How to build an SMS list and boost sales during the holidays
Holiday shopping isn’t over yet. Sales spiked during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but many last minute shoppers are still looking for gifts while others are eagerly anticipating Boxing Day sales. This is a great time to build an SMS list and boost your bottom line.
Build your SMS list
Even as shoppers are desperately searching for last minute gifts, they’ll still love a great deal. To grow your list, offer your customers a significant discount on your products or services in exchange for their mobile number.
Your customers can easily opt-in via text message if you use an SMS platform like Burst. All they need to do is SMS a keyword to a dedicated virtual number or shortcode. SMS keywords can trigger functions that add your customers into a list, send auto-responses, and more.
For example, an SMS keyword can be “jeans”. When they text “jeans” to a shortcode (e.g. 123456) or dedicated virtual number (e.g. +61 459 333 4444), an auto-response is sent with a coupon code.
Make sure to share this offer everywhere: in-store, website, email newsletters, and social media. To help prevent your customers from unsubscribing as soon as they’ve taken advantage of the deal, be very clear about about kind of text messages you’ll be sending them and how often.
Send an SMS alert
Already have a list of your customer’s mobile numbers? Then get your customer’s attention by sending an SMS alert. You can offer:
- A Discount off the total purchase
- Free shipping after an amount spent
- Free shipping on the entire order
- A free gift after an amount spent
- Buy one and get one
An SMS is 160 characters long so you have limited space to convince your customers to take action. Use scarcity to help make your product or service more desirable, exclusive, and valuable. Limited quantity or time offers usually do the trick:
- “Offer ends tonight”
- “Last chance to get your… % discount.”
- “While supplies last”
- “Limited 100 quantity”
- “48 hour sale”
Example text messages
Limited Time Offer:
[Company Name] - 24 hour Sale!
Shop online at [Website Link]. Use code SMS30 to get up to 30% discount on select laptops.
Opt-out reply STOP
Limited Quantity Offer:
BIG SALE at [Company Name]!
35% off select Sammy’s Elite Runners. Limit 2 per person. Shop online today: [Website Link].
Opt-out reply STOP
Check out our SMS templates for more examples and ideas to help you promote your holiday season deals. You might also enjoy reading about how these brands are integrating SMS marketing into their businesses.
