You’re a small business owner, with limited team bandwidth, and you want to leverage texting. Where do you start?
Texting is no longer just a personal communication tool. It’s a high-impact, cost-effective, and approachable marketing channel that’s helping small businesses boost revenue, improve customer retention, and streamline operations—without the budget or staff of a Fortune 500 company.
In fact, SMS open rates average 98%, and response rates are around 45%, compared to just 20% and 6%, respectively, for email[1]. And the best part? Texting can be automated, targeted, and personalized all at once—making it one of the most accessible tools for small businesses trying to do more with less.
Let’s dive into how small businesses in real industries are using text messaging platforms like Captivated to create authentic customer relationships that drive serious growth.
Why Texting Works for Small Businesses
Texting isn’t just another marketing trend—it’s one of the highest ROI tools available to business owners. According to a 2024 report from Attentive, businesses that implement SMS marketing see an average 25x return on investment[2]. And because texting feels personal and direct, it’s a great way for small brands to build trust quickly.
A few key reasons texting is perfect for small business teams:
Low cost, high impact: You don’t need a massive marketing budget to see results.
Scalable automation: You can automate messages like appointment reminders, review requests, or follow-ups—freeing up your time.
Personal touch: SMS messages feel human, especially when they’re conversational, helpful, and relevant.
Real Use Cases: Small Businesses, Real Success
🛠 Invoicing & Payments: Coast Air Center
Coast Air Center uses Captivated’s Text-to-Pay feature to streamline invoice payments and customer follow-ups.
“Coast Air Center uses Captivated to dramatically improve contact with service customers and facilitate invoice payments with its Text to Pay.” Read more
They send reminders when vehicles are ready and include a secure link for payment—all completed from the customer’s phone. This automation improves collections and reduces staff involvement.
🏡 Lawn Care & Home Services: Lawn Doctor Franchise
A Lawn Doctor franchisee highlights how Captivated’s integrated scheduling and reminders improved their appointments, upsells, and communication efficiency.
“This account is our company account…The software makes it easy for us to communicate with our customers in the way they want…allows us to integrate with our other software package and keep a record of our chats.” Read more
They use Announcements to promote seasonal treatments and internal notes to track preferences—leading to higher upsells and improved scheduling consistency.
🐾 Pet Care: Dog Daycare & Boarding Facility
Amber R., owner of a dog daycare facility, praises how Captivated enhances communication due to the ease with which customers can reply back and reach anyone on her team.
“Our clients absolutely love the ease of texting our business phone to inquire, check in, and receive photos of their dog. Also, the customer service absolutely cannot be beat.” Read more
Automated boarding confirmations, check-in reminders, and photo updates receive fast responses—and free up time for staff to focus on care.
🚗 Automotive Retail: Subaru Love Encore
Subaru’s dealers use automated appointment reminders to ensure customers return for post-sale services:
“Captivated is a great communication platform…automatic follow ups so I can focus on other things, reminders to book, reschedule if needed…and is an all‑around easy way to communicate.” Read more
They send automated—but personalized—texts to maintain customer relationships without manual outreach.
Features That Make Texting Effective For Businesses of Every Size
📣 Announcements
Send targeted texts to a segmented list at once—perfect for new offers, seasonal services, or last-minute openings—without needing to manually launch each message.
⏱ Automated Reminders & Follow-ups
Set appointment reminders, payment due reminders, or polling texts to dispatch at appropriate times, reducing no-shows and freeing up your staff.
📌 Internal Notes & Reminders
Log client preferences, scheduling details, or follow-up tasks directly in each text thread—ensure nothing falls through the cracks.
💵 Text-to-Pay & Payment Links
Enable fast invoices and secure payments via text, reducing friction and boosting conversion rates.
🎯 Customer Tagging & Segmentation
Tag contacts (e.g., “organic lawn care,” “boarding client,” “lease-end coming up”) to trigger targeted campaigns—ensuring relevance and engagement.
How to Start—Even With Limited Time & Team Members
Here’s a simple text marketing workflow that’s easy to implement with limited resources:
Segment & Tag: Populate tags like “Service due” or “VIP client.”
Schedule a cadence: Send no more than 1–2 announcements monthly, plus reminder texts as needed.
Automate workflows: Use appointment and payment reminders to automate routine touchpoints.
Personalize: Load merge fields like customer name and last service for each message.
Log notes: Note any important details or follow-ups within each text thread.
This approach drives meaningful touchpoints without overwhelming you or your customers.
Final Take: Texting Isn’t Just Nice—it’s Necessary
In today’s fast-paced, digital-first world, texting offers small businesses a way to keep pace—with impact, ease, and economy. Platforms like Captivated bring automation, personalization, and scale within reach—even for lean teams.
✔️ Key Benefits:
Maximize ROI with highly effective messages
Reduce admin effort with automation
Drive loyalty through consistent, helpful communication
Simplify billing, scheduling, and follow-up—all in one place
Ready to grow with texting? Explore how Captivated’s features—like texting, automation, payments, reminders, and tagging—can meet your business needs and fuel your next phase of growth:
👉 Check out Captivated’s Features page to find the plan that fits your operation.
