Maximizing Local Engagement: Using Klaviyo for Email and SMS Marketing

May 27, 2026·Nataliia· 14 min read All posts

Local businesses have a unique opportunity to engage with their customers through targeted email and SMS marketing. With the right strategy, you can increase repeat business, drive sales, and build a loyal customer base.

78%↑

Local businesses use email marketing

to reach customers

64%↓

Local businesses use SMS marketing

increase sales

55%↑

Email open rates for local businesses

build relationships

40%→

SMS open rates for local businesses

and encourage word-of-mouth

Klaviyo is a popular email and SMS marketing platform that's designed specifically for businesses like yours. With its user-friendly interface and robust features, you can create targeted campaigns that drive real results.

Setting Up Klaviyo for Your Local Business

Before you can start using Klaviyo, you'll need to set it up for your business. Here's a step-by-step guide to get you started:

Sign up for a Klaviyo account and connect it to your email service provider (ESP).
Set up your email list by importing your existing customers and creating a new list for future subscribers.
Design your email templates using Klaviyo's drag-and-drop editor or import your own HTML templates.
Create a welcome email series to onboard new subscribers and get them excited about your business.
Set up automation workflows to send targeted emails based on customer behavior and actions.

Creating Effective Email Campaigns

Email campaigns are a great way to engage with your customers and drive sales. Here are some tips to create effective email campaigns:

Segment your email list based on customer behavior, demographics, and preferences.
Use attention-grabbing subject lines and preheaders to increase open rates.
Keep your email content concise, clear, and visually appealing.
Use calls-to-action (CTAs) to drive conversions and sales.
Monitor and analyze your email performance to optimize future campaigns.

Email Campaign Performance

Open RateBest

25%

Click-through Rate

15%

Conversion Rate

10%

Unsubscribe Rate

Source: Klaviyo

Using SMS Marketing to Drive Local Sales

SMS marketing is a powerful tool to drive sales and engage with your customers. Here are some tips to use SMS marketing effectively:

Send targeted SMS messages to your customers based on their behavior and preferences.
Use short and clear messaging to avoid spam filters and increase open rates.
Include a clear CTA to drive conversions and sales.
Monitor and analyze your SMS performance to optimize future campaigns.
Use SMS automation workflows to send timed messages and reminders.

Pro Tip

Use Klaviyo's SMS automation features to send timed messages and reminders to your customers.

Measuring Success with Klaviyo

Measuring success is crucial to optimize your email and SMS marketing campaigns. Here are some key metrics to track:

Open rates: This measures the number of people who opened your email or SMS.
Click-through rates (CTR): This measures the number of people who clicked on a link in your email or SMS.
Conversion rates: This measures the number of people who converted into a sale or lead.
Unsubscribe rates: This measures the number of people who unsubscribed from your email or SMS list.

Watch Out

Make sure to monitor and analyze your email and SMS performance regularly to optimize future campaigns.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is Klaviyo and how does it work? A: Klaviyo is a popular email and SMS marketing platform that helps businesses create targeted campaigns to drive sales and engage with customers.

Q: How do I set up Klaviyo for my local business? A: To set up Klaviyo, you'll need to sign up for an account, connect it to your email service provider (ESP), and set up your email list and templates.

Q: What are the benefits of using email and SMS marketing? A: Email and SMS marketing can help increase repeat business, drive sales, and build a loyal customer base.

Q: How do I measure success with Klaviyo? A: To measure success, track key metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, and unsubscribe rates.

Q: Can I use Klaviyo for both email and SMS marketing? A: Yes, Klaviyo offers a comprehensive platform for both email and SMS marketing.

Q: How much does Klaviyo cost? A: Klaviyo offers a free plan, as well as several paid plans that start at $25 per month.

Conclusion

Email and SMS marketing are powerful tools to drive sales and engage with your customers. By using Klaviyo, you can create targeted campaigns that drive real results. Remember to segment your email list, use attention-grabbing subject lines, and monitor your performance regularly to optimize future campaigns.

If you want help applying these strategies to your local business, contact us at DataLatte today for a free audit and consultation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is Klaviyo too expensive for a coffee shop that does $5,000/month in revenue?

It depends on your list size, not your revenue. Klaviyo's free tier covers up to 250 contacts. After that, it's $20/month for up to 500 contacts. Most small local shops have 300–800 subscribers. You're looking at $20–$45/month. If that feels expensive, your email list is probably underperforming — which is a strategy problem, not a software problem. A single email campaign that brings in 10 customers spending $15 each covers your monthly cost. The question isn't "is it too expensive" — it's "can you use it well enough to get that return."

Q: Can I import my existing customer list from Square or my POS?

Yes, but do not upload a raw CSV of everyone who ever bought something. That's how you spam people who haven't visited in 3 years, and Klaviyo will flag you for high bounce rates and complaints. Instead, segment first. If a customer hasn't purchased in 12 months, put them in a re-engagement flow, not your main list. Square exports work fine — clean them up first. And if you're using Square Appointments specifically, set up the native integration rather than a manual sync.

Q: How do I get people to actually sign up for SMS without annoying them?

Stop hiding the SMS opt-in. Put it front and center at checkout — a simple checkbox that says "Text me deals (reply STOP anytime)." But the real trick: give them a reason. Not "sign up for updates" — that's vague and nobody cares. "Text for weekly 20% off promo codes." Or "Get notified when today's pastry batch sells out." At a barbershop in Austin, they put a small sign at the register: "Text BOOK to 555-1234 and skip the line next time." That alone collected 400 opt-ins in 8 weeks.

Q: Can Klaviyo replace my email provider like Mailchimp?

For most local businesses, yes. Klaviyo was built for ecommerce and has better automation logic than Mailchimp's current offering. Mailchimp's free tier is generous, but their automations are clunky and they charge per contact, not per engagement. Klaviyo charges per profile, which is usually cheaper if you have a clean list. I've migrated 14 local businesses from Mailchimp to Klaviyo. Only one went back — and it was because her list was 180 people and she didn't need anything Mailchimp couldn't do. If you're doing any kind of behavior-based trigger or SMS, Klaviyo wins.

Q: How do I measure if this is actually working?

Klaviyo has decent built-in reporting, but the number that matters is revenue attributed. Klaviyo tracks this automatically if you set up your integrations correctly. Look at the "Revenue" column in the Flows tab. Do not look at open rate as a success metric. Open rate is vanity. If your welcome series generates $0 in attributed revenue, it doesn't matter if 90% of people opened it. I've had clients obsessed with open rates while their abandon cart flow brought in $47. Fix the flow that makes money first.

Q: What if my customer doesn't use email at all? They're all on Instagram or TikTok.

Then you probably shouldn't use Klaviyo. But here's what I've seen: business owners say "my customers are all on Instagram" and then I pull their data and 60% of purchases came from people who provided an email at checkout. The reality is most customers use email even if they hate it. And email has a lifespan measured in years. Instagram posts last about 4 hours. If you have a list of 500 emails and you send a $5-off promo, you'll get 10–15 redemptions. Same post on Instagram might get 3 likes. Email isn't dead — it's just boring. But boring pays the rent.

Q: Do I need to hire someone to set this up?

If you have the time and patience, you can do it yourself. Klaviyo's documentation is good, and their support chat actually answers questions within a few minutes. If you don't have 10 hours to learn, or if the thought of Zapier makes your eye twitch, hire someone. A freelancer with Klaviyy experience will cost $500–$1,000 to set up a basic integration and two flows. That's less than the revenue a single good flow generates in a month. I've seen people spend 30 hours trying to figure out a Zapier integration that a specialist could do in 45 minutes. Your time is worth more than the hourly savings.

I've worked with local businesses that had three employees and a mailing list of 200 people. I've watched them turn that into $15,000/month in email-attributed revenue within 6 months. Not because they had a fancy setup, but because they picked one flow, made it work, then added another. The businesses that fail at Klaviyo are the ones who sign up, watch a YouTube tutorial, build 12 automations in an afternoon, and then wonder why unsubscribe rates went up.

Start with the welcome series and a simple post-purchase follow-up. Get that running for two weeks. Then add one more. You'll get better results from two well-built flows than eight half-broken ones.

If you want to skip the trial-and-error phase — and I don't blame you, I've ordered a second coffee after less painful mistakes — I'll look at your Klaviyo setup or help you build one from scratch. We'll talk about what data you actually have, what your customers actually do, and what's worth automating first.

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Nataliia

Local marketing strategist with 10+ years at global agencies — OMD, Dentsu, GroupM, and BBDO. Now helping small businesses get the same data-driven edge. Based in Europe, working with clients in the US, UK, Australia, and beyond.

About Nataliia