Email and SMS marketing

Email and SMS that turns visitors into customers

We build the flows and campaigns that nurture leads, recover lost sales, and keep customers coming back, all in your brand’s voice. It’s the part of the funnel that runs on its own and compounds over time.

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Built for ecommerce, B2B, and local businesses, on Klaviyo, HubSpot, and the platforms you already use.

The channel you own, working while you sleep.

Where it fits the funnel

Nurture, convert, and retain

Email and SMS are the part of the funnel you own outright. They warm up new subscribers, recover the sales your site almost lost, and turn one purchase into many. This is the work that makes every other channel pay off longer.

Nurture

Warm up new subscribers

Welcome series and lead nurture that introduce the brand, set expectations, and move new contacts toward a first purchase or a sales conversation.

Convert

Recover the near-misses

Abandoned cart, browse abandonment, and checkout flows, with SMS for the time-sensitive moments, so the traffic you already paid for turns into orders.

Retain

Bring customers back

Post-purchase, win-back, and replenishment flows plus ongoing campaigns that lift repeat purchase rate and customer lifetime value.

What we build

The flows that do the heavy lifting

We set up the automated flows first, because they run on their own and produce the steadiest return, then layer broadcast campaigns on top.

Welcome series

The first messages a new subscriber gets, introducing the brand and guiding them toward a first purchase or a reply.

Abandoned cart and checkout

Timed reminders that recover the shoppers who added to cart or started checkout and left without buying.

Browse abandonment

A nudge for people who viewed products and left, before the interest cools off.

Post-purchase

Order and shipping updates, cross-sells, and review requests that turn a buyer into a repeat buyer.

Win-back and replenishment

Re-engagement for lapsed customers and reorder reminders timed to when they’re likely to run out.

Campaigns and SMS

Promotional broadcasts and text messages for launches and time-sensitive offers, sent to the right segments without burning the list.

How it connects

Part of one funnel, not a bolt-on

Email and SMS work best when they’re built on the same foundation as everything else. The voice comes from your brand strategy, the subscribers come from the traffic your SEO and paid media bring in, and the conversions tie straight to your conversion work. It’s one stage of our full-funnel marketing, not a separate silo.

That’s why a list you own matters so much. Search and ads rent attention, while email and SMS let you reach the same people again at almost no cost, on your schedule.

Common questions

Email and SMS, answered

Questions about cost, platforms, compliance, and the flows themselves. For questions about the wider funnel, see our marketing services, or book a free fit call.

Cost and getting started

How much does email and SMS marketing cost with an agency?
Most agency retainers for managed email and SMS run from about $1,500 to $6,000 a month, depending on how many flows and campaigns you run and whether SMS is included. Project-only flow builds cost less up front but don’t include ongoing optimization. We scope it to your list size and goals rather than a fixed package, so the number on a fit call is a real one.
Do you charge a monthly retainer or per campaign?
Usually a monthly retainer, because email and SMS reward steady work rather than one-off sends. The retainer covers your automated flows, a set number of campaigns each month, segmentation, and reporting. If you only need the core flows built once, we can do that as a project and hand it back to your team.
What’s included in an email marketing retainer?
A typical retainer covers strategy, flow setup and optimization, monthly campaigns, list segmentation, copy and design, deliverability monitoring, and reporting. SMS is added where it fits. We tell you up front which flows and how many campaigns the budget covers so there are no surprises.
Does the price include the email platform subscription?
No. Platforms like Klaviyo, Mailchimp, or HubSpot bill you directly, usually based on list size or send volume, and you own that account. Our fee covers the strategy and the work. Keeping the platform in your name means you keep the data and the relationship if we ever part ways.
How long until our flows go live?
The core flows, usually welcome and abandoned cart, are typically live within two to three weeks of kickoff. A fuller program with post-purchase, win-back, and SMS rolls out over the following weeks. We build and test the highest-return flows first so the program starts paying for itself early.
What do you need from us to get started?
Access to your email platform and store or CRM, your brand assets and voice, and a quick rundown of your products, audience, and goals. If you have an existing list and past campaigns, those help us see what’s worked. We handle the build from there.
Do we keep ownership of our list and account?
Always. Your list, your platform account, and your content stay in your name. We work inside your account rather than ours, so nothing is held hostage and you can take it all with you at any time.
Can you take over an existing Klaviyo or Mailchimp account?
Yes. Most engagements start by auditing what you already have, keeping the flows that work, fixing the ones that don’t, and filling the gaps. Starting from an existing account is usually faster than building from scratch, since the integrations and history are already in place.

Platforms and migration

Which platform do you recommend, Klaviyo, Mailchimp, or HubSpot?
It depends on the business. Klaviyo is the strongest choice for ecommerce because of its deep store and SMS integration. HubSpot fits B2B lifecycle and sales handoff. Mailchimp works for simpler newsletter needs. We recommend based on where you sell and what you need to automate, not a one-size answer.
Why Klaviyo for ecommerce?
Klaviyo connects directly to Shopify and other stores, so it can trigger flows on real shopping behavior like carts, browses, and purchases, and it handles email and SMS in one place. That behavioral data is what makes ecommerce flows convert, which is why most serious ecommerce brands run on it.
We’re B2B on HubSpot. Can you run lifecycle there?
Yes. For B2B we build nurture sequences, lead scoring, and sales handoffs inside HubSpot so marketing and sales work from the same record. The flows look different from ecommerce, more education and fewer discounts, but the lifecycle logic is the same.
Can you migrate us to a new platform without losing data?
Yes. We move your lists, templates, and key flows, preserve subscriber consent and history, and warm up the new sending domain so deliverability holds. We run the old and new side by side until the new one is proven before fully switching.

Deliverability and compliance

How do you keep our emails out of spam?
Deliverability comes from sender authentication (SPF, DKIM, and DMARC), a clean and engaged list, sensible send volume, and content that people open. We set up authentication, prune dead contacts, and watch engagement, because mailbox providers decide placement largely on how recipients react to you.
What is CAN-SPAM, and how do you keep us compliant?
CAN-SPAM is the US law for commercial email. It requires honest subject lines and sender names, a real physical address, and a working one-click unsubscribe that you honor promptly. We build every email to meet it, so compliance is handled in the setup rather than left to chance.
What does TCPA require before we can text customers?
The TCPA requires clear, prior express consent before you send marketing texts, a visible way to opt out like replying STOP, and respect for quiet hours. We set up compliant opt-in and opt-out handling so your SMS program starts on the right side of the law.
Do customers opt in to SMS separately from email?
Yes. Consent for texts is separate from consent for email, so a subscriber agreeing to emails does not cover SMS. We build signup forms that capture each consent clearly, which keeps you compliant and the list healthy.
What happens if we email an old or cold list?
Mailing a list that hasn’t heard from you in a long time can trigger spam complaints and bounces that damage your sender reputation and hurt every future send. We re-engage an old list carefully, in small batches to the most recent contacts first, rather than blasting it all at once.

Strategy and flows

Which automated flows should we build first?
Start with the welcome series and the abandoned cart or abandoned checkout flow, since they reach people at their most engaged and recover sales that are nearly lost. Post-purchase and browse abandonment come next, then win-back. We sequence the build by return, highest first.
What’s the difference between abandoned cart and browse abandonment?
Abandoned cart triggers when someone adds a product and leaves without buying. Browse abandonment triggers when someone views products but never adds anything to the cart. Cart messages are more urgent because intent is higher, while browse messages catch interest earlier and gently bring people back.
How do you decide who gets which message?
Through segmentation, grouping your list by behavior, purchase history, and engagement. New subscribers, repeat buyers, and lapsed customers each get different messages. Sending the right message to the right segment is what separates a program that converts from one that annoys.
How do you prevent over-emailing and list fatigue?
We map the whole journey so a single person doesn’t get hit by several flows at once, cap how often campaigns go out, and watch unsubscribe and complaint rates as guardrails. Sending less to the right people usually beats sending more to everyone.
How does email and SMS connect to our SEO, PPC, and CRO?
Your SEO and paid media bring visitors in, signup forms turn them into subscribers you own, and email and SMS convert and keep them. The same on-site work our conversion team does lifts both. They run as one funnel, which is the point of our marketing services.

SMS, results, and working with us

When should we use SMS instead of email?
Use SMS for short, time-sensitive moments, like a cart about to expire, a flash sale, a shipping update, or a launch where minutes matter. Email carries the longer story and the design. Most programs use both, with SMS reserved for messages worth interrupting someone’s day.
Is SMS marketing worth it for a smaller list?
It can be, because text open rates are very high and even a small engaged list converts well on the right offer. The thing to weigh is per-message cost and the higher bar for consent. For a smaller list we often start with one or two high-value SMS triggers rather than a full program.
What ROI can we expect from email and SMS?
Email consistently returns more per dollar than most channels because the audience already knows you and the cost to reach them is low. For ecommerce, a well-run flow-and-campaign program often drives a meaningful share of total revenue. We set targets against your numbers rather than quoting a headline figure.
How much of our revenue should come from flows versus campaigns?
For most ecommerce brands a healthy split has automated flows producing a large, steady portion of email revenue with campaigns adding the rest. Flows do the dependable work in the background, and campaigns drive the spikes around launches and promotions. We aim to get the flows strong first.
How do you report on performance?
You get a monthly report covering revenue from flows and campaigns, list growth, engagement, and deliverability, with a plain read on what we changed and what’s next. We track to revenue, not vanity opens, and review the bigger picture each quarter.
Do you write the copy and design the emails?
Yes. Copy, design, and build are all included, written in your brand voice and matched to your identity. You review and approve, and we can work from your templates or build a fresh, on-brand system.
Do we need to be on an ecommerce store to work with you?
No. Ecommerce is a natural fit because the flows tie to purchases, but we also run lifecycle and nurture programs for B2B and service businesses. The channel works anywhere you have an audience worth keeping in touch with.
Do you work with B2B and local Montana businesses?
Yes. We’re based in Billings, Montana, and run email and SMS for local businesses, B2B companies, and ecommerce brands across the country. The strategy changes with the audience, but the lifecycle thinking is the same.

Ready to put your list to work?

Book a free fit call and we’ll look at your current program and where the fastest revenue is hiding.

Book a free fit call → Send us a message

A brand agency in Billings, Montana. We set the brand strategy, then build the marketing on top of it, with one senior team from strategy through production.

406-998-7901
team@letscanoe.com
119 N 29th St, Billings, MT 59101

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