New Year Sales: How to Use SMS to Kick Off Q1

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The beginning of the year is a strong sales period for many companies. Customers are clear about what they want, pay more attention to their spending, and actively respond to advantageous offers. That is exactly why New Year sales are an ideal opportunity to use marketing SMS and kick off the first quarter.

In this article, you will learn:

  • why the first weeks of the year are ideal for SMS campaigns,
  • how to prepare effective New Year SMS,
  • when to send them,
  • how to turn them into a strategic tool for the entire Q1,
  • and you will get practical SMS templates that you can use right away.

Why SMS Work for New Year Sales

Fast Reach After the Holidays

After the Christmas period, email inboxes are overloaded and customer attention decreases. SMS have a significantly higher open rate and make it possible to reach the customer immediately and without unnecessary noise.

Customer Motivation at the Beginning of the Year

In January, customers:

  • actively search for discounts and sales,
  • plan a “new beginning” (new services, products, subscriptions),
  • deal with billing, credits, or unused gift vouchers,
  • compare offers and respond to time-limited promotions.

While Christmas SMS are built more on emotions, New Year SMS mainly work thanks to a clear and specific offer.

How to Prepare an Effective New Year SMS

1. Clear Offer

The customer must immediately understand what they will get:

  • a discount (e.g. −20%),
  • warehouse clearance,
  • a discounted January offer.

Avoid general messages without a specific value.

2. Urgency

Time limitation increases response:

  • “valid until 10 January”,
  • “ends today”,
  • “last pieces”.

3. Clear CTA

Every SMS should contain a clear call to action:

  • Buy
  • Reserve
  • Activate
  • Find out more

4. Personalization

Even simple personalization (name, customer type, previous purchase) significantly increases the effectiveness of the campaign.

5. Short and Direct Message

The ideal SMS length is approximately 120–160 characters. One message = one offer.

When to Send SMS

1–10 January: Main Wave

The strongest period for New Year campaigns:

  • customers deal with their budget,
  • follow sales,
  • have a higher willingness to respond.

Recommended: 1–2 campaigns.

11–31 January: Follow-up and Retargeting

  • reminding of the offer,
  • reaching inactive contacts,
  • selling remaining stock.

Recommended Times During the Day

  • 9:00–11:00
  • 16:00–18:00

Q1 Strategy Using SMS

Sale → Upsell → New Products

  • New Year sale
  • Recommendation of a complementary service or product
  • Presentation of new products for Q1

Micro-campaigns Instead of One Big Campaign

Short, targeted, and regular SMS campaigns deliver better long-term results than one-off bulk sends.

Contact Segmentation

  • VIP customers
  • New customers
  • Inactive contacts

Examples of New Year SMS (Templates)

E-shop

“New Year sale: −30% on the entire e-shop. Valid until 10 January. More here: link”
“Warehouse clearance – discount up to 40%. Last pieces. Valid today.”
“January discounts −25% end today. Do not miss this advantageous offer.”

Services

“Start the new year with a 20% discount on our services. Valid until 15 January.”
“Did you not make it before Christmas? January offer −15% only this week.”

B2B

“New year, better conditions. Activate corporate services with a discount until 31 January.”
“Special January offer for companies. More information: link”

Retargeting

“We remind you of the January offer −20%. Valid only today.”
“Your discounted offer is still active. Do not miss it.”

Most Common Mistakes in New Year SMS Campaigns

  • Sending too early or, on the contrary, too late
  • General message without a clear offer
  • Missing or unclear time validity
  • Texts that are too long without a call to action

Conclusion + CTA

New Year sales are an ideal opportunity to quickly reach customers using marketing SMS and kick off sales in Q1. The key to success is a simple message, proper timing, and a clear value for the customer.

Do you want to have prepared SMS templates and launch a campaign within a few minutes?
Download ready-made templates or start a New Year SMS campaign right away.