Email vs SMS Marketing in 2025: Which Gets Better ROI for Small Businesses?

“You’ve got mail.” That used to stop us in our tracks.

Today, inboxes are jammed with promotions, receipts, and automated updates, most of which go unread. By contrast, a text message often commands immediate attention.

For small businesses where every marketing dollar matters, understanding which channel delivers the best return on investment is critical.

Email Marketing ROI

• On average, email drives an ROI of $36 for every $1 spent, the highest of any channel (Source: Litmus)

• Approximately 4.59 billion people worldwide use email in 2025, according to the projections from from DemandSage

• Email excels at delivering newsletters, in-depth promotions, and story-driven campaigns

• The challenge lies in inbox fatigue. The average open rates is 43.25%, forcing marketers to fight for attention. (Source: MailerLite)

Even with declining open rates, email remains a powerhouse. It builds relationships over time, allows for detailed content, and supports segmentation and automation.

When done right (personalized subject lines, dynamic content, and clear calls to action) email keeps customers engaged and drives high-value actions.

SMS Marketing Impact

• 90% of SMS messages are read within three minutes of delivery (Source: Emarsys)

• SMS campaigns see response rates around 45%, compared to 6% for email (Source: Emarsys)

• Ideal for flash sales, appointment reminders, and urgent alerts that demand immediate action

• Requires explicit opt-in and careful frequency management to avoid opt-outs or blocks

SMS’s strength lies in immediacy. When you need customers to act now, whether it’s a limited-time offer or a last-minute update, SMS cuts through the noise. But because it’s so personal, overuse can drive subscribers away. Successful SMS strategies respect subscriber preferences and deliver genuine value in every message.

A Winning Combination

Small businesses in 2025 don’t have to choose between email and SMS. The most effective strategies blend both channels:

• Use email to educate, nurture, and build trust with longer-form content.

• Use SMS to prompt, remind, and convert with timely, concise messages.

• Coordinate campaigns so each channel reinforces the other without overwhelming your audience.

“Marketing is no longer about the stuff you make, but about the stories you tell.” – Seth Godin

Ready to Market Smarter?

If you’re ready to tell compelling stories via email and deliver timely nudges via SMS, you don’t have to settle for one or the other.

MyToolboxPro brings your email and SMS marketing together in one intuitive platform, so you can create email and text sequences, monitor open rates and click-throughs in real time, and automate follow-up messages, all from a single inbox.

Give your business the seamless toolkit it needs to engage customers across both channels.

Start your journey with My ToolBox Pro, where smarter email and SMS campaigns begin.