Increase your SMS marketing opt-ins by being more active

SMS marketing is a fantastic tool, but a question I receive quite often is: “How do I increase my subscription list?” Depending on which industry you’re in, you can accomplish this more commonly through prospecting, sales, and subscriptions.

If you’re not happy with the pace that you’re currently generating opt-ins, then it’s time to up your marketing game and start getting more involved. The most effective SMS marketing campaigns come from customers who genuinely want to opt-in to your service. You should also remember that if a potential customer is already in your store, on your application, or browsing your website - you are already at an advantage. That prospect is interested in what you do, which means they are likely interested in hearing about what you offer.

The Irony

Many businesses which use SMS marketing, don’t exactly actively advertise it in their primary marketing channels. There’s so much missed potential here to increase your opt-ins. Think about what marketing real-estate you may have, and take advantage of it to increase your database.

Time to get visual

Alright, now it’s time to see what type of visuals people are using to increase their opt-ins. Here’s a sample of what some of the biggest brands from around the world are doing at this very moment.

Website Banner Ads

Inspiration can come from a variety of sources. Here’s a good sample size of some of the most eye-catching SMS marketing ads online. Think about where you eyes go. Which ad caught your attention first? Think about how that happened. Now, look away, and see if you’re still drawn to it. This is how you know if it’s a good ad or not. Break it down, and make it your own. If you’re still iffy, sleep on it, then look at it tomorrow. Give it a think, and build on it.

Social Media Posts

Don’t forget about your social mark either. Here are a few ads that stood out, and helped these brands increase their SMS opt-in rates.

Try to avoid the monster form

It’s tempting to try to generate all your opt-ins in one spot. On the business side, this makes sense because it’s efficient. However just because someone wants to opt-in to your email, doesn’t necessarily mean they want you contacting them on their phone. Texts are more personal, and essentially - cannot be avoided. This is what makes them so successful, however unless your customer specific asks for an SMS - it’s probably not a good idea to send one even if they did agree to your monster permission form. Unfortunately we live in a time where people don’t like to read the specifics, they usually only remember the first or last thing they clicked on.

This means you should change the way you deliver your message. Whenever possible, limit your distractions. Try to separate your email and text message subscriptions into separate pages. This reduces the customer’s confusion, and leaves you in a more relevant position to send a more effective marketing campaign.

All-in-one vs Text-only

In cased you missed this, we just released an article on how 10 businesses are currently implementing SMS marketing into their brands. You will be able to see a clear difference between the ambiance behind an all-in-one page vs a text-only subscription page.