Employing a list growth strategy that allows subscribers early access to key sales and promotions can exponentially grow your list. With this strategy, you can be sure to convert more subscribers into customers by generating demand. In this article, we discuss how to create an early access keyword and segment and offer a look at how some brands use this strategy.
How an Early Access List Growth Strategy Benefits You
- Grow your subscriber list faster. Offering early access to an upcoming sale or promotion creates urgency around signing up for your SMS program leading to more sign-ups, faster.
- Generate demand for your sale or promotion. Allowing early access to a sale or promotion exclusively for your SMS subscribers creates anticipation which drives demand and leads to more conversions.
Create an Early Access Keyword
- Select Acquisition in the side menu of your Postscript dashboard, then select Keywords.
- Select Create Keyword in the top-right corner of the page.
- Name your keyword. Aim for something that is easily identifiable when tracking progress in analytics. We also encourage you to name your keyword something you don't mind subscribers seeing (i.e. BFCMEARLYACCESS or VIPACCESS).
- Choose whether to enable Include Coupon in Reply.
- To do add a coupon in your message, toggle the Include coupon in reply bar, then enter the amount of the discount and whether is a percent or dollar value.
- If you choose to not include a coupon in your message, select +Add Action under Actions to add a keyword reply.
- Select Save Keyword.
Create an Early Access Segment
- Select Messaging in the side menu of your Postscript dashboard, then select Segments.
- Select Create Segment in the upper-right corner.
- Name your segment. Be sure to name it something that is easily identifiable when adding this to segment to a campaign.
- Under Segment Criteria, select Keywords Triggered and choose the keyword you created for your early access campaign.
- Add additional criteria as desired, then select Save Segment in the bottom-right corner.
- Add this segment when setting up your early access campaign. Learn more about sending campaigns here.
Early Access Examples
Frost Buddy employed an Early Access list growth strategy ahead of a product launch. Under the new product listing, they offered a way for subscribers to Join the Waitlist. Their two-touch opt in method allowed subscribers to seamlessly opt into their SMS program so they can be notified via text once the product is launched.
Yummie Extensions has used a site-wide shutdown approach to gaining SMS subscribers with the contingency that in order to get into their site, you must be an SMS subscriber. This was a strategy that Perfect Keto later employed.
Both brands have seen tremendous success in growing their lists - Perfect Keto even reported growing their list 1,400%. Learn about Yummie Extension's approach to this in our BFCM Breakdown Webinar.
Kizik saw incredible results on a campaign they sent after launching a shoe line for kids. SMS subscribers got access a day before everyone else. To sign up for early access, subscribers were directed to a landing page. The trick here is building a VIP experience for your SMS subscribers from the get-go so that when the time comes to send out your early access campaign, you can optimize conversions. Check out some easy ways you can treat your SMS subscribers like VIPS during major selling seasons.
Get Support
Have questions? Please feel free to reach out to our wonderful Support team at support@postscript.io or via live chat. You can also submit a support request here!
Need ongoing channel strategy guidance? Please fill out this form and we'll connect you to one of our certified partners.