If you’ve been a dedicated Constant Contact user for years, slingin’ email campaigns left and right, it’ll seem like a bit of a clean slate when you adopt SMS Marketing. Whether you’re a veteran of email marketing or not, you’ll have to build your SMS contacts from the ground up. Your existing email contacts are not automatically opted-in to receive SMS messages, even if you have their phone numbers already.
There are multiple channels you can leverage to start growing your SMS contacts, including asking your existing email contacts!
📣 Once your registration is approved, we automatically create an SMS-enabled Sign-up Landing Page you can use.
Ask your existing email contacts to opt into SMS
After you have created an SMS-enabled Sign-up Landing Page (or customized the page we created for you), you can use it to convert your email contacts into SMS contacts, too.
We designed an email template you can use just for this purpose, or you could add a call-to-action to your existing go-to template or create your own from scratch.
You can link the sign-up landing page to the default button included and customize the text, if desired.
Once you’ve finished tailoring the email to your preference, schedule and send it to your email contacts.
Add new SMS subscribers through Text-to-Join
Another great tool in your SMS arsenal (SMSenal?) is Text-to-Join. You’ve probably received a text message yourself asking you to opt-in, like at your doctor’s office. It’s the same thing.
📣 Text-to-Join is part of the same package as your regular SMS Marketing messages and counts towards your plan.
When you enable Text-to-Join, you’re provided with a unique phone number that your new subscribers can use to opt into your email and SMS marketing communications. Once it’s activated, you can tell your prospective contacts to text “Join” and their email address to the unique number you provide them. Share your Text-to-Join instructions at your register, in an email, in a social media post, or just about wherever!
Import a list of SMS contacts who have already provided permission
It’s possible you’re not new to SMS Marketing and already have a list of SMS contacts who provided permission through another SMS provider. Once you have the list, it’s a fairly similar process to uploading a spreadsheet for email marketing.
Make sure your file is formatted correctly and that it includes a column labeled “SMS consent date.” If an uploaded SMS contact doesn’t have a consent date, they’ll be put in the “SMS no permission set” status. They will have to opt-in again.
Every SMS contact must include an email address when they’re uploaded. If an email address matches an existing contact’s email address, the original contact is updated to prevent duplicate contacts.
As soon as you start collecting SMS contacts, it’ll be time to come up with a robust communication plan and send your first marketing message.
