3 Ways to Collect Phone Numbers to Text Prospects and Customers

We hear it all the time: you know text messaging is the way to get ahold of hard-to-reach contacts and start the conversations that close deals. But, your database has been built on email outreach, and you don’t have the mobile numbers you need to connect over text.

Moving to a real-time communication strategy takes a little change in thinking around communication. It means revamping the info you collect when people visit your website, meet you at a conference, live-chat with you, and even email with you.

Here’s are 3 ways to capture mobile phone numbers to start conversations with your contacts over text.

• Web and event forms

You’re likely already collecting email addresses and other information from users who visit your website or who strike up a conversation with you at an event. Adding a mobile number form will help you strike quickly while the iron is hot: you can send a quick text follow-up to a website visit or to an in-person meeting, within minutes of first contact.

There is one drawback to asking for a phone number on a web form: it can sometimes impact your conversion rate, meaning the number of people who fill out your form may drop. You may want to experiment with what works best for your audience:

1. 1. • Test forms with and without mobile phone fields to see which get the best responses
      • Analyze the quality of leads coming through — including a phone number field may yield fewer responses, but higher quality leads
      • Consider where you ask for a phone number — a homepage form might be too early to ask but a demo or trial form might be perfect

• Live-chat

Live-chat conversations are a great way to find out more about your contacts — not just why they are visiting you and what challenges they’re facing, but contact information as well.

A really straightforward way to do this on live-chat is to simply ask contacts how they would like you to reach out to them. Since 54% of consumers say they want to text a business, chances are, many of these chatters will indicate they want to text with you. It’s a natural way to collect mobile numbers and permission to reach out by text, all at once.

• Your Contact page

Look at your Contact Us page. You likely have a few calls-to-action:  Email Us, Call Us, and Visit Us. But, in the on-demand era we live in, people are less and less likely to reach out to you over these channels. Even email is becoming crowded, as trust has been broken again and again by too much spam.

Let your contacts know that you are ready and able to receive texts to help position your company as eager to meet their needs.

When your contacts reach out to you by text, they’ve chosen text over other forms of communication — they’ve invited you into their text inbox. And you’ve set the expectation that you’ll reach out over text. It’s win-win.

With these examples, it’s important to note that text isn’t meant to go it alone! Use a multichannel, conversational approach to reach out to contacts who give you their mobile number. You can quickly follow up to touches over text, email that eBook along to them, text again to schedule a demo, and have a demo over video chat.

Looking for tips on how to improve your texting response rates? Use these 5 tips to get people to text you back.

State of SMS Engagement 2024

Looking to increase engagement with your candidates, prospects, and customers in 2024? Look no further! We conducted a survey paired with usage data to figure out which communication channels are most effective for which industry and size. Discover all of the tips about business communication and download our free report today!

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