Tips for Increasing Email and SMS Sign-Ups

And the tools to help you make the most of each marketing strategy.

By Alexander Joe

 

 Email and SMS marketing are two of the most effective ways to reach your customers, but before you can start tapping into the benefits of these platforms, you have to have a solid subscriber base.

For many companies, increasing the number of subscribers can be a challenge — but it doesn’t have to be! 

In this article, we’ll provide you with a few tips on how to increase sign-up for both email and SMS marketing. And the best part is, if your marketing efforts utilize email and SMS messaging in a cross channel strategy, you can leverage the tips for both channels. 

In addition to sharing tips to help grow your subscriber lists, we’ll also provide you with a few platforms to help make developing your subscriber base, managing contacts, and executing campaigns simple. 

Tips to Increase Your Email Sign Ups

Email marketing is a great way to engage with your audiences, but you need to encourage them to join your subscriber list before you can do that. Of course, there are tons of different ways you can reach new audiences, but in this section, we’ll provide you with three easy tips that are sure to boost your email sign-ups. 

But don’t forget — it doesn’t stop at increasing the number of people you have signing up. You need to continue engaging and nurturing your subscribers throughout their entire customer journey, but that’s a topic for another day.  

1. Provide Subscribers With Exclusive Content

One of the most effective ways to increase your email marketing list is to provide your subscribers with exclusive incentives. 

For most people, the top reason to subscribe to a company’s email marketing list is to be notified about upcoming sales, promotions, and discount codes. These are the things that customers are willing to exchange their email address for and provide them with something of value — a discount to help them save money. Image courtesy of Hubspot. 

In fact, 22.6% of people list this as one of their top reasons for subscribing to a company’s email newsletter. 

The types of exclusive content you provide can vary, but here are few everyday things people are interested in receiving from the brands they follow: 

  • Special discounts and coupon codes
  • Tutorials and DIYs
  • Company updates
  • Early access to sales and promotions
  • Prive contests and giveaways 

However you choose to serve up your exclusive content, you need to ensure it provides your audiences with something they value. If you’re sending irrelevant, unexciting exclusive content, you can’t expect to see high engagement. 

Keep in mind that you need to continue to provide your subscribers with exclusive content, even after they’ve become active customers. If someone starts to feel like they are not receiving enough value from your emails, it won’t take long for them to hit that unsubscribe button and never look back.

That’s why it’s essential to continuously develop new, exciting content that will keep all of your audiences engaged — from the brand new subscriber to your most loyal customers. 

2. Make it Easy for People to Join

Don’t make your audiences jump through hoops. If it’s too hard for your customers to subscribe to your email marketing list, they’ll just choose not to. 

That’s why you have to make it as simple as possible for them to opt-in to your email list. Whether it’s a one-field form or an opt-in process after completing a purchase, you need to keep the process quick and easy. 

Letting your customers know what they’re getting into and making it simple for them to join your subscriber list are two of the best pieces of advice you can receive for growing your email list. This example makes subscribing easy with a specific field. Image courtesy of Getsitecontrol. 

Here are a few examples of simple ways you can encourage new subscribers to join your email list: 

  • Add pop-ups across your website to encourage users to subscribe
  • Use exit-intent to drive requests for email subscriptions
  • Include a simple subscribe now form in your site footer
  • Make sure your “Sign Up” button stands out 

The more accessible and more prevalent you make your subscription forms, the better. Your customers won’t have to go on a wild search for it, and they’ll be much more inclined to provide you with their email addresses.  

In the end, you’ll find that you’ll be the one to benefit from making it easier for your audiences to subscribe to your email campaigns. Your subscriber list will continue to grow, and you can continue to learn more about who your customers are and what they’re interested in. 

3. Create Fun and Engaging Contests and Campaigns

Email marketing doesn’t have to be boring. You can quickly put together fun and engaging contests and campaigns that build excitement and encourage new subscribers to join your list. 

Promoting email contests is a great way to grow your subscriber list quickly. People will be willing to provide you with their email in exchange for a chance to win something. Just make sure what you’re giving away isn’t too far-fetched, so you’re reaching the right subscribers and keeping them in the long run. Image courtesy of Wishpond. 

There are so many different things you can do when it comes to developing email contests that attract new users, here are just a few examples: 

  • Create contests and campaigns around upcoming holidays
  • Use polls to get people engaging with your messages
  • Provide subscribers with the chance to win a special giveaway
  • Integrate quizzes and trivia into your messages

Promoting contests on your website and across your other marketing channels is a great way to grow your email marketing list. 

People love free things, so if your offer is enticing enough, you could see exponential growth. But don’t forget to keep the prize or award you’re offering related to your brand. 

If you’re giving a free two-night trip, but your company sells t-shirts, you’re likely going to get a massive influx of subscribers — but how many of those are quality leads? All of these new subscribers may quickly unsubscribe once they’ve learned they weren’t the lucky winners of your giveaway, and you’ll be back to square one. 

Email Management Tools

Once you start to bring in more subscribers, you’re going to need a way to manage all of them and the data they’re producing. Doing this on your own can seem like an overwhelming task, but it doesn’t have to be. 

There are tons of platforms and tools available today to help you manage your subscriber list and enhance your email marketing efforts. To help get you started on your journey towards improving your subscribers’ work, here are three email marketing tools to check out. 

EmailOctopus

EmailOctopus was founded in 2014 with the goal of helping businesses grow. It’s a dedicated email marketing automation platform that can help you do everything from increasing your subscriber list to creating targeted campaigns with each of your subscribers in mind. 

Manage and learn about your customers from one central location. From enrolling new users into automated welcome campaigns to sending hyper-targeted messages — you can do it all with the help of this email marketing platform. Image courtesy of EmailOctopus.

Highlighted Email Capabilities:

  • Grow your subscriber base with customized sign-up forms and by plugging this tool into your other apps, including landing pages and CRMS
  • Use actual customer data to create relevant messages that are sent to the right people at the right time 
  • Create automatic welcome campaigns that engage new users and introduce them to your brand
  • Easily create emails with their drag and drop editor or customize pre-designed templates 

Pricing: There is a free plan available for companies with up to 2,500 subscribers and 10,000 emails per month. The Pro plan is the second plan option, and pricing is based on the number of subscribers you have and the number of emails you plan to send. It starts at $20 per month for 5,000 subscribers and 50,000 emails and increases from there.

GetResponse

GetResponse is an email marketing platform that will provide you with everything you need to take your email strategy to the next level. With the highest delivery rate in the industry, you’ll know your efforts are worthwhile, and your subscribers are receiving your messages. 

GetResponse allows you to integrate all of your online tools for the best customer experience. This will help you drive increased traffic to your website, promote webinars and events, and incorporate eCommerce platforms into your emails. Image courtesy of GetResponse. 

Highlighted Email Capabilities:

  • Implement autoresponders that interact with subscribers based on their actions, whether that be a new subscribe or a recent purchase 
  • Send newsletters to keep your audiences up to date and in the know of everything going on with your brand 
  • TIme the sending of your messages perfectly with the Perfect Timing and Time Travel delivery tools
  • Tap into customers data to create customized segments and use dynamic content to create more personalized experiences

Pricing: There are four plan options available, and pricing increases based on your subscriber list’s size. The plans include the Basic plan starting at $15 per month for 1,000 contacts, the Plus plan starting at $49 per month for 1,000 contacts, the Professional starting at $99 per month for 1,000 subscribers, and custom pricing is available for businesses with additional needs. 

Constant Contact

Constant Contact is an excellent option for small businesses looking to grow and expand their email marketing capabilities. This platform will help increase the number of subscribers on your list and allow you to drive increased customer engagement and revenue growth.

Bring all of your subscriber data into one location and continue reaching new audiences with the help of powerful list-building tools. This platform gives you everything you need to continue growing your business and reaching new audiences consistently. Image courtesy of Constant Contact. 

Highlighted Email Capabilities:

  • Manage your contacts in one central location and add new contacts from your website, social media channels, and more 
  • Easily create emails with a drag and drop editor that produces eye-catching messages every time
  • Automate emails from welcome campaigns to triggered messages and resends to non-openers
  • Utilize email marketing for eCommerce tools to increase sales and continue to grow your business

Pricing: There are three plan options available, including the Email plan starting at $20 per month, the Email Plus plan starting at $45 per month, and the Ecommerce Pro plan starting at $195 per month.

Tips to Increase Your SMS Sign Ups

Similar to email, SMS marketing requires you to build and maintain a subscriber base. While many of the tips that were just shared for email marketing can span over into the world of SMS, there are a few unique opportunities that present themselves with SMS marketing. 

1. Use In-store to Reach Audiences Who are Already Engaged With Your Company

One of the unique things about SMS marketing is that users have to provide explicit permission for you to communicate with them. 

To do this, most companies require a user to text a specified number with a unique keyword called a shortcode. Once someone texts the designated keyword, they’ll receive a message confirming they’d like to subscribe to the marketing messages. 

This provides you with an opportunity to reach new audiences in a variety of ways. 

You can share your keyword across digital channels such as social media, email, and on your website — but you can also leverage in-store engagement. 

By placing signage promoting your SMS marketing list in your store, customers can text the keyword right there to join. Providing them with an extra incentive, like a percentage off or a special discount, will encourage more people to join. 

There are tons of different ways you can reach your audiences through in-store promotions. Make sure to strategically place the advertisements throughout your location and provide customers with a bit of extra incentive for joining. Image courtesy of Tatango. 

Here are a few examples of how you can use in-store signage to promote your SMS marketing efforts: 

  • Posters throughout your store promoting your SMS messages and providing customer incentives 
  • Signage at your registers and in the checkout area that reminds people about the opportunity to subscribe before they checkout 
  • Takeaway flyers that customers can take with them once they leave the store that encourage them to sign-up for exclusive deals and discounts

In-store promotions are a unique way to reach audiences interested in the products your company has to offer and provides you with a reliable way to continue increasing your subscriber list. 

2. Send Reminder Texts to Decrease No Shows

Another way to encourage people to subscribe to your SMS marketing channels is to provide them with reminders via text. This is a great way to encourage people to subscribe to your SMS messaging because it will benefit them. 

All it takes is a quick test to remind your customers about an upcoming appointment or event and confirm whether they’re still available to come. This will help you better plan your days to make the most out of every moment. Image courtesy of Mosio. 

Sending a quick text about an upcoming appointment or event will serve as a reminder for your audiences and will help to decrease no-shows. It benefits your customer because they can then plan around their appointment, stop wasting time rescheduling appointments, and avoid any potential no-show fees. 

Luckily, with the right tool in place, this is another SMS tactic that you can automate. Simply input the data and let the program do the work to share reminders and updates with the right customers. 

Not sure if using SMS reminders is for you? Here are a few of the benefits you can expect from using this technique: 

  • One less item on your checklist with the help of automation
  • You can spend less time calling customers to confirm appointments or leave reminder messages
  • Avoid disruptions in your daily process 
  • Decrease no shows and plan accordingly 
  • Know ahead of time if a customer has to cancel their appointment, rather than waiting for their no show

If your business provides a service or if you’re frequently planning events, text reminders are a huge opportunity to increase your revenue and decrease wasted time. 

3. Add Subscription Pop-ups to Your Website 

This one might sound a little familiar, and that’s because it was touched on in the tips for emails, but it’s also a great way to increase the number of subscribers you have on your SMS marketing list. 

The website pop-up is a powerful tool for increasing sign-up lists across the board. 

You’ve probably seen these types of pop-ups on the websites you visit every day — that’s because it works! These pop-ups are a perfect way to let people on your website know about your SMS (or email) messages and encourage them to join to stay in touch. Image courtesy of Tatango. 

It’s the idea that as a user browses your website, they receive pop-up notifications in strategically placed areas to promote your SMS marketing efforts. These audiences are already interested in what you have to offer since they’re on your website, so these are the perfect users to target.

Also, by adding a little extra incentive in there, say 20% off a purchase, you’ll pique the people’s interest browsing your site even more. 

If you’re just getting started with website pop-ups, there are a few things you’ll want to know to design successful messages: 

  • Make sure to get the timing right the best practices include: triggers at 60% of the page, 15-20 seconds have passed, and before someone leaves, the site will perform best
  • Don’t show pop-ups too many times in one customer visit 
  • Show on the pages that make the most sense based on your user behavior and disable URLs that just don’t make sense

Using website pop-ups as part of your contact growth plan will provide you with an increase in subscribers who are interested in your content and more likely to continue to engage with future campaigns. 

SMS Management Tools

Managing your SMS subscriber list and communications can be a task on its own. But, similarly to email, there are plenty of tools available to help make the most out of your SMS efforts. 

Whether you’re looking for something to create SMS messages easily, manage sending, or simply just continue growing and understanding your subscriber base — there’s a platform out there that can fulfill your needs. 

SimpleTexting

SimpleTexting is an SMS automation platform that provides businesses with an affordable way to reach their customers via texting and interact with them on a one-to-one basis. This tool is a great option when looking for a platform that will allow you to build engaging campaigns designed to grow your subscriber list. 

SimpleTexting makes it easy to create, send, and manage all of your SMS marketing messages. By providing you with the tools you need to reach new audiences and wow them with your messages, you’ll be able to take the stress out of your SMS marketing. Image courtesy of SimpleTexting. 

Highlighted SMS Capabilities:

  • Import already existing subscriber listings and easily manage all of your customer data from old to new subscribers 
  • Easily create campaigns that engage users, including text to win, text to vote surveys, polling, and more
  • Create SMS keywords to encourage new users to sign up for your SMS messaging list quickly 
  • Schedule texts to send automatically and engage with 2-way messaging with your subscribers to improve customer satisfaction

Pricing: There are two pricing tracks for this platform, low volume, and high volume. Pricing for the low volume track ranges from $25-95 per month, and the high volume track ranges from $145-625 per month, with custom plan options available. 

SlickText

SlickText is a comprehensive software that offers powerful tools to help you grow your list, create personalized automations, and seamlessly stay connected between desktop and mobile. The SlickText platform comes with personalized customer service and support to help you get the most out of your SMS strategy.

SlickText makes it easy to stay compliant with SMS marketing regulations, so you never have to worry about customers thinking you’re ‘spammy.’ With web form, pop up, and QR code generators, you’ll be able to create branded tools to easily grow your list. Image courtesy of SlickText. 

Highlighted SMS Capabilities:

  • Grow your list with a vast array of tools that help you expand your subscriber base quickly and consistently
  • Engage with subscribers through mass messaging, one-on-one texting, and picture messaging, with personalization options to customize individual messages
  • Create campaigns like text-to-win contests, text surveys, loyalty programs, unique promo codes, and mobile coupons
  • Build automated workflows for abandoned cart recovery, drip campaigns, and more with their easy-to-use platform

Pricing: There are 9+ pricing plans to choose from, so you won’t be paying for texts you won’t use—and even if you don’t use all the texts your plan allows, they’ll rollover. The plans start at $29 per month, but you’ll be able to sign up for a 14-day trial, risk-free. 

EZTexting

EZTexting is an SMS marketing automation platform that can help your business easily reach customers on their smartphones with the content they want to see. This platform will provide you with flexible pricing and a wide variety of services to fulfill your text marketing needs. 

EZTexting will allow you to develop engaging content that helps you to connect with your subscribers and drive traffic to your website. Whether you’re looking to promote upcoming sales or send reminder messages — it can all be done with this platform. Image courtesy of EZTexting. 

Highlighted SMS Capabilities:

  • Grow your subscriber list with multi-channel campaigns and text opt-in campaigns 
  • Create contests and sweepstakes to keep subscribers engaged and increase sales
  • Provide customers with coupons and discounts that encourage them to complete a purchase
  • Send automated event notifications and appointment reminders to keep subscribers up-to-date and on time

Pricing: This platform has four plan options, including the Value plan starting at $19 per month, the Essentials plan starting at $29 per month, the Premium plan starting at $49 per month, and Custom plans starting at $299 per month. 

Textedly 

With the Textedly platform, you can send mobile messages for various needs, including marketing alerts, events, coupons and discounts, notifications, and more. Textedly provides you with all the services you need with tons of pricing and plan options to fit your budget. 

SMS messages are a great way to engage with your customers and provide them with the information they need. By creating two-way conversations with your customers to provide them with the best experience. Image courtesy of Textedly. 

Highlighted SMS Capabilities:

  • Continue to grow your subscriber list for as long as you’d like because this platform allows you to have an unlimited number of subscribers
  • Send mass group text messages and more targeted messages based on specific triggers and customer behaviors
  • Use customized auto-reply texts to react to new subscribers quickly 
  • Single send messages allow you to send appointment reminder messages to customers on an individual basis 

Pricing: This platform provides a wide range of plan options, including the Bronze plan for $24 per month, the Plus plan for $39 per month, the Enterprise plan for $50 per month, the Elite plan for $70 per month, the Business plan for $140 per month, the Silver plan for $210 per month, the Premium plan for $350 per month, the Pro plan for $500 per month, the Gold plan for $700 per month, the Platinum plan for $1,400 per month, the Diamond plan for $2,100 per month, and the Champion plan for $2,800 per month. 

Bring It All Together for an Even Bigger Impact With Multi-Channel Management Tools

The great thing about email and SMS marketing is that you can use most of these tips interchangeably between the two platforms. This means you could be using many of the same tactics to grow both your email and SMS subscriber lists. 

If this sounds like something that your company would be interested in doing, you need a tool to handle all of your marketing needs. Each of the platforms we looked at previously only provides you with one area of expertise, but the following options can span both of these channels and more. 

Listrak

Listrak is an integrated digital marketing automation platform created with retail businesses in mind. This platform will help you elevate your email, SMS, and other marketing channels with the right customer insights and the predictive technology you need to stay ahead of their needs. 

Know who your customers are and how they’re interacting with your marketing channels. With the ability to manage email and SMS in one central location, you can make the most out of every message. Image courtesy of Listrak. 

Highlighted Email and SMS Capabilities:

  • List building capabilities for both email and SMS through cross-channel marketing and their Growth Xcelerator Platform
  • Message automation and personalization capabilities to ensure you’re sending the right messages to the right people on the right channel
  • Easy to use templates that make it simple to create eye-catching emails and SMS messages 
  • Customer insights that help drive campaign creation and interactions based on customer intent and behaviors

Pricing: The pricing for this platform is customized based on business needs. You’ll need to contact a Listrak representative to learn more. 

Sendinblue

Sendinblue is another full-scale marketing automation platform. This tool can help you grow your subscriber base, manage contact data, and create engaging email and SMS messages. With various plan options available, you’ll be able to find an option within your budget. 

Reach your customers across various platforms and make every interaction personal. Having the right tool in place will help manage these messages and inject personalization into your content easier than ever before. Image courtesy of Sendinblue.

Highlighted Email and SMS Capabilities:

  • Grow your subscriber list with landing pages, sign up forms, and Facebook advertisements 
  • Easily integrate personalization into both email and SMS marketing with segmentation and dynamic content
  • Make email and SMS message creation simple with templates and message building tools
  • Track campaign performances across platforms to understand how each campaign type is performing

Pricing: This platform has four plan options, including the Free plan, the Lite plan starting at $25 per month, the Premium plan starting at $65 per month, and the Enterprise plan with customized pricing. 

Omnisend

Omnisend is a marketing automation platform created with eCommerce businesses in mind. It brings together all of the marketing channels and eCommerce tools you need to create successful campaigns that drive revenue growth.

With a platform that allows you to create and manage both email and SMS messages, you have the opportunity to create cross-channel campaigns that work together seamlessly. This will enable you to engage with users where they’re most active and move them through their journey quicker. Image courtesy of Omnisend. 

Highlighted Email and SMS Capabilities:

  • Capture and convert new subscribers with pop-ups, landing pages, wheel of fortune games, and more
  • Easily create email and SMS messages with the help of pre-built templates and simple content editor tools
  • Develop automated eCommerce workflows that move your subscribers from new user to purchasing customer
  • Use customer data to drive personalized messages and ensure you’re sending the most relevant content to each user

Pricing: This platform bases plan pricing on the number of contacts you have and provides four different plan options available, including the Free plan, the Standard plan starting at $16 per month, the Pro plan starting at $99 per month, and the Enterprise plan with custom pricing.  

Start Growing Your Subscriber List and Making the Most Out of Every Touchpoint Today

Now that you have some tips to get you started and a handful of platforms to investigate, it’s time to start growing your subscriber list. 

If you’re not ready to take the plunge and add all of these tactics into your current strategy, pick one or two to get started. Once you get your feet on the ground, you can always continue to expand your efforts and begin to reach more audiences. 

You may be interested in: How You Can Improve Your SMS Marketing Campaign