People are reluctant to give their phone numbers to just any company. And while that may sound like a big problem to you if you’re trying to collect phone numbers and grow your SMS subscriber list, it doesn’t have to be.
Let’s take email, for example. An average person gets dozens of emails every day. This means standing out from the crowd with email marketing may be hard. But people subscribe to SMS only when they truly trust the brand and want to receive SMS promotions from them.
This means when you send an SMS campaign, you can be sure people will pay attention to it. There is less competition and noise, but you also need to build trust and offer real value if you want people to opt-in. In return, your efforts will produce more effective results.
What Is SMS Opt In
If you want to legally collect marketing phone numbers, SMS opt-in is a key term to understand.
Contrary to what some people believe, SMS marketing doesn’t have to be invasive and boring. The crucial component of successful SMS marketing is SMS opt-in. If you want to run SMS campaigns, you need people’s consent to send them promotional texts.
The whole purpose of SMS opt-in is to ensure that people who receive SMS actually want to get those texts and that they signed up for your SMS mailing list in the first place.
Customers get to find out about exclusive offers and important announcements from your brand, while you get to stay in touch, build relationships with customers and sell more through bulk SMS marketing.
Benefits of Growing Your SMS Subscriber List
Some people have Instagram accounts, some don’t. Some check their email inboxes 10 times a day, and some don’t for weeks. But they all receive SMS.
With high open rates and through-the-roof CTRs, SMS marketing is a channel designed to perform better than any other.
It’s perfect for sending promotional campaigns and staying in touch with customers, and it’s guaranteed to turn your customers into raving fans of your brand. There is no better channel for increasing customer retention and lifetime value (LTV).
And the best thing is, your SMS list is always yours. Once customers sign up for SMS from your company, you only need to worry about running SMS campaigns and making sure they don’t opt out. Instagram can shut down your account, but nobody can shut down your SMS list.
Because of all these benefits of bulk SMS marketing, growing the SMS list should be a top priority for any brand. Especially now, when every channel is oversaturated. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to create a strong bond between your brand and customers.
How to Collect Phone Numbers for SMS Marketing
Collecting marketing phone numbers doesn’t have to be a pain in the ass. Here are 21 proven ways to get more SMS subscribers and stay on top of the minds of customers.
1. Include an SMS Sign Up Form on Your Website
Don’t just embed an SMS sign up form in your website’s footer and call it a day. Make it stand out by including it on your homepage or as a call to action in a blog post. Or both, because why not?
2. Grow Your SMS Subscriber List With Popups
Popups are a great way to grab attention but don’t make it annoying. Remember, readers first! Pay attention to user experience and include a pop-up only after they’ve spent some time on your website. Closing a popup doesn’t have to be impossible with a hard-to-see X sign. They won’t subscribe to your SMS list if you make it annoying, they’ll just leave your website.
3. Instagram Followers to SMS Subscribers
Cross-promotion is the best promotion, period. If you have loyal Instagram followers, invite them to subscribe to your SMS list. You can do it with a reel, link in bio, Insta story, or good-old carousel post with an engaging and powerful Call-to-Action.
4. Turn Your Facebook Audience Into SMS Subscribers
The same logic goes for Facebook and any other channel where you have an audience. Simply invite your Facebook followers to become valued members of your SMS mailing list and get the latest news and insights about offers, promotions, etc. Remember to motivate them with the right incentive, which can be anything from a special discount to valuable information.
5. Exclusive Offers Are the Way to Go if You Want to Grow Your SMS List
The best way to make sure people sign up for SMS list is to offer them something they can’t get anywhere else. Whether it’s a freebie or a special promo code they can only get when they become SMS subscriber, make it exclusive and worthwhile.
6. Run SMS Keyword Campaign and Collect Marketing Phone Numbers
SMS keyword campaign is a simple yet powerful way to get more SMS subscribers. Everything a future subscriber has to do is text the keyword you chose to your SMS marketing number. The moment they do it, they are subscribed to your SMS list and can get promotional texts from your company. The best SMS keyword examples are short, easy to spell, and even easier to remember.
7. Turn Your Email List Into Engaged SMS Subscribers
Engaging with customers on multiple platforms is a guaranteed way to stay on top of their minds. The next time you blast an email campaign, offer your customers a chance to subscribe to your SMS list as well.
8. Use Ads to Grow Your SMS List
It doesn’t hurt to pour a part of your Ad budget into growing your SMS list. Especially since SMS marketing produces great ROI and has a 98% open rate. Use PPC, or Instagram and Facebook ads to test how well your customers respond to the idea of getting texts from your brand. Results may surprise you.
9. Use Lead Magnets to Get Marketing Phone Numbers
Companies use lead magnets widely to collect contact information from their potential customers. Why wouldn’t you use lead magnets to collect marketing phone numbers and grow your SMS list? Lead magnets can be anything from valuable ebooks to checklists, and people will gladly sign up for SMS campaigns when they get something valuable in return.
10. Run On-Site Campaigns
Not everything has to be online. While digital marketing is certainly in its prime, don’t forget how powerful on-site campaigns can be. If you have a store, tell your employees to ask customers if they want to receive exclusive offers by becoming SMS subscribers and be the first to know about promotions.
11. Utilize Chatbots
If your website uses a chatbot, you can also use it to collect marketing phone numbers. Set up an automated form that engages customers to sign up for your SMS list.
12. Use Print Marketing Materials
Print marketing materials are out of fashion, or are they? Flyers, coupons, catalogs – they all serve a great purpose for marketing. I mean, there is a reason companies are still using them. And marketing is all about meeting your customers where they are. If that means printing out a flyer promoting your SMS list, so be it!
13. TV Ads
Depending on your industry, TV ads can definitely be lucrative. While screen time is expensive, you can still devote part of your budget to get marketing phone numbers and promote further on a channel that’s way cheaper – SMS marketing.
14. Radio Ads
Not everyone listens to podcasts on their commute to work. You’d be amazed how many people still prefer the radio. Using memorable SMS campaign keywords will get you a long way when it comes to radio ads because you don’t want your customers to text and drive, right?
15. Get Creative with QR Codes
QR codes are everywhere and can be about anything. You can implement QR codes directly on-site in your facilities, print them out, or create ads with QR codes. It’s one of the easiest ways to get marketing phone numbers, and you can either lead customers to your website and SMS sign up form, or to instructions for your SMS keyword campaign.
16. Run a Contest
Tell me, who doesn’t like to get a chance to win something for free? Run a contest where you’ll randomly select a winner of a valuable prize, and the only condition to enter is to give you their phone numbers. Watch your SMS list grow and thank me later.
17. Webshop Checkout
You have a webshop, but not an SMS list? Why not get the best of both worlds and include an SMS sign up form at the end of checkout? Customers can easily opt in to receive promotional SMS from you and stay up to date with discounts.
18. Make the Most out of Loyalty Program
Loyalty programs make customers feel special. They trust you, and in return, they are a part of the program where they can get something special for the trust they put in your brand. Whether they collect points with each purchase, earn free delivery, or some other incentive, loyalty programs are a great way to encourage people to sign up for SMS list. Various brands use loyalty programs and have returning customers who choose their brand over competitors.
19. Reward Referrals
Ask your current SMS subscribers to invite their family and friends to subscribe as well. Since they’re already a part of your SMS mailing list, that means they trust your brand. Why wouldn’t they refer you to a friend? If you spice it up with some incentive as well, it’s guaranteed to work!
20. SMS Coupon Marketing
Discounts are a failproof way to encourage people to subscribe to your SMS list. Make sure they always get a better price with SMS Coupon Marketing than on any other channel, and you’ll see subscribers pouring in.
21. Take Advantage of Billboards
Grow your SMS list like a boss and rent billboards to promote your SMS sign-up form. If you want to get marketing phone numbers from billboards, make sure to make it as easy as possible for people to subscribe. Billboards are pretty versatile, so you can use a catchy SMS keyword campaign or QR code that leads directly to the website sign-up form.
And this is ladies and gentlemen, the answer to how to get more SMS subscribers. Easy peasy, right?
SMS Sign Up Form: Things to Keep In Mind
While we’re at it, here are some things you should have in mind when creating your SMS sign-up form if you want more people to subscribe.
- The SMS sign-up form should have a clear consent form where SMS subscribers can tick the checkbox, as well as give you their phone number for marketing purposes.
- Opt-out is equally important as SMS opt-in. Clearly explain how SMS subscribers can stop receiving messages from your company. It can be as easy as texting “STOP” to your SMS marketing number.
- Set expectations right away. Tell your future SMS subscriber how often they can expect messages from you.
- If you don’t want to disrupt your SMS mailing list, pay attention to when you send SMS campaigns. You don’t want to wake them up at 4 am with a promo code for Black Friday.
- Never sell your SMS subscriber list to other businesses, and let your customers know in an SMS sign-up form that their data is safe with you.
P.S. Don’t forget to send thank you for subscribing text!
Ready to spark conversations and growth? Now that you have all these ways to grow your SMS list, it’s time to utilize it with Emitto – a powerful no-code bulk SMS marketing platform. Set up your account in 5 minutes and start sending, tracking, and analyzing your bulk SMS marketing campaigns. Emitto is both GDPR and CCPA compliant, which means you don’t have to worry about privacy because we’ve got that covered.
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