6 proven ways to build an SMS subscriber list

A cornerstone of any successful mobile marketing strategy is having an engaged list of SMS subscribers. This list of subscribers means you have a dedicated community with whom you can share and communicate with directly.

Trying to grow a subscriber list without the correct tools, is like driving without a map in a foreign country. You might reach your destination eventually but the chances of getting lost and running into obstacles are much higher.  Having the right tools to guide you will make achieving success and reaching your end goal so much easier.

Growing a healthy subscriber list is valuable for 3 reasons:

1. It’s incredibly effective in marketing your product. Having an opt-in, high-volume list means greater outreach and opportunities to encourage purchases, increasing the potential revenue you can generate.

2. It’s an essential support tool for decision making. You’re able to measure and track customer activity that is fundamental to targeting the right customers and guiding your marketing decisions.  

3. By only acquiring first-party data (meaning users specifically opted-in to join your list) you’re not only staying compliant, you’re also ensuring you'll acquire a more engaged audience that'll be more likely to convert into paying customers at a later stage.

Here are 6 great ways how to get started with building or increasing the contacts in your SMS marketing list:

1. Offer useful and insightful lead magnets

A lead magnet, or gated content, is a free resource (offered by you) that attracts potential customers and entices them to join your database in exchange for a useful resource or trend report.

Lead magnets include resources like:  

• Webinars
• eBooks
• Case Studies
• Industry Trends or Reports

A lead magnet can be developed by your own team, or you can consider joining forces with a strategic partner with similar business goals to yours. Getting a partner on board can help you with sharing the load of creating the content, will increase your reach, and introduce your content to new audiences. Lead magnets are an excellent way to grow your subscriber list quickly and establish yourself as an industry thought-leader.  

2. Grow your list with Text-to-Join keywords

Text-to-join is an easy way to grow your list of contacts through an omni-channel marketing approach using a platform such as Mobiz. This tool allows new and returning customers the opportunity to join your subscriber list by texting a customer keyword to your business number. Simply set up a keyword and promote it online or in-store, to start growing your audience.

Mobiz text-to-join campaigns will not only increase the number of contacts in your list, but also ensure your new contacts are added in a compliant manner using a double-opt-in SMS feature.

3. Leverage existing social media channels

Every follower on your social media channels has the potential to become a customer. Leverage these channels correctly and you’ll soon see your subscriber list growing. You can promote your SMS marketing channel on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, or any platform where you have followers.

You can get more sign-ups using these channels, by firstly sharing the perks of joining your SMS list. It’s important to let your customers know what type of content you’ll send them and give a compelling reason why they should become part of your list. You can also add incentives like discounts or exclusive membership opportunities as part of your strategy to attract more customers.  

Tip: Use technology to create a seamless sign-up experience. For example, use a QR code that users can scan on your social profile that leads to a simple sign-up form. After hitting “sign up,” they’ll be opted into your SMS program. This example can be adapted and applied across any of your social media channels to grow your SMS subscriber list, with a link or with a QR code.  

4. Harness promotional giveaways

It’s no secret that audiences love giveaways and they’re quite easy to promote. You can share the competition across your website, email campaigns, social media platforms and in-store.  

Having a dedicated competition landing page with an online form for subscribers to complete is a great way to capture customer data.  

Two important factors to consider before launching a giveaway:

• Offer a prize worthwhile enough to encourage customers to enter and increase the volume of visitors to your landing page.
• Select a prize relevant to the audience you want to attract. This will further qualify your leads, increasing the likeliness of conversion into paying customers further down the line.  

Tip: A smaller but more engaged list is far more valuable than lots of unqualified contact numbers of people who were only interested in the prize and not your product. Selecting the right prize and channels will help to best qualify your leads.  

5. Add a signup option to your online checkout

Capture subscribers at the point of sale by including a sign-up option on your checkout page. This makes signing up for your SMS program as easy as checking a box when shoppers submit their shipping information.

Tip: Discounts have been found to speed up a customer’s decision-making process by 48%. Incorporate discounts at your point of sale to accelerate your conversion rate.  

6. Website Pop-Ups

If you're already seeing consistent traffic to your website, don't let it go to waste. Start capturing visitors and engage and nurture them into happy, returning customers.

Types of pop ups:

Exit intent popup or Time-Based Popup

These popups are triggered when a visitor is about to leave the site, or after a certain amount of time spent on the site. It’s recommended that you test displaying the popup after a visitor has been on the site for 15 seconds.

Scroll-triggered Popup

This popup appears when a visitor scrolls a pre-determined percentage down the page.  For example, these popups can ask your visitors for their mobile number as they finish reading your latest blog post. This allows you to capture their details, without being too pushy.

Growing your SMS subscriber list takes commitment and effort but is worth it when you experience the transformative results it yields.  By introducing and incorporating these strategies into your marketing plan, you’ll be thrilled to see how much more engagement and revenue you can drive from SMS marketing.  

Ready to start growing your SMS subscriber list? We’d love to help you. Chat with our 24/7 chatbot to learn more or fill out our contact form to get in touch with one of our SMS marketing experts.