The Club Texting Guide To Building Your Text Marketing Campaigns List
Ready to learn how to build a list of customers for your text message marketing campaign? We’ve put together this guide to show you how to quickly and effectively build an opt-in list of customers who want to hear from you. See tips, examples, and success stories from our clients and learn what not to do to make sure your followers stay opted-in and engaged with your messages.
Understanding Terms:
Before we proceed, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with some basic Club Texting terms.
- Short Codes -- 5- or 6-digit numbers that are used to text back and forth with recipients.
- Keywords – A word that a consumer texts to a Short Code to join your text message marketing list.
- Call-To-Action (CTA) – The message that binds Short Codes and Keywords. For example, "Text 'SAVER' to 25827 to get on our deals mailing list!"
The Golden Rules Of List Building
You should be aware of a few guidelines that keep mobile marketing safe and welcomed by your audience. For starters, information regarding opting out, receiving help, data message rates and frequency of messages should be included in any messaging.
- You must provide consumers with instructions on how they can opt-out of your contact list by texting the word ‘STOP’ to the short code you are using. They can do this at any time to be immediately removed from your list.
- Users must also know that by texting the word ‘HELP’ to your short code they can receive help and basic information about your list.
- Carriers require you to notify customers of any costs associated with receiving your text messages. For example, if you are running a standard rate campaign, any call-to-action or opt-in confirmation message should include the phrase “message and data rates may apply.”
- You should also manage your users’ expectations by telling them how many messages they should expect to receive from your company. For example, your introductory message could specify that “You will receive no more than 6 messages per month.”
Ideas for Building Your Opt-In Contact List
Now that you’re aware of how to text safely, here are a few ideas to help you start growing your text messaging list and impressing your audience.
Event Signage
Whether you’re hosting a 30,000-person concert or running a 100-person conference, text messaging is a great way to engage and build a future relationship with your audience. Banners, seat cards, bag inserts, and video displays are great places to display your call-to-action (CTA). You can offer potential subscribers special deals, event alerts and posters via multimedia messaging (MMS) (hyperlinked to MMS page).
In-Store Signage
If you own a brick-and-mortar business like a retail shop, salon, gym, spa, or restaurant, leverage your real estate! Placing signs throughout the store or even using the windows of your building can be great ways to broadcast your message.
Example: You own a bicycle shop and are looking to create buzz about new merchandise, so you’ve printed up some signs inviting customers to “text BIKE to 25827 to receive a discount” on a new bicycle model available in your store.
Radio
If you do any radio advertising, be sure to mention your CTA. If you manage a radio station, you can invite your listeners text in song requests and build up your contact list and following!
Outdoor
There’s no doubt that outdoor advertising can deliver lots of impressions. Leverage your spend by adding your call-to-action to billboards, public transit ads and posters, vehicle wraps, you name it.
Social Media Integration
Do you have a strong Facebook and/or Twitter presence? Tweet out your call to action to turn your followers into opt-in subscribers. Use web signup widgets (link to integrations page) on Facebook fan pages and your blog to allow consumers to type in their phone number to sign up for your list.
Web and Email
If you already have a website or do other web and email marketing, consider promoting your list through those channels to build up your subscriber count.
Examples:
- Add a signup widget to your website and encourage users to fill it out by offering them a deal.
- Running a Google AdWords campaign? If you can incorporate your call to action you can get signups from people who don’t even click through to your website.
- Run an email newsletter? Allow readers to opt into your text messaging list to receive either subscription discounts or new stories directly to their cell phones!
More Tips & Common Mistakes To Avoid
TIP #1: Position It
Considering how, when, where and why you would want to communicate with your potential customers is extremely important. We suggest that you keep a number of things in mind as you expand your marketing efforts and build your list. For one, try to offer some sort of reward or incentive for subscribing to receive messages from your company. Even if it’s only a one-time coupon, it can be a great incentive for your followers to text in. Another effective method is to make your bulk SMS program exclusive. What does that mean? Give customers access to something they could not have received otherwise. If a customer believes they are getting something exclusive, there is a greater chance of them ending up (and staying!) on your contact list.
TIP #2: Phrase It
Language and wording is extraordinarily important when trying to convey a clear message to a large number of people. You have to find the right way to phrase your call-to-action. We’ve seen potentially great campaigns fail due to poorly phrased opt-in instructions. You want to keep the call-to-action simple and clear.
Examples:
- Text SUBWAY to 42578 for $1 off your next footlong sub!
- Text VOTE to 26118 to cast your vote of who should be the next American Idol!
TIP #3: Integrate It
It’ll go a long way to integrate your SMS marketing promotion into all of your marketing campaigns. Just as you include your company’s phone number and web address (and perhaps your Facebook and Twitter URLs) on all of your advertisements, you should also include your text messaging call-to-action to familiarize your followers and encourage them to reply.
Building a list is a process that takes time and patience, but if you follow our guidance, you’ll get there! In time, you’ll have a strong text message marketing list to help your organization grow.