If you're doing the right things, SMS subscriber growth for your business will happen on its own. Successful business owners, on the other hand, understand that building a subscriber list is critical to any SMS marketing strategy in 2023.
According to recent data, SMS subscribers convert at a higher rate and stay subscribers for a longer period of time than email subscribers.
What exactly is an SMS Subscriber list? An SMS subscriber list is a collection of contacts who have agreed to receive SMS (text message) updates on a specific topic, such as promotions or business updates.
There are numerous ways to use an SMS subscriber list to achieve business objectives, including:
Newsletter via SMS
Sales and leads
Events
Upsells
Promotions
Benefits for VIPs
Fundraising
The messages you send to subscribers can be one-way messages that direct people to a web page, or they can prompt subscribers to respond in order to keep the conversation going. However, the point is that you use your subscriber list to engage contacts and persuade them to take a specific action.
There are numerous ways to use an SMS subscriber list to achieve business objectives, including:and have better customer engagement.
Email is great, but engagement is low. SMS can be used independently or in conjunction with email.
If you have someone's phone number, you know they'll see your text messages because they have a 99% open rate. Email is not in this category.
Furthermore, people do not readily give out their phone numbers as they do their email addresses. Customers who join your SMS subscriber list are customers you'll keep. They're giving you their phone number because they want to interact with you, and they're much less likely to unsubscribe as a result.
People opt in to texts because they want something specific from you, and if you give them that thing without bombarding them, they'll stay for a long time.
What are the requirements for creating an SMS subscriber list?
1. A number
Knowing when and how to use different number types will allow you to get the most bang for your buck.
2. A compelling reason for customers to sign up.
What are you going to send your subscribers? What benefit will those messages provide them? These are the things that people want to know if you want them to join.
A small incentive won't hurt, as long as you keep your promise. Customers who are considering joining your SMS subscriber list will be most influenced by exclusive or VIP offers. Zapier can connect forms to your SMS list, allowing you to automatically send discount codes to customers who sign up.
3. A mechanism for customers to opt in.
Customers can text keywords to join your SMS subscriber listor opt-in for information and promotions. They're simple to promote and simple for customers to use:
"Text SALES to stay up to date on our latest sales!"
Customers who text keywords will receive an auto response,which you can customize to reflect the specific goals of your subscriber list. These auto responses inform the subscriber that their opt inwas successful, as well as reaffirm what content the subscriber can expect to begin receiving.
The next step is to understand how to best utilize each ofthose channels on going to tell customers about your SMS subscriber list.ted. These forms for signing up for your SMS subscriber list can be displayed along side registration forms for other things like online checkout, event registrations, and email subscriber lists.
The more opt-in options you provide customers, the more opportunities will come your way.
4. A method for organizing and segmenting your contacts.
Customers who text a keyword are added to a Group, or saved contact list, named after the keyword. This is useful if you are running multiple keyword campaigns at the same time.
You could have a keyword for NEWS and another for COUPONS so that you can text those lists about those specific topics. If you want to get even more specific, Contact Tags allow you to label customers based on things like the rep who is personally assisting them or where the contact is in your sales funnel.
All of this helps you target SMS subscribers with engagingcontent.
5. A prompt (or several prompts) asking people to opt in.
We recommend that you ask customers to join your subscriber list in four places:
Social media
Your website and digital ads
Physical and digital check out
Email newsletter
The next step is to understand how to best utilize each of those channels on going to tell customers about your SMS subscriber list.
1. Invite others to join you on social media.
Customers who follow your social media accounts are there to interact with you. They'll most likely want to text with you as well.
Make a post that explains how to join, then sit back and wait for new subscribers to come to you. The simplest way to get them to subscribe is to advertise a keyword in the post, such as
"Text DEALS to get exclusive updates on new products."
Showcase the types of offers or messages that customers can expect to receive if they opt in, as well as why those messages will be beneficial to them.
2. Include an invite in your digital marketing and pop-upads.
Consumers interested in your brand want to know everything you have to offer, including the exclusive content they can receive as a member of your SMS subscriber list. Promote your SMS subscriber list and how customers can join.
These digital advertisements can appear in a variety of places, including:
Pop-ups on your website's homepage
Banner advertisements
Ads in the sidebar
These ads can either include a keyword that customers cantext to join or direct them to a webform where they can enter their phone number (which you may use to get their email address and other info as well).
3. Ask customers to join at checkout.
You might as well ask someone at the checkout if they want to join your SMS subscriber list, right? Their purchase is still fresh in their minds, and they'll be curious about what else you have to offer.
Keep the request simple. It could take the form of an optionfor the customer to include their phone number at the ecommerce checkout, or your representative directly asking the customer for their phone number at a physical checkout.
4. Cross pollinate from your email list.
Send an email to your existing email list informing them about your new SMS newsletter. The engaged contacts who read your email are likely to be interested in receiving text message updates as well.
To have the greatest impact, email and SMS marketing should complement one another. Particularly if you use our integrations to collect phone numbers from customers who provide them:
HubSpot \sMailchimp
5. Constant Contact
It's a low-effort way to build an SMS subscriber list, and you can follow up email announcements with SMS alerts (and vice versa) to ensure your offers never go unnoticed. Just make sure to include exclusive content in your SMS newsletter so that email subscribers have a reason to read both.
How can we keep these SMS subscribers?
Here are our three main golden rules:
Give them what they want.
Don't send too many messages.
Encourage two-way dialogue.
Two-way conversations, in particular, are extremely important for adding a personal touch and keeping subscribers engaged.
Customers choose SMS because they like the idea of being able to reach a human on the other end of the phone right away. Customers will not engage with you if you are not invested in handling responses.
You'll get exactly what you put into your SMS subscriber list.
By offering to answer questions, sharing questionnaires, and soliciting feedback, you can actively encourage and manage customer responses.If you need help in creating and implementing your SMS subscriber growth strategy for your business book a free consultation with our experts today.
During the call, we'll discuss your specific needs and create a personalized strategy to boost your SMS subscriber base and increase your customer base.