6 Ways to Grow Your SMS list

If you're reading this blog, you're probably aware why SMS is such an essential marketing channel to your eCommerce store. While stats like an ROI rate of $8.11/message and a 98% open rate sounds like the best deal you can ever get, SMS also has the highest unsubscribe rates.

With that in mind, the challenge is to maintain a sizeable SMS list to combat the unsubscribe rate and keep reaping the benefits that SMS marketing provides.

Here are 6 proven strategies that can help you grow your SMS list:

1. Opt-in Forms:

Optimize your website with opt-in forms that capture email addresses, names and phone numbers. Incentivize sign-ups by offering discounts, exclusive deals to subscribers, inviting them to your community, offering early access to your products, etc. These will ensure a high quality list of contacts who genuinely desire your messages. You can also use opt-in forms by conducting contests but the quality of your contacts might take a hit.

Pro Tip: Check your average time spent on your eCom store, find a sweet spot for the pop-up to fire. This not only gives time for the shopper, it doesn’t annoy them as soon as they land on your website. 

2. Keyword-based Sign-ups:

Encourage people to join your SMS list by texting a keyword to a designated phone number. To spread the (key)word, promote it on your website, social media, emails and other advertising channels to get the maximum exposure.

3. During Account Creation:

Incorporate SMS verification during account creation and include a checkbox for customers to provide consent for receiving transactional and promotional messages. This not only verifies customers but also grows your SMS contact list.

TheIndusValley has made an impressive account creation page that collects contact details and complies with the terms and conditions pertaining to marketing activities.

4. Integrate Surveys:

Use surveys to get customer preferences and show personalized product recommendations. This builds trust instantaneously, and there’s nothing stopping the shopper from giving their contact details. 

Health and wellness, Skincare brands are the best candidates to use surveys. You understand their skin-type, allergic history to make sure you display products that are best suited for them. 

Bonus: Function of Beauty, an eCommerce store has done a fabulous job in getting their quiz strategy right. You can check it out here.

5. Leverage your email subscribers:

Send incentivizing emails asking them to subscribe to your SMS list as well. The people in this list will be more inclined to subscribe to your SMS if your emails provide valuable content to them already. You can also include keywords in your email asking your subscribers to opt-in for SMS.

Pro Tip: You can offer a discount or free shipping on their next order. Make sure it’s lucrative enough.

6. Capitalize on the checkout page:

More often than not, shoppers fill in their contact information in the checkout page. Leverage this to the maximum and make sure that you send post purchase, abandoned cart SMS without fail.

Make sure your pop ups are timed well, do a lot of iterations and double down on what works for your brand. As a next step, make sure you thank and genuinely welcome your customers to your tribe.

Pro Tip: When it comes to SMS, less is more. Make sure you don’t treat it like emails as the unsubscribe rate is quite higher.