Before the text, comes the list
The first step of launching any successful SMS marketing campaign is pulling together an audience to send it to. This becomes your list and is basically just everyone who has signed up to receive your SMS.
If you already have a database of active customers who are engaged and eager to hear from you, then you’re good to go. Although, more often than not you’ll also have a segment of your database who are lost or inactive customers, and these might even outnumber the amount of engaged contacts that you have. If that’s the case then this blog is for you because we’ll be looking at the top 5 ways that you can grow your SMS subscriber list.
If you’re new to bulk SMS marketing, the first thing you need to do is build a list.
You’ll need to do this organically. In other words, don’t buy SMS contact lists. Picking up a list from a third party is bad practice for a few reasons.
The biggest and most important reason is that sending unsolicited messages is illegal. Which is what you’d be doing if you sent a text to a number on a list of people you don’t know, and who don’t know you.
Also, texting someone who doesn’t know you isn’t a good way to boost brand loyalty, and can often be more harmful for your brand. If your message doesn’t get flagged as spam by a network provider, it might be reported as such by the recipient. The text message inbox is a place reserved for people you want to hear from, not for cold contact.
💡 As well as following the terms and conditions of mobile network providers, you need to stick to the guidelines set out in these documents:
- General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
- Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations
- The Data Protection Act 2018
- Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
- Advertising Standards Authority
For a brief need-to-know, check out our Beginner’s Guide to SMS Marketing.
5 ways to grow your SMS subscriber list
As said, people need a good reason to sign up to your list. They also need to know it exists. For that to happen, you need to spread the word and make your list as visible as possible.
Try these tactics:
1. Add a signup form to your website
A website signup form capitalises on the attention you already have.
For example, if someone has been browsing your website for a while, a well-timed pop-up can encourage them to sign up for a discount on their first purchase.
You can also add a form to the footer or sidebar of your website, on product pages or in blog posts.
Look at which pages or parts of your website get the most traffic and add a form there. Then, measure the results to see which forms perform best. Get rid of any forms that don’t cut it.
💡 Keep forms simple to make it easy for people to sign up. If it seems like hard work, people are more likely to ignore or abandon it. A name and phone number are all you need to get started. You can collect other details (e.g. date of birth or location) later or at the point of purchase.
2. Entice email subscribers
Already have an engaged email list? Let them know good things are happening on SMS too.
A happy subscriber on one channel will be open to hearing from you in other ways if it’s worth it. This means offering an incentive they can’t get via email.
For example, if your email list gets exclusive discounts, give your SMS list early access to sales and stock notifications. This way, bargain hunters get value from both lists.
3. Run SMS entry competitions
With a competition, people come for the prize and stick around for your marketing messages.
The format here is simple. You ask people to text a keyword (e.g. WIN) to a five-digit shortcode number (e.g. 88802). And include the T&Cs so people know entry includes being added to your SMS list.
This is an incentive-heavy tactic, so any prize needs to be a good one: products, cash, tickets, VIP experiences, etc. It should stop people in their tracks and have them drop what they’re doing to enter.
Here are some examples from big brands to give an idea of scale:
- Heineken: Win VIP box tickets to the UEFA Champions League Final
- Pimm’s: Win 2x Wimbledon Gentlemen’s Singles Final Tickets
- Kellogg’s: Win a team football kit every day
- Hellman’s: Win tickets to the final stages of UEFA EURO 2024
- Piriteze: Win 1 of 4 UK breaks or 1 of 100 £100 Go Ape e-vouchers
- Thorntons: Win your Mum a perfect day with £150 e-voucher
Competitions are a versatile tactic too. You can promote a competition on your website, social media, in-store, at events or via traditional media: TV, radio or print. So long as the prize is attractive and relevant to your audience, it’s an effective way to grow your list—and brand visibility—quickly.
4. Ask social media followers to subscribe
Like email, if you have a solid social media following, ask them to sign up to receive SMS. The fact they follow you shows they like your business and are interested in what you have to say. Joining your list can bring them even closer to you. And make it easier for you to reward their loyalty with all kinds of SMS-only rewards.
Promote your SMS list in posts (use pinned posts to increase visibility) and videos on your social media feeds by showing followers SMS gives them perks they can’t get anywhere else.
Also, include details on how to join in your bio so that your list is always visible.
5. Include SMS signup at checkout
Collecting a phone number at checkout helps you keep customers updated on their order status.
Adding a checkbox below the number field gives them a simple way to opt-in to receive marketing communications.
So—and we’re probably sounding like a broken record at this point—the incentive is everything. Tell people why it’s worthwhile by stating exactly what they’ll get as a reward for their loyalty.
Growing your SMS subscriber list 101
We know that marketing has changed, and continues to shift towards a more personalised, consumer-first approach. And if you want to keep up with your competitors. you have to nurture your customer database and turn a collection of contact details into many well-thought-out segmented customer lists for ultra-relevant and targeted SMS campaigns.
Promoting exclusive offers across your channels is a great way to encourage customers and prospects who avidly follow (for example) your social media to keep up with your email comms or SMS comms too.
As with most authentic methods, growth takes time and effort. There’s no shortcut to doing things organically, but the result is better engagement and a list that’s not at the mercy of spam filters or regulators.
Plus, you can use bulk SMS on a list of any size. So, you can start small and run text marketing campaigns as you grow.