5 Ways to Grow Your SMS Marketing List

Launching your first SMS marketing campaign is exciting! In order to get started, you’ll need to build a list of SMS subscribers who have opted-in to being contacted by you. Fortunately, there is plenty of opportunity. More than 6.6 billion people now use mobile phones, which is forecast to be over 7.8 billion by 2028. Read on for five ways to grow your SMS marketing list and start seeing results!

1. Leverage Existing Followers and Subscribers

Email subscribers and social media followers have already shown interest in getting updates and offers from your brand, so they’re a great place to start when building your SMS subscriber list. Be sure to mention the additional value they’ll get by opting in to SMS, like exclusive deals and timely updates.

2. Add to Website Forms, Pop-Ups, and Footers

Providing a way for people to opt-in to receiving messages from you via SMS should become part of your regular website workflows. Add a field for phone number and an opt-in checkbox to all website forms. You can also add a keyword and short code to your website footers and even create a pop-up. Make sure CTAs are clearly visible and easy to find. This way, anyone visiting your site will also have the opportunity to receive SMS messages from you.

3. Run Digital Advertisements

Advertising online through LinkedIn, Twitter, banner ads and other platforms expands your reach beyond those who are already aware of your brand. One huge advantage of digital advertising is targeting, which enables you to show ads to a very specific audience. You can tailor ads to specific demographics, like age, location, and even interests. This enables you to share offers that feel more personal. For example, if you’re running a promotion to get more women aged 25-35 to opt-in to your SMS marketing, you can feature products or offers that might appeal to that group alongside an exclusive offer they can redeem via text.

4. Don’t Forget Traditional Media

Signs and mailers may seem old-school, but they’re a good way to stand out and reach an additional audience that may be less active online. In fact, 42.2% of direct mail recipients open the mail they get. Many brands promote their SMS list by using in-store signage or even product packaging, which are effective strategies to engage with people who already have a purchase intent.

5. Have a Contest

Contests are a fun way to get customers engaging with your brand while simultaneously encouraging them to opt-in to your SMS marketing list. Offering the chance to win a reward in exchange for subscribing is incredibly effective. We recommend making the contest unique enough to catch their attention like Chipotle’s recent Unlock the Guac campaign, where customers text in their best guess at a secret code to win free guacamole.

We hope these suggestions are helpful as you begin working on building your SMS marketing list! If you’re ready to get started with your first campaign, talk to one of our experts today!