By Dan Slavin
In our conversations with SMS marketing pros, we’re seeing more and more emphasis on quality when capturing new SMS list sign-ups.
What’s been the norm for much too long, is that retailers and brands have been somewhat content to simply get someone to opt-in to their SMS list by capturing just a phone number.
I’m old enough to remember the days when we marketers were overjoyed to simply capture an email address. But then, as we started to use CRM systems, we no longer were content with just an email address. We wanted to know the human being behind that email address: name, company, job title, and more.
Well, the same is happening now with SMS subscriber lists. There’s way too much competition out there, and to simply capture an anonymous phone number is no longer enough when trying to grow a quality SMS list. And, it’s also a huge lost opportunity.
I’m pleased to say, that CodeBroker’s retail clients have been at the forefront of SMS marketing list quality for years through the use of our SmartJoin intelligent list capture, which is part of CodeBroker’s text message marketing platform.
Here’s how the “old” way works – and then we’ll take a look at how SMS list capture works with SmartJoin:
The Old Way
- The consumer sees a promo and texts a keyword into a short code
- She gets back a text message to opt-in
- She replies with a “Y” and they’re on your list
It’s quick. It’s easy. But all you get is an anonymous phone number.
The New Way
- The consumer sees a promo and texts a keyword into a short code
- She gets back a text message with a link
- She clicks the link, which opens a form
- She fills out and submits the form
That’s it. With this short process, CodeBroker’s SmartJoin solution enables a secure double opt-in so no further confirmation is required. Although it takes the consumer a little bit longer, the quality of each record is leaps and bounds better. And by connecting the data to your CRM, you now have a much more powerful engine for your sms marketing programs.
By collecting demographic information during text message marketing list sign-up, you can add the record to your CRM system for a powerful marketing tool – way beyond sending text message marketing promos to anonymous phone numbers. You can target your text messages more granularly based on the information you collect. You can send personalized text messages; product offers based on purchase history; discounts based on the consumer’s preferences, and so on.
I encourage you to think “Quality” when looking to grow your SMS subscriber list. Quality records can help you drive more effective text message marketing programs and much higher ROI.