Email vs. SMS Marketing: How Small Businesses Can Master Both for Explosive Growth

May 21, 2025•3 min read

In a world where 29 million Canadians actively use email (Statista, 2023) and 73% of consumers prefer to receive promotional messages via SMS (VentureBeat, 2024), small businesses can't afford to treat email and SMS as rivals. These channels are teammates—one builds trust through rich storytelling, the other sparks action with instant delivery. But with inboxes flooded and attention spans shrinking, the real challenge isn't just using both—it's syncing them to create a frictionless journey from curiosity to loyalty.

Let's cut through the noise.

Why Email Still Reigns for Relationship-Building

Email isn't dead—it's evolving. Canadian businesses see $36-44 in return for every $1 spent on email campaigns (Campaign Monitor, 2023), but success hinges on strategy, not spam.

Key Canadian Insights:

72% of consumers prefer personalized emails (Salesforce, 2023)—like a Halifax café segmenting coffee lovers with "Early Access to New Cold Brew Blends" vs. pastry fans receiving "Buy 1 Croissant, Get 1 Free" offers.
Automated workflows drive 45% higher conversions than generic blasts (HubSpot, 2023). Example: A Toronto boutique triggers a post-purchase series:
Email 1 ("Thanks! Here's how to style your new jacket")
Email 2 ("Review us for 15% off")
SMS ("Your reward expires Friday!")

Pro Tip:
Use email to educate. A Vancouver gardening store shares a "Winter-Proof Your Garden" guide, then follows up with SMS: "Thaw sale! 30% off shovels ends tonight ❄️ [link]".

SMS: The Secret Weapon for Explosive ROI

Texts aren’t just for flash sales—they’re profit rockets. With 98% open rates (MobileSquared, 2024) and 90% of messages read within 3 minutes (TechJury, 2025), SMS dominates speed and engagement.

Canadian Data in Action:

SMS recovers 25% of abandoned carts (vs. 8% for email) (VentureBeat, 2024).
Example: An Ottawa e-commerce store texts: “Your sweater’s selling out! Complete checkout in 10 mins for free shipping 🧥 [link]”.
$71 ROI for every $1 spent (Infobip, 2025)—the highest of any digital channel.
75% of consumers now prefer SMS promotions (Falkon SMS, 2025), especially for time-sensitive deals like “Early Black Friday” alerts.

Pro Tip:
Pair SMS with local flair. A Calgary gym texts: “-30°C outside? Heat up with $10 hot yoga tonight 🔥”, then emails a “Winter Wellness Guide” to no-shows.

The Power Pair: Integrating Email + SMS

The magic happens when channels collaborate. Here's how to automate handoffs:

Welcome Sequences
- Email 1: "Welcome! Here's your 10% off code" + brand story.
- SMS (48hrs later): "Code expires soon! Shop bestsellers → [link]" (HubSpot, 2023).
Event Promotion
- Email: "Join our Shopify SEO webinar" + registration link.
- SMS (1hr before): "Starting soon! Grab your seat → [link]".
Re-Engagement Campaigns
- Email: "We miss you! Here's 20% off."
- SMS (7 days later): "Last chance—your discount retires tonight ⏳" (Omnisend, 2023).

Canadian Case Study:
A Montreal fitness studio combined automated workout-tip emails with SMS alerts for last-minute class openings. Result: 40% more bookings and 25% higher renewals (Fitness Business Canada, 2023).

Avoid These Pitfalls

❌ Over-messaging: Limit SMS to 2–4/month and emails to 1–2/week (Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation guidelines).

❌ Ignoring CASL: Always obtain explicit consent and include opt-out instructions (CRTC, 2023).

❌ Siloed data: Use software platforms to sync customer behaviour across channels (MarTech, 2023).

The Bottom Line

Email builds depth; SMS drives urgency. For Canadian small businesses, blending both isn’t optional—it’s survival. By leveraging email’s storytelling power and SMS’s $71 ROI, you create a growth engine that’s personal, proactive, and profitable.