SMS is one of the fastest-growing marketing channels, giving consumers and businesses countless opportunities to connect. It's also one of the most effective.
In fact, according to research by Mobivity, 98 percent of people will open an SMS/text message sent to their phone versus 27 percent of people who will open an email sent to a mobile device. The same research shares that 78 percent of consumers believe SMS/text messaging is the fastest way to reach them.
So, how can you immediately grow your text subscriber list? Give the four text message marketing strategies below a shot.
1. Take Advantage of Existing Audiences
Your brand likely has already established email lists, a social media presence and other channels for communication to connect with your audience. This can be a great place to start when building your text subscriber list.
Let your email subscribers, social media followers or any other existing audience know about your SMS subscription. Share the benefits of signing up to receive your text message marketing content. Maybe they’ll get exclusive offers, for example, or additional content of value that they won’t find anywhere else — don't forget to share these benefits up-front.
Consumers are likely already bought in to receiving your communications if they’re already on one of your lists. This can make for an easier conversion when you’re asking them to sign up for SMS. The key will be telling them why they need to join a new marketing channel versus continuing to engage with you in the ways they’ve come to expect throughout their customer journey.
Cross-promoting to give existing subscribers access to your text message marketing can help to deepen the relationship. It can also be one of your greatest sources for SMS list growth.
2. Invite Consumers to Opt-In to Multiple Subscriptions at Once
In addition to considering the audience already tuned in to your other channels, you can also leverage those just about to sign up. When a consumer clicks to join your email list, give them the additional option to opt-in for SMS messages through a text subscription.
Consumers want to be “in the know.” Offering them information in real-time through multiple platforms, like SMS and email opt-in campaigns, can help to satisfy that.
3. Use Referrals
What better way to welcome in a new subscriber than through someone they trust?
This is the point of referrals and the thinking behind social proof, a marketing psychology tactic that relies on humans' natural instinct to find more value in a concept if it is validated by others.
While referrals are typically looked at as a way to bring customers in the door, you can also leverage them to get new text subscribers. For example, offer up incentives for current subscribers who get a friend to sign up. Oftentimes they'll select someone in their network with similar interests who has potential to have genuine interest in your brand.
4. Offer Incentives
Your ability to successfully promote your SMS marketing campaigns to potential subscribers will strongly rely on your brand’s reputation, products and services, as well as its ability to connect effectively with your target audience. But incentives can also help.
This might mean welcoming in new subscribers with special offers like giveaways, discount codes for their next purchase or extra loyalty points. Or maybe it involves providing incentives for those who refer others into your program, as we shared above.
Offering an incentive cultivates anticipation within the consumer, which helps to motivate them to convert; of course, afterwards, it provides them with a sense of accomplishment and a reward alongside that, too.
Text marketing offers an immediate pipeline to your consumer on the device where they already spend most of their time. The tips above can help you make the most of it as you work on growing your list. 