Insight
How to Build and Grow Your SMS Subscriber List: A Complete Guide
Building a subscriber list is essential to any SMS marketing strategy. Without subscribers, you can’t send promotions, announcements, reminders, or personalized offers that drive revenue.
So how do you build your list?
We’ll show you how to build a compliant, high-converting text message list that drives revenue by utilizing the right opt-in methods, sharing valuable offers, and sending consistent promotions.
What Is an SMS Subscriber List and Why Does It Matter for SMS Marketing?
An SMS subscriber list is a group of contacts who’ve opted into SMS (text message) updates about a certain topic, such as promotions or company updates.
There are numerous ways to leverage an SMS subscriber list to hit business goals, including:
SMS Newsletter: For sending regular business updates or industry tips.
Leads and Sales: For following up with prospects in real-time to close deals.
Events: To manage registrations and send updates instantly.
Promotions and Flash Sales: To drive immediate traffic to your e-commerce page or retail store.
VIP perks: To offer exclusive rewards to boost customer retention.
Fundraising: To maximize donation efforts so donors can easily give from their phones.
The messages you send to subscribers can be used as one-way messages driving people to a web page, or prompt subscribers to reply to keep the convo going. But the point is that you use your subscriber list to engage contacts and encourage them to take a certain action.
What Are the Benefits of Having an SMS Subscriber List?
Building an opt-in list gives you the advantage of connecting with customers who’ve already chosen to hear from your business.
Customers who are opted in are more likely to engage with your messages and take action. Some of the biggest benefits include:
Reaching customers instantly
Increasing engagement
Driving more sales
Building stronger customer relationships
Supporting your overall marketing strategy
People opt in to texts because they want something specific from you, and as long as you give them that thing without bombarding them, they’ll stick around for a long time.
5 Things You Need to Create an SMS Subscriber List
1. Choose the right business texting number.
Knowing how and when to choose between number types will help you get the most bang for your buck.
To start, you’ll need a business texting number that customers can use to send and receive text messages from. Whether that’s a local number, toll-free number, or short code, choose the option that best fits your business and texting volume.
Text Request can make your current 10DLC business number textable, so you can get started immediately with what you already have.
2. A reason for customers to opt in.
Give customers a reason to subscribe to your SMS marketing alerts. Whether that’s exclusive discounts, appointment reminders, VIP offers, or helpful updates, make it clear what subscribers will receive and why it’s worth signing up.
Additionally, a small incentive can’t hurt—as long as you follow up on your promise. Exclusive or VIP offers will have the strongest impact on customers considering joining your SMS subscriber list. Zapier can connect forms to your SMS list, so discount codes automatically send to customers who sign up.
3. An easy way for customers to opt in.
Keywords are words customers can text to join your SMS subscriber list, or opt-in for information and promotions. They’re simple to advertise and intuitive for customers to use:
“Text SALES to get updates on our newest discounts!”
Customers who text keywords will receive an autoresponse—which you can customize to reflect your subscriber list’s specific goals. For example:
“Thanks for texting SALES to Blue Skies Retail. Every Tuesday we’ll text you a list of our newest deals.”
Or.
“Thanks for texting HOUSE to Burke Real Estate. Which address did you want more information on?”
Autoresponses like these let the subscriber know their opt in was successful, plus they reaffirm what content the subscriber can expect to start receiving.
Online form submissions can also be automated to send a welcome text to customers who join your SMS subscriber list. These forms to sign up for your SMS subscriber list can be displayed alongside your registration for other things like your online checkout, event registrations, and your email subscriber list.
The more options you give customers to opt-in, the more you’ll see come your way.
4. A way to structure and segment your contacts.
Customers who text a keyword are added to a Group, or a saved list of contacts, named after the corresponding keyword.
This is great if you have multiple keyword campaigns going on at the same time. You may have a keyword for NEWS and a keyword for COUPONS, so you can text those respective lists about those specific topics.
If you want to go even more in depth, Contact Tags give you the ability to label customers by things like the rep who is individually helping them, or by where the contact is in your sales funnel.
All of this helps you target SMS subscribers with content that keeps them engaged.
5. Permission to text your contacts.
Always get explicit customer consent before sending marketing text messages. Following SMS compliance requirements is mandatory by TCPA regulations, and helps protect your business while building trust with subscribers.
How to Get More SMS Subscribers
1. Invite people to join on social media.
Customers who follow your social media accounts are already interested in your business, making them ideal candidates for your SMS subscriber list.
Create a post that shows them how to join your SMS subscriber list using a keyword, QR code, or sign-up link. Make the process simple so interested customers can subscribe in just a few taps.
Advertising a keyword in the post will be the simplest route to help them subscribe, like:
“Text DEALS to get exclusive updates on new products.”
Showcase the kinds of offers or messages customers can expect to receive when they opt-in, as well as why those messages will benefit them.
2. Include an invite in your digital marketing and pop-up ads.
Every website visitor is a potential SMS subscriber. Promote your SMS program across your marketing channels including:
Pop-ups on your homepage
Banner ads
Sidebar ads
These ads can either include a keyword consumers can text to join, or direct people to a webform they can enter their number in (which you may use to get their email address and other info as well).
3. Ask customers to join at checkout.
Customers who are already making a purchase are often more willing to subscribe because they've already chosen to do business with you.
Keep the invitation simple. Try asking the customer to include their number at the e-commerce checkout, or for their number at a brick-and-mortar checkout.
4. Cross pollinate from your email list.
Your email subscribers are one of the best audiences to invite to your SMS subscriber list because they’ve also shown they’re interested in hearing from you.
Let them know what they’ll gain by subscribing, whether it’s exclusive offers, appointment reminders, product updates, or early access to promotions.
Adding SMS to your email marketing strategy helps you reach customers through multiple channels while increasing engagement and creating more opportunities to connect.
Just make sure you offer exclusive content in your SMS newsletter, so email subscribers have a reason to pay attention to both.
How to Keep SMS Subscribers Engaged
Growing your SMS subscriber list is only half the battle. Focus on sending valuable, relevant messages that customers actually want to receive to keep them engaged and reduce opt outs.
Follow these three best practices:
Give them what they ask for
Don’t send messages too frequently
Encourage two-way conversations
Two-way conversations in particular are huge for adding a personal touch to keep subscribers engaged.
Customers opt-in for SMS because they like the idea of being able to reach a human instantly on the other side of the phone. If you aren’t invested in handling responses, customers won’t be invested in engaging with you.
You’ll get as much out of your SMS subscriber list as you put into it. Actively encouraging and managing responses from customers needs to be a part of your goals by offering to answer questions, sharing questionnaires, and asking for feedback.
Start Building Your SMS Subscriber List
A successful SMS subscriber list helps you connect with customers faster, strengthen relationships, and drive more engagement through personalized text messaging.
The best results come from making it easy to subscribe, delivering consistent value, and communicating with customers in a timely and relevant manner.
Over time, these efforts can turn subscribers into loyal, repeat customers.
Ready to grow your SMS subscriber list? Text Request gives you the tools to collect SMS opt-ins, organize contacts, and send personalized text message campaigns all from one easy-to-use platform.
SMS Subscriber FAQs
1. What is an SMS subscriber list?
An SMS subscriber list is a collection of customers who’ve opted in to receive text messages from your business. These subscribers have given explicit permission to receive communications such as promotions, appointment reminders, product updates, and other important, relevant notifications.
2. How do I build an SMS subscriber list?
The best way to build an SMS subscriber list is to make it easy for customers to opt in. Promote your SMS program on channels your customers see the most, like your website, social media platforms, email campaigns, and at checkout. Encourage them to subscribe by offering exclusive discounts, updates, or other enticing incentives.
3. How can I grow my SMS subscriber list faster?
Growing your SMS subscriber list requires consistent promotion across multiple customer touchpoints. Increase visibility by using sign-up forms, QR codes, text-to-join keywords, email campaigns, and social media. Most importantly, give customers a clear reason to subscribe by offering valuable content or exclusive benefits.
4. Is SMS marketing legal?
Yes, SMS marketing is legal as long as you obtain a customer’s consent before texting them. Businesses should always follow applicable regulations such as the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), and always provide and easy way to subscribers to opt out of future messages.
5. How often should I text my subscribers?
The right texting frequency depends on your business and your customers’ expectations. It’s more important to send messages that actually provide value, rather than texting on a structured schedule. Promotions, appointment reminders, order updates, and timely announcements are all good reasons to reach out without overwhelming subscribers.
