Marketplace uses conversational messaging and bulk SMS to crack 3x ROI.

Yarn’s mission is simple – to help indigenous-owned businesses and artists share their culture and unique stories with more people. How do they do that? By sharing their systems, expertise and, most importantly, their customer database. 

With conversational messaging and MMS, Yarn land directly in the pockets of their database. That means more website traffic, increased sales, and improved ROI – all while talking to customers on the channels they prefer. 

The challenge. 

In ecommerce, getting cut-through is critical. The more people you can reach, the better. But where the rubber really hits the road is turning those people into paying customers. 

Yarn’s Virtual Marketing Officer, Adam Benz, explains that some months, the brand can spend $150,000 on paid advertising. That’s done wonders for growing the marketplace, but large segments of their database weren’t responding as quickly to traditional marketing channels. 

And, with prospective corporate clients, there was an opportunity to tighten up the sales cycle – and make it a more personal, enjoyable experience. 

Using SMS alongside other channels like email helps us push our messages to the front of what can be a very long queue – and we know they’re much more likely to respond because they’re always on their phones.

Adam Benz, Virtual Marketing Officer

Yarn started dabbling in SMS using a system called Klaviyo which wasn’t the right fit. Then they found Sinch MessageMedia, which ticked allll the boxes, including an integration with HubSpot.

The solution. 

Whether sending promotions or nurturing a corporate sales lead, Yarn can add SMS or MMS to their multichannel mix – all within HubSpot. The other good news? It now has a way to turn around last-minute sales quickly and know with confidence that their audience will get the message.   

Bulk SMS/MMS campaigns. 

Ping! Here’s a 25% discount code. Or how about buy one, get one free? 

With Sinch MessageMedia, Yarn can send bulk SMS marketing campaigns in just a few clicks – and know the message will be seen. Where appropriate, it can also add product images using MMS.  

“With SMS and MMS, we can reach those people who are engaged with the business and know the brand, but might not check their emails regularly,” says Adam. 

For big sale events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, SMS and MMS have become a core part of Yarn’s marketing strategy. They can set up SMS and MMS campaigns ahead of time to help maximise profits while adding custom fields to add that personal touch.   

And it works. They’ve seen a massive increase in engagement and conversions, particularly after introducing MMS to their campaign channels. 

• SMS campaigns get a 4% average click-through rate. 
• For MMS, that number is more than double – 11%. 

Conversational messaging: two-way SMS. 

On average, Yarn’s corporate sales team was spending 45 days nurturing a lead. By using conversational SMS messaging, they’re close to getting that number below 30. The best part is that they’re building better, more personalised connections at the same time. 

A business might approach Yarn with an existing design, or would like to explore working with a Yarn artist. Either way, that more informal, conversational messaging is going down a real treat. 

“With SMS, it’s much more about having a conversation with those stakeholders around how we can help them connect with their community – and bring their plans to life,” says Adam.

The results. 

With Sinch MessageMedia, they‘re: 

• Reaching more customers at the right time and on the channels they prefer.  
• Driving more traffic to its marketplace.  
• Getting 3x ROI. 

NAIDOC Week is an annual celebration of the history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It’s a key date on Yarn’s marketing calendar, and this year, they sent out multiple SMS and MMS campaigns. The results? Well, they speak for themselves.  

“In the last 90 days, including NAIDOC Week at the start of July, SMS has driven $150,000 in revenue,” says Adam.   

How? Let’s break it down:  

Of the 175,000+ messages sent during NAIDOC week, Yarn received, on average, almost 1000 responses per SMS/MMS campaign.   

• 100% delivery rate.  
• 4% CTR for SMS.  
• 11% CTR for MMS.  
• 2.5-3x ROI.   

Swoosh, that’s goood!

With Sinch MessageMedia, we’re getting 2.5-3x ROI that we’re looking for in line with our marketing campaigns.

Adam Benz, Virtual Marketing Officer

What’s next? 

Yarn have big plans for the future.   

Now that international visitors are back, they’re working on expanding their national distribution and wholesale network.   

They’re also thinking about ways to build more of a community around the Yarn brand, and MMS messaging will help with just that.   

“Our products are visual, and people buy based on the designs. With Sinch MessageMedia’s MMS feature, we see a way to showcase more about the artists we work with, using a channel we know our customers enjoy.”