Now that you have signed up to begin implementing SMS marketing, you’re ready to contact your customer base directly! Except, you don’t have any phone numbers yet. How do you build a successful SMS text list? More importantly, how do you build your text list the right way?

Utilize Your Social Media Platforms

Social media, while a great way to interact with customers, your posts are likely buried under the personal posts, advertisements, and posts created by other businesses. Consumers have a lot to be distracted by on social media while you’re trying to get your message across! Over time, promoting your text list on social media will begin to grow your number of subscribers.

Text-to-Win Contests - Encouraging your social media followers to text in to your text list for a chance to win a high-value prize is a great way to collect subscribers. Don’t forget to announce your winner on your social media channels (with the winner’s permission) to drum up some excitement. Remember, you must be very clear that by texting in, subscribers are opting-in to receive further communications from your business.

Urge customers to sign up for exclusive alerts - letting your customers in on exclusive information is a great way to engage potential subscribers.

Use images - use an image with your text message information on it to catch your customer’s eye while they scroll through their social media feeds. A post with an image is far more likely to get noticed than a simple text post. 

Encourage Customers to Sign Up in Person 

Surveys on the bottom of receipts -almost  everyone wants to tell their story. Letting your customers text in about their experience lets your customers express themselves while your subscriber list grows.

Signage - putting up signs with your latest text-only specials (especially if they have to do with a discount!) will encourage people to opt-in.

Train employees to mention specials - asking employees to tell customers about your text list during check-out (especially if there’s a deal involved) adds a personal touch to your marketing. 

Advertise Where Your Customers Are

Your website - advertising your text list somewhere visible on your website will let people know that they can opt-in without being too intrusive.

Your events - Hosting an event? If you don’t have signage mentioning your text list, you're missing out on contacting people who might be interested in your next event.

Co-promo with another businesses - partnering with another business for a promo helps expand your network as well as gives you access to a wider audience. For example, if you are a restaurant and you’re partnering with a flower company for a Mother’s Day sweepstakes, you can use your text list to gather entries from both customer bases.

How NOT To Grow Your Text List

As many ways as there are to grow your text message subscribers, there as just as many ways not to do it. In order to keep your text message list healthy (and legally compliant!) it is in your businesses’ best interest to avoid the following:

Buying Phone Numbers - Sending unsolicited messages is very unlikely to create any conversions, as well as creates a bad look for your business as a whole (not to mention it’s unlawful).

Bait-and-Switch - you must be extremely clear when running a text-to-win campaign that by opting in, subscribers agree to receive communications beyond letting them know they won your sweepstakes. 

Importing Numbers Without Consent - even if you have a large database of customer information that includes their phone numbers, importing those phone numbers into your subscriber list without their express consent is not just unlawful, it’s bad business.

If you have any questions on how your company can best use SMS marketing or if you’d like to set up a demo of vorText, contact us today!