Text-to-join campaigns — are you using them?
Collecting a pool of high-value contacts for your business marketing is important for the success of your overall strategy, especially SMS marketing, email marketing, and direct mail marketing.
Building your contact list does not need to be a headache! These campaigns are a very cost-efficient and effective way to collect the quality subscribers you seek.
What is a Text-to-Join Campaign?
This type of campaign is a simple strategy to enable interested consumers to sign up for SMS marketing content, and it is also a good way to build your email subscriber database.
Text-to-Join = Text-to-Subscribe = Join-by-Text = Text-to-Sign-Up
As well as capturing mobile phone numbers, this type of opt-in marketing may provide you with other valuable consumer information, including:
i. Name
ii. Email address
iii. Postcode/Zip Code
How Does it Work?
It could not be simpler!
1. Create a Keyword. This is a word or phrase that applies to your brand/business/product/service/event and which consumers will text to your number to subscribe to your content. The keyword must be letters only and should not include any spaces.
2. Acquire a Dedicated ShortCode. This step is not essential, but it will further simplify the process for consumers.
3. Set up a confirmation text. This sends an automated response whenever a new subscriber opts in by texting to join. It should be short, friendly, welcoming, brand-compliant, and thank the subscriber for joining.
4. Promote Your Text-to-Join Keyword to Elicit Subscribers.
Do this via:
1. Social Media
2. Your Website Homepage
3. Your Email Signature
4. Google Ads
5. Facebook Ads
6. Sponsored Instagram and Twitter Posts
7. Your Business Card
8. Invoices/Receipts
9. Product Packaging
10. Company Vehicles
11.. Instore Signage
5. You can also send a notification requesting an email address for your newsletter subscription.
The sky is the limit with text to join technology — and its applications are myriad. For example, some businesses can use these keywords and shortcodes to simplify conversions (e.g. a pizza takeaway could simplify the process of ordering food with a simple keyword text to a shortcode!)
How to Get Consumers to Opt-In
The success of your text-to-join campaign relies on your ability to compel opt-ins. This requires keyword promotion, calls-to-action, and the integration of your campaign with your overall marketing strategy.
There are several very effective ways to attract new subscriptions to your join by text SMS marketing campaign. The more subscribers you have, the better your return on investment will be!
Compel Subscriptions
You need to make people want to opt-in — and this means giving them a compelling reason to do so. Make it something they can’t resist — and you need to use captivating language here. Tactics may include using phrases like “Exclusive access”, “One-time Offers”, “15% off your next purchase”, “FREE gift”, “Don’t Miss Out!”, and similar, including special giveaways. You must also deliver on your promises.
Understand it Takes Time for Results
Patience is key — the most successful, enduring marketing strategies are a marathon rather than a sprint and text-to-join campaigns are no different. One way to enhance your results is to integrate SMS and join-by-text into all of your marketing channels.
Simple Ways to Compel Opt-Ins
Advertise your Join by Text Campaign via Email Marketing
Collecting email addresses at the checkout, in-store, and at various other times is an easy way to collect contacts for your database. Utilise these further via your email marketing and newsletter by including your SMS call to action by asking your recipients to text to join to opt-in.
Broadcast!
Tell people about your campaign — and ASK them to opt-in! Do this during speeches, presentations, conferences, at the register in-store, at trade show booths, and anywhere else you are face-to-face with consumers.
Via your website — add a signup form for people to opt-in via the provision of their mobile number.
Signage Rules
Eye-catching signage gets noticed — so you should certainly use this to let people know about your SMS join by text campaign. From billboards to in-cinema advertising; print advertising to in-store signage; menus to branded packaging; branded merchandise to employee uniforms: every one of these (and any other canvas you can imagine) can be used to display your SMS call to action and shortcode to encourage engagement and interaction with your business.
Leverage Several Channels
Are you using YouTube, podcasts, radio or TV to advertise your business? If you are, then don’t miss this golden opportunity to promote your text-to-join campaign here as well. It will improve your overall marketing strategy integration and ROI.
Integrate via Social Media
Leverage Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and even LinkedIn to integrate your text-to-join campaign for boosting subscribers. Promote your call to action on your social profiles and via your blog etc.
Clarify Your Call to Action
Make sure your call to action is simple and clear, and easy to affect! Request that consumers text your chosen keyword to your shortcode.
Clarify what they will receive in return. To make things as simple as possible, avoid using quotation marks, brackets, or other redundant characters around your keyword and accompany your written instructions with an explanatory graphic if possible.
Market via Direct Mail and Postcards
Contrary to popular belief, postcard and direct mail marketing are not dead! They are, in fact, still an incredibly effective channel for marketing and eliciting a good return on investment — as long as they are well-targeted. Use this medium to convey a call to action on every piece of mail for a direct response to your print campaign, e.g. “text COMPANYNAME to 59595”. It is more convenient for a wide pool of consumers, requiring no smartphone, understanding of QR codes or barcodes, and could not be simpler.
Partner with ClickSend Now
Based in Australia, ClickSend is a global online SMS gateway. We provide digital solutions for clients worldwide, including in the USA, Canada, the UK, Singapore, NZ, and everywhere in between. Chat with us about your goals and let us help you with your next text-to-join campaign!
