported in the UK.

Before you use virtual contact cards, review your contact-card information in your SMS settings.

1. Click Flows.
2. Click Create flow in the upper right-hand corner.
3. Click Build your own.
4. Name the flow (e.g., SMS-only welcome).
   

1. Click Create manually. If you see a dialog with Name and Tags fields instead, click Create flow.
2. Select All triggers, then choose Metric.
3. In Search metrics, search for “Subscribed to Text Messaging Marketing.”
4. Select Subscribed to Text Messaging Marketing.
   
5. Under Re-entry criteria, select No re-entry so each profile enters the welcome flow only once.

1. Click Save.
2. Review the trigger, then click Confirm and save.
3. Drag a Text message action directly after the trigger.
4. Click Edit in the details sidebar.
5. Add your content.
   • It’s best if the message is short and to the point.
     • Example: Thanks for signing up! Enjoy 15% off your next purchase with code {% coupon_code 'COUPON NAME' %} {{ organization.url }}
       

1. Click Next to save the message and return to the flow.
2. Select the first SMS and review its Settings. To prevent it from being skipped because of a recent text message, turn off Smart Sending and click Save. Keep quiet hours on if the message includes marketing content, such as a coupon.
3. Optional: add a virtual contact card.
   • Notes:
     • A virtual contact card turns the message into an MMS and counts as more credits in your billing plan.
     • Virtual contact cards are available in the US, Canada, and Australia with an MMS-capable sending number. Use a toll-free number in Canada or a long code in Australia.
     • On iOS, recipients must have texted your number for the contact card to appear as a card instead of a file. Double opt-in or custom keywords can provide this initial text.
   • Instructions
     1. Add a conditional split after the first SMS and set the condition to:
        Properties about someone > Country equals United States
        Or
        Properties about someone > Country equals Canada
        Or
        Properties about someone > Country equals Australia
     2. Include only the countries where your sending number supports MMS, then click Save to save the split.

1. Add a time delay on the YES path after the split.
2. Set the time delay for 10 minutes, then click Save.
3. Add a Text message action after the time delay.
4. In the message’s Settings, turn off Smart Sending and click Save so the contact-card message is not skipped because of the first SMS.
5. Click Edit.
6. Add in a message to subscribers asking them to save your contact information.
   1. Example: "Make sure to save our contact card to be notified about our latest deals!"
7. Turn on Attachment, select Image, and click Select image. If your editor shows Media instead, select it and click Select media.

1. Select the Virtual Contact Card option.
2. Click the Add Contact Card button to add the card to the SMS message.

1. Click Next to save the contact-card message and return to the flow.

1. Click Review and turn on, select Live under Flow status, and click Save.

If you know someone has been on your email list for a certain amount of time but has never made a purchase, you may want to offer them a discount (or greater discount) in the second or third message of your SMS welcome series.

Keep in mind that you will need to create a new coupon code to include in the message with the higher discount.

Splitting your flow based on purchase history is a great way to offer more targeted calls to action (CTAs). For example, if you know that someone has already bought from a certain collection, you can show them a CTA related to a different collection.

You can leverage any information you learned about a subscriber when they initially signed up or through any subsequent emails they may have received.

For example, let's say that in the first email of your email welcome series, you ask customers to select which category of products they're most interested in. You can then use this information to inform the CTA in your SMS welcome series.

It's important to have a default branch in case a subscriber has never indicated an interest in any of the options. In the example below, we're showing our best sellers to those who have never explicitly told us the types of items they're interested in.