SMS marketing cuts right through customers’ daily lives and with a 98% open rate compared to email marketing’s measly 20%, it’s undoubtedly one of the best marketing channels out there. However, the major challenge for most businesses is how to build an SMS database and maintain it?
In this article, we get to explore what text message databases are and how to build a customer database the right way
How to Start Text Messaging Marketing for Your Business
SMS list building begins with first identifying who your messages will be going to. These are your clients and warm leads interested in your product offerings. Nowadays, people have become very cautious about their personal data because previous breaches have become a real threat to personal security.
People are more reluctant to hand out their personal phone numbers compared to other personal information. Aggressive methods are only going to lead you to a dead end. The solution lies in letting your consumers see the benefits of willingly giving you their phone numbers and joining your customer contact database.
What is an SMS Database?
An SMS database is a collection of mobile numbers for SMS marketing. It comprises a database of mobile numbers collected via various methods. For instance, some companies can get their patrons to subscribe to monthly offers through shortcode text messaging while others display promotional material on their websites for them to join by handing over their phone numbers.
Others buy a random marketing contact database, which is not a recommendable option. Random databases may expose the company to legal and reputational issues if the consumers did not consent to receive messages. Instead, you want to build your bulk SMS database and grow it organically.
5 Ways to Build your Text Marketing Database in 2022
Growing and building your text marketing database begins with dishing out valuable offerings to your target audience. Your patrons need to have a good reason to subscribe to your SMS campaigns or else they won’t readily give up their personal information if there is nothing in it for them. That being said, here are the 5 ways to build your client database in 2022.
Increase Engagement with Your Customers by Text Messaging
SMS can help your business because engaging with consumers reveals the“human” side of a business. It shows that the business cares. It also helps identify their needs and helps the business design better solutions. As a result, SMS marketing data has proven that consumers who are engaged in a text messaging campaign have a 23% higher share in profitability.
Increasing engagement could start with asking a simple question about the consumer’s experience and extend towards building a forum that answers the most common questions about the product and the solutions it offers. Engagement builds trust in a B2C relationship as it provides more value to the consumers.
Asking Customers For Their Contact Details at Point of Sale
What should you ask your client before you build a database? To answer this, we need to first identify what data to collect to avoid coming off too strong, which would turn off the client. People want simple questions that are not in any way obligatory. Professionally structured questions can help the brand obtain contact information from their consumers at the point of sale.
You can start with simple information such as the buyer’s first name and email address. Next, ask if they would like to receive SMS notifications and in return, get special offers or be the first to know about upcoming product releases.
Creating Mobile Keywords to Entice Customers into Subscribing
Mobile keywords have proven effective for a long time. A mobile keyword is a string of text letters or numbers that can be sent by the consumer via text message to the business’ shortcode.
For example, a mobile keyword that says “Visit” to be sent to 123456 for a chance to win a trip for two to a world-famous destination. By doing this, the client automatically subscribes to join an active SMS marketing database.
Keep Growing Your Customer Database
Your customer contact database is not limited to text only. Thousands of potential customers exist online, on social media, and pretty much everywhere else. You can increase your customer database with paid promotions, digital marketing, Facebook ads, and content promotion, among many other strategies.
Short-Code Opt-ins
Nowadays, it is generally unacceptable to serve messages to consumers without their consent. Shortcode opt-ins involve the use of a mobile keyword and a business’ shortcode to seek permission from consumers. Interested people can opt-in to your SMS marketing campaign by texting a mobile keyword to your business’ shortcode. This way, you can effectively send SMS to your database without worrying about legal or ethical issues.
Channels You Can Use to Grow Your SMS Database
The success of your SMS database depends on a series of activities on different platforms. Most businesses today use omnichannel strategies to engage with consumers existing on social media, email, to physical interactions at the point of sale. Here are other channels that can help grow your SMS database.
Email marketing remains one of the most powerful marketing tools today according to 29% of marketers. If you already have an existing email marketing campaign, it’s advisable to embed your SMS marketing database. You can integrate your email marketing campaign with your SMS campaign by offering tempting giveaways to consumers who sign up for text notifications on their phones.
In-store
There is no better place to obtain consumers’ phone numbers than within your stores. Create a simple questionnaire collecting data such as names, location, email, and products they’re interested in. In your questionnaire, include a section that asks if they would like to receive SMS notifications from you.
Social Media
Over 4.5 billion people have a social media presence and the numbers are still on the rise. This presents the perfect opportunity to ask customers to join your SMS database.
There are several ways to integrate social media campaigns with your SMS strategy. Some companies prefer text-to-win contests where users can use a shortcode posted on the company’s social media page to enter a contest.
Billboards, Radio, and TV
Traditional media works great with shortcode opt-ins for consumers. Always remember to provide clear instructions on how and where consumers can opt-in to your SMS database. Include an irresistible offer with a stunning CTA to entice your patrons into accepting to receive SMS from you.
Online
Some SMS services offer SMS software that can be integrated with your website to send SMS messages online to buyers through an SMS gateway database. The process is a little complex. Read this article to learn more.
With a majority of the world’s population now using smartphones, there is no better time to invest in a bulk SMS mobile number database than now. BSG provides an all-around solution to B2C SMS problems from IMSI code lookup, bulk email, verification via one-time-password, SMS testing system, and multi-platform functionalities such as automated Viber bulk message (for Viber users) and so much more!
Wrapping Up
Building a database for SMS marketing is not easy as it may appear. For more information about how to create a customer database, feel free to get expert tips from the best texting service for business — BSG platform; an industry leader in SMS marketing solutions for companies.