The concept of marketing has changed significantly since the widespread adoption of the internet. We no longer solely rely on traditional channels like print media and TV or radio advertising to deliver generic messages focused on a company's products or services. Instead, we can use numerous digital channels that allow for modern, targeted marketing aimed at customer needs and wants.
These online channels include email, instant messaging, social media and SMS marketing. The latter is a particularly useful tool as text messages can grab attention and reach customers at a personal level - essential for making a memorable connection.
Of course, to send SMS marketing messages, you first need subscribers - and this is where the SMS popup comes in. Below, we explain what the SMS popup is, why you need one and how to create one for your business. We also highlight some real-life examples of other companies successfully using this tool.
What is an SMS popup?
SMS marketing is about promoting your business directly to clients or customers through text alerts using a bulk SMS platform. But before you can send SMS messages, you need to build a subscriber list and capture your target audience's contact details. There's no point in buying a list of random phone numbers and using those for SMS campaigns. That would be ineffective as you'd have no way of knowing whether recipients are remotely interested in your offering. Plus, sending marketing texts to a phone number is illegal without the owner's express written consent.
Enter popup SMS campaigns. An SMS popup is a type of website data capture form that collects visitors' mobile phone numbers for SMS marketing. Usually, the popup collects visitors' names (and sometimes additional details) to enable personalised marketing. To encourage subscriber signups, the popup may include an incentive, such as a discount, freebie or access to exclusive content.
Why do I need an SMS popup?
An SMS popup enables you to legally capture an audience so you can send SMS marketing campaigns to them. By having a popup on your website and allowing interested visitors to willingly opt-in to text-based communications, you can continually grow your SMS marketing subscriber list without even thinking about it.
Yes, but what are the benefits of SMS marketing?
First and foremost, texts get noticed. There's strong evidence that they have a high open rate of 98%, making SMS more effective for brand awareness than many other digital channels. Take email marketing, for instance, which, according to Hubspot, has a lower average open rate of 38.49% across all industries or Instagram, which has an average post reach of 12% (and that's for brands with large followings).
Messente’s CEO, Uku Tomikas, further explains. “The stats around SMS are mind-boggling. As well as high open rates, you also have reach. Anyone with a cell phone has the ability to get a text message. You don’t get that with any other OTT channel, with email or anything else. The combination of reach plus open rates makes SMS an immense tool for reaching people.”
Here are some other benefits of SMS marketing:
Helps increase sales – 51% of smartphone users are more likely to purchase things from a business’s mobile site or app when on their mobile device, particularly when rewards are involved.
Easy to personalise – a good SMS platform should be able to pull across customer data into your text message, such as the customer's name or the details of an item they've purchased. You can also use data insights to create reward campaigns, such as a special discount on the customer's birthday or when they've spent over a certain threshold. It's well known that personalised marketing boosts engagement and drives loyalty.
Ideal for quick redemption of special offers – since texts are read on a smartphone, and many customers prefer to shop on mobile, coupons and discounts are often used within a few minutes of the message being read.
Increases website conversions – you can include shortened links with a text message to lead customers to a specific landing page or directly back to their online cart if they've abandoned it.
Three of the best SMS popups online
Here are some good SMS popup examples that encourage visitors to sign up for text marketing. They each offer something slightly different in terms of design, personalisation and incentives.
SolaGarden
SolaGarden is an Australian brand that sells solar-powered, weatherproof lights for the home and garden. Web visitors are first presented with an email signup popup form complete with the tempting offer of a 10% discount. After entering an email address, a second popup appears, this time asking the visitor to opt into SMS marketing. The discount is upgraded to 15% in exchange for the additional data – a smart strategy. As well as the enticing offer, this brand has created an impactful popup design. It features the company's branding, and both the copy and call-to-action buttons are bold, clear and enticing.
The Man Company
The Man Company sells head-to-toe grooming essentials and fragrances for men. Upon landing on the website, visitors are presented with an SMS popup campaign that spells out the benefits of joining the company's mobile marketing subscriber list. Incentives include free shipping on orders above a certain amount and cashback on all purchases. It also includes the brand's logo and a powerful claim that the company is trusted by more than 10 million men.
American Eagle
American Eagle Outfitters is a global high-quality clothing and accessories retailer based in the U.S. Its sub-brand, Aerie, is dedicated to women's clothing. This SMS popup example is very simple, and we like how visitors can choose whether they want to hear about both brands or just one. There's also the promise of an exclusive offer for signing up.
1. Pick an SMS popup tool
Your SMS messaging provider may offer a popup signup tool as part of its service. But if not, there are plenty of third-party apps that provide forms to collect phone numbers. One example is Wisepops, a no-code popup builder with a drag-and-drop interface that lets you create beautiful popups in minutes. Popupsmart, Plum Popup and OptiMonk are other examples.
2. Clearly define your goals
An essential part of the process is determining exactly why you want to collect subscribers and send SMS marketing. Is it for lead generation and drip-feed campaigns? For promoting a time-limited offer? Or to build loyalty, for example, by sending regular newsletters to keep your audience engaged?
3. Use an incentive
Nowadays, nobody hands over their phone number or other personal data without getting anything in return. So, you must incentivise potential subscribers by offering them something desirable. This could be a discount or free shipping on the subscriber's first order, exclusive access to content, early access to sales, being among the first to hear about new product launches, etc.
4. Design an eye-catching popup
For best results, design a visually appealing SMS popup. It should be eye-catching but not too harsh so that it detracts from the website itself. A good rule of thumb is to use your brand's colour scheme and clear, concise copy. It's also essential to include an inviting call-to-action button that tells visitors what they need to do. For inspiration, scroll back up to the SolaGarden example.
5. Use personalisation
It's vital to provide a personalised experience for the modern consumer – as they want and expect a business to value and remember them. Furthermore, personalisation increases the chances of recipients engaging with your message.
Did you know you can personalise your SMS popup forms with names and other information, provided you've collected enough data? For example, let's say you already have a list of existing customers or email subscribers and now want them to sign up for SMS marketing. With the right tools, you can pull information from your database into your SMS popup so that it displays the names. Read more about personalisation in popups.
6. Set display rules
Decide when and where you want your SMS popup to appear. This is an important step, as popups are a little intrusive and can annoy web visitors if they're overwhelming or difficult to close down.
You can choose whether your popup appears in the centre of the screen (the most prominent place) or one of the corners. You can also set it to display as soon as the visitor lands, a few minutes into their browsing activity, or upon exit intent. The latter is a popular strategy for capturing visitors before they leave your website.
7. Comply with regulations
In most countries, sending SMS marketing without subscribers' explicit consent is against the law. Data protection laws such as the GDPR, which covers Europe, and the TCPA, which governs the U.S., state that consumers must willingly opt-in to receive communications (known as opt-in messaging).
A good way to get consent is to ask for it when the web visitor is prompted to enter their mobile number. Revisit the popup from The Man Company above to see how the visitor is presented with fine-print wording that explains how they'll receive SMS messages.
Also, be sure to clearly explain how you collect, store and use web visitor and customer data in your online privacy policy.
8. Testing and optimisation
Finally, when your SMS popup is live on your website, carry out A/B testing, changing one variable at a time. Run the popup for a couple of weeks, then change either the headline, incentive, or design and see if it performs better. Don't forget to use metrics like conversion rate and click-through rate when monitoring and measuring SMS marketing ROI.
Expand your digital marketing strategy with SMS
SMS is a valuable marketing channel thanks to its accessibility and high open rates. To carry out SMS marketing, you need phone numbers – and an SMS popup will enable you to capture them legally.
When creating your SMS popup, keep in mind the reason why you want to send text marketing campaigns. Make the popup visually appealing, and use clear copy and a strong incentive to convert web visitors into SMS subscribers. Experiment with display timings and tweak the design to improve the popup's performance. Remember to get consent from each person (an SMS provider can help with your legal obligations).
Once you've built your text message marketing list, you're ready to start reaching out to potential customers via SMS! Discover how you can send an SMS campaign with Messente's mass texting service.
