Collecting Phone Numbers For Marketing

While digital marketing tactics like SEO and email marketing are yielding excellent results, mobile marketing and live calls can often achieve much more. Getting a potential customer’s phone number opens the door to a wealth of possibilities. This direct channel can achieve much more conversions than a well-crafted email or paid ad.

The toughest part about successful sms marketing is collecting the phone number. Customers are wary about sharing their personal information. They are more likely to give you an email address than to share the magical seven numbers. That’s why marketers use impressive creativity to source this information.

Taking the right approach to collecting phone numbers can help you create an effective database and streamline your marketing strategy.

Avoid Buying Phone Lists

Each marketing tactic comes with a certain shortcut. In mobile marketing, it’s an opportunity to purchase a ready-to-use phone list. While it may seem like a great way to get data fast, quality issues make this step useless and even dangerous.

Phone lists often contain inaccurate information. If you use a phone validation tool on these read-to-go lists, you are likely to find that a large percentage of it is unusable.

Meanwhile, the numbers you get don’t always belong to the people in your target audience. So you are likely to spend money on marketing efforts that don’t yield any results. Other issues with using these lists are:

Legal Risks

Many countries have strict regulations regarding unsolicited marketing calls, such as the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) in the United States. Violating these laws can result in significant fines.

Damage to Reputation

Cold-calling individuals who did not opt-in to receive your marketing messages can harm your brand’s image. People tend to view unsolicited calls as intrusive and annoying. This can lead to negative word-of-mouth and blacklisting.

Increased Spam Reports

When you use bought phone lists, you increase the likelihood of being reported for spamming. High spam complaint rates can lead to your number being blocked by carriers.

Overall, no matter how seemingly valid a bought phone list might seem, it’s likely to bring your marketers more harm than good.

10 Ways to Collect Phone Numbers for Marketing

The best quality phone numbers are those shared with you willingly. To collect high-quality customer information, you can use these methods.

1. Competition and Contests

Everyone loves freebies. That’s why the best way to get a person’s phone number legally is to arrange a competition or a contest. Of course, the contest must have an attractive prize that motivates your target audience to participate.

Provide a dedicated phone number and a keyword that participants must text to enter your contest. Then take advantage of SMS marketing software to collect and manage the mobile phone numbers.

You can promote SMS contests across other marketing channels like social media, email campaigns, and websites. If you have a physical location, you can use posters and flyers to inform your audience about the upcoming contest.

Important: Don’t forget to obtain the participant’s consent to send marketing messages to the number in the future.

2. Polls and Surveys

Polls and surveys are a great way to collect all types of information. Besides getting the customer’s phone number, you can also get some data that helps you personalize the offer.

To get started create a poll or survey with clear, concise questions. Make sure the topic is relevant to your target audience. Don’t forget that the questions should be easy to answer via SMS messages. So, they can either be yes/no questions or “on a scale from 1 to 10” questions.

Create a dedicated phone number and provide clear instructions on how participants will reply. For example, “Text POLL to 54321 to participate in our customer satisfaction survey.”

Simple ways to promote your polls and surveys are:

Social media: Create engaging posts, stories, and ads with a call-to-action that directs users to participate via text messages. Use hashtags and collaborations with influencers to extend your reach.
Email: Inform your existing email subscribers about the poll or survey. Include a compelling CTA with instructions on how to reply via SMS.
Website: Create a dedicated landing page with all the details and an easy-to-find CTA encouraging visitors to participate via SMS
Customer Receipts and Packaging: Add information about the poll or survey to customer receipts and product packaging.

You can always use traditional media such as radio spots, TV commercials, and print ads. Just make sure the SMS entry instructions are clear and easy to remember.

3. Mobile Signup Widget

A mobile signup widget is a widget that appears on your website and encourages visitors to sign up with their phone number.

You need to create a visually appealing element that stands out on your website. It has to match the brand’s design and offer a compelling reason for users to subscribe. It can be anything from exclusive offers to early access to new products.

You have to make sure that the widget is fully optimized for mobile devices. It means it must:

Load quickly
Fit well on small screens
Be easy to interact with touch controls

To increase the likelihood of signs up, ask for minimal information. Usually, you should simply request a phone number and a consent checkbox for receiving marketing messages. Always have an incentive ready for the people sharing their phone numbers.

The best places to put mobile widgets include:

Landing pages: A banner at the top or a popup that appears after a few seconds.
Product Pages: Include the widget on product pages where users are already interested in your offerings.
Blog and Content Pages: Visitors who engage with your content are likely interested in receiving further updates and promotions.
Checkout Page: Shoppers are more inclined to provide their phone numbers when they are about to complete a purchase, especially if it means receiving order updates or future discounts.
Exit-Intent Popups: Use exit-intent technology to trigger the widget when users are about to leave your site.

Strategic placement of the mobile widget is key to getting as many visitors as possible to click on it. Do some a/b testing to figure out a perfect spot for your widget.

4. Reward Programs

If you are planning to implement a reward program, it’s an excellent opportunity to collect your audience’s phone numbers and create an SMS marketing list.

You need to offer appealing rewards that motivate customers to join your program. These can include discount codes, exclusive offers, points for future purchases, or special gifts.

Make it easy for customers to enroll in the reward program by asking for minimal information. A phone number for an SMS opt in should be sufficient. Take advantage of the existing channels to promote the program.

Besides traditional digital marketing tactics, you can take advantage of in-store marketing. Create digital displays in your physical location to inform customers about the reward program. Also, train your customer service team to promote the reward program during interactions with customers.

5. Use Your Mobile App

If you have a mobile app, it’s a great way to collect phone numbers. Simply integrate the phone number collection feature within the app and engage with your users through SMS or calls. Here is how to do it.

User Registration

Require users to enter their phone numbers during the registration process. Share the benefits of providing this information (e.g. receiving order updates, exclusive offers, or personalized content)

In-App Prompts

Offer incentives like discount codes, early access to sales, or entry into a prize draw to motivate users to share their contact information.

Profile Updates

Remind users to add or update their phone numbers in their account settings. Regularly talk about the benefits of keeping their contact information up-to-date.

Interactive Features

Incorporate features that require phone numbers, such as SMS-based verification for secure transactions, or personalized customer support via text.

Loyalty Programs

Integrate a loyalty program within your app that rewards users for signing up with their mobile number.

You can also make sharing the phone number a mandatory step for using your app. However, this may deter some of the potential customers from taking advantage of it.

6. Get Data During Customer Service Interactions

When customers contact you for support, it’s a great opportunity to ask them for their phone number. Here are the points of contact that you can use to get the number:

Phone calls
Live chat
Email support
Post-service surveys
Service portals

Educate customer service representatives on the importance of collecting phone numbers for marketing purposes.

You can provide them with scripts and strategies to ask for this information during each interaction. The request for the phone number should become a part of the assistance process.

Always explain the benefits of providing their phone number, such as receiving real-time updates on orders, exclusive offers, or personalized customer support. Emphasize how this will enhance their overall experience with your brand.

Make sure your customer service reps obtain explicit consent before using phone numbers for marketing purposes. Clearly state that the number will be used for promotional communications and provide an option to opt-out.

7. Offer a Free Trial or Demo

Offering a way to use your product for free isn’t just a great way to achieve conversions. It’s also a perfect opportunity to get cell phone numbers.

When offering a free trial or demo, be sure to highlight the benefits and features that set your offering apart. Clearly communicate the value they’ll receive by engaging with your product. You can stress the “no obligation” opportunity to get something for free.

To collect phone numbers when offering a free demo, you need to request the content information before providing access. Make sure to create a user-friendly sign-up form. It should have a minimal number of fields.

You can also consider following up with participants after the trial to gather feedback. This personalized approach not only builds trust but also allows you to continue the communication process with the target audience.

The Importance of Customer’s Consent

When you collect phone numbers from potential clients, you must get their consent to receive SMS messages with marketing materials.

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act requires that businesses obtain explicit consent before sending marketing communications via phone. Failure to comply with these regulations can result in legal repercussions. It can also damage your brand reputation.

Your audience has the right to control how you use their personal details. By seeking their consent when collecting phone numbers, you demonstrate respect for their privacy and autonomy.

This helps communicate the authority of your brand. It can also help build long-term relations and increase customer lifetime value.

Building a Strong Strategy for Collecting Phone Numbers

A phone number is a highly valuable piece of information that can improve your marketing efforts dramatically. Building a strong strategy for collecting this data can help you acquire more leads and keep your business ahead of the competition.

Keep in mind that the goal isn’t to collect as many phone numbers as possible. It’s to make sure that each number you get brings value to your business.