SMS That B2B Buyers Actually Want, 75X ROI included (with Kristin Dean) | Ep 11

Darn Good Distributors

SMS marketing shows up where busy professionals live, on their phones. In this conversation, Kyler Nixon sits down with Kristin Dean to unpack why hairstylists, massage therapists, and spa pros engage in the middle of the day, how product-focused texts beat education in SMS, and why webinars still win. Kristin shares the starting point, taking top-performing short emails and turning them into concise texts, then testing send times, segmentation by profession, treatments, and a simple benchmark approach to attribution. She details the move from SMS Bump to Klaviyo, low-cost tests, and a 75X ROI that ended internal pushback fast. The discussion expands to education as a funnel, cross-functional content with licensed staff, and company-wide momentum for brand building at a family-owned business. Listeners will hear practical send cadences, how engagement changed over time, and why knowing the customer shapes every message.

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👤 Guest Bio

Kristin Dean is Revenue Director at Universal Companies. Kristin has led email and SMS programs, uses AI daily for copy and analysis, and partners with licensed staff across product development, sales, and the call center to create blogs and webinars. Her team tested SMS with product-focused messages, refined send times, and reported a 75X ROI. Kristin is focused on education as a funnel, cross-functional collaboration, and brand building for a family-owned company.

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📌 What We Cover

• Why a B2B audience still acts like consumers, and how that unlocked SMS testing
• Turning top-performing, shorter emails into texts, then expanding into new arrivals roundups, discounts, and webinar signups
• Segmentation by profession and treatment types, mirroring email while adjusting for SMS engagement
• Send time insights, evenings for email, and the middle of the day for SMS between appointments
• Measuring ROI with low-cost sends, simple benchmarks, and realistic attribution expectations
• Platform shift from SMS Bump shutting down to Klaviyo to tie channels together
• Send cadence changes, weekly to every other week, as engagement settles
• Education as a funnel, webinars that get quick daytime signups, and company-wide support for brand building

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🔗 Resources Mentioned

• Klaviyo
• SMS Bump