How to collect mobile numbers for SMS Marketing in a legal way

Mass text messaging is an old but effective marketing channel, that helps businesses to find and save customers.

According to Adobe Blog, SMS open rate is 98% compared to only 20% of emails. DSIM says that SMS marketing gives 7 times higher effect than email listing.

Our 18 years background in mass SMS texting says that this is one of the best ways to increase sales. To reach out to the audience, you should obtain a list of their phone numbers. But watch out! Some methods can even lead to a judicial proceeding.

In this article, we will tell you how to collect client phone numbers for text marketing in a legal way and what GDPR says about it.

Why buying mobile numbers for marketing is not an option?

It may seem an easy and fast way to get new contacts. But purchasing a third-party database is illegal because people haven’t given their consent to the use of their personal data.

It is absolutely possible, that the receivers of your mass SMS texts sue you. If they win a judicial proceeding, you will have to pay from $500 to $1000 for each undesired SMS.

But don’t worry. We’ll tell you how to get new clients and increase conversion instead of receiving spam complaints.

7 GDPR principles of personal data processing in work with a list of phone numbers

1. Legitimacy, fairness, and transparency. Users should know the aim of collecting their data. Add a line with the aim of cell phone collecting to your subscription form.
2. Limited purposes. The data should be used only in those purposes that have been claimed. In addition, you need to distinguish between transactional messages that provide basic information and marketing messages that promote something or offer the customer something for participating. Customers must opt-in to receive either or both. If you send a marketing message to customers who have specified they only want transactional messages, you could be legally liable. Jiffy Lube, for example, was fined $47 million for sending text messages offering a 45% discount on oil changes to customers who did not opt-in to receive them.
3. Minimization of data. You shouldn’t collect extra data. For example, for bulk text messaging list the name and mobile number will be enough. In some cases, to personalize texts, marital status, age, and interests can be required.
4. Accuracy. All the information should be proper and up-to-date. All the incorrect or obsolete phone numbers should be deleted.
5. Restriction of storage. The term of storage mobile numbers list shouldn’t exceed the duration of mass SMS campaign.
6. Integrity, security, and confidentiality. You have to take care of the security of personal data of users. You shouldn’t transfer the phone number lists to anyone by yourself and prevent cybercriminals to steal them.
7. Double opt-in. All the receivers should permit you to send the messages. The first step is putting a check on the “I agree to process my personal data” line. The second step is replying “Yes” or “No” on the question about further texting after the first message.

Other legislative requirements for collecting phone numbers list

The users should necessarily give their approval for the processing of personal data. It has to be expressed in a certain action.
For example, if you have put on your website’s sign-up form, add the “I agree to have my personal data processed” checkbox. Visitors should check it by themselves.

An example of an opt-in form with check boxes of agreement

It is wrong to use a square with a check by default. In this case, the user doesn’t commit any actions to give consent.

4 legal methods of collecting phone numbers

In this article, we will look at some ways of collecting the mobile numbers, that do not break the law. Using them you have nothing to be afraid of. There are 4 available sources of relevant contacts:

1. Your own website.
2. A promotion with a keyword.
3. Contests.
4. Email marketing campaign.

Collect phone numbers from your website

Get the visitors interested in a catchy lead magnet. A few ideas for it:

1. Discounts and bonuses.

MantraBand offers a 10% discount in exchange for the phone number.

2. A useful checklist.

A free checklist is offered to users for leaving the contact data

3. A set of helpful information.

A free book is offered for entering your email and phone number

Create a pop-up. If used correctly, such a window is more effective than a plain registration form. Make it appear after 15-20 seconds of staying on a website. It should offer to a visitor something useful. Here the pop-up examples for you to inspire:

A person will be given a compilation of free ebooks for registration

A 25% discount is waiting for users, who will leave their contacts there

A marketing agency Nexa offers to look at your needs and say the price and time frame of the order execution

A call-back form is one of the most effective variants of getting a phone number

One more example of a call-back form

Optimize the mobile version. It will be more psychologically comfortable for the user to type his/her mobile number from a smartphone.

Get mobile numbers list by a special keyword subscription

Set up an automatic subscription to your mass SMS texting. A person will be in after sending a message with a keyword on a short number. Advertise the conditions of your campaign using several ways: visiting cards, social networks, forums, your website, emails.

A visiting card with the details of SMS texting

An advertisement on the website. A sender of SMS with the keyword will get a promo code

A keyword should be short and memorable, as well as the number for sending it.

Start a contest

Let people who sign up, win something. Set a time limit, and choose the winner randomly with the help of a special service on the final day. It will be better if the price will reflect the peculiarities of your brand.
For example, a certificate on your products or services.

A fresh food store gives a $20 certificate to 3 winners

For engaging more participants to your contest and receiving more phone numbers, advertise your promotion through all the possible channels: social networks, email listing, website, offline. For example, in such a way you can collect phone numbers from Facebook.

Get the list of phone numbers from your email campaign subscribers

According to Mobile Xco, SMS messages give more than twice higher response than email or Facebook. Invite the receivers of your emails to leave their phone numbers, and your marketing campaign will become more successful. Offer some bonuses for providing a phone number.

A company offers an additional 10% discount for joining their contact list

Tips on how to make the collection of mobile numbers absolutely legal

According to the law, people should know exactly why you need their phone numbers. So, use these tips:

1. Give people more details about your mass SMS strategy (for example, a thorough description of your contest, the frequency of texting and so on).

You can click on the line “full terms and conditions” and see all the details

Here are all the details

2. Provide an opportunity to opt-out. Enact a keyword for automatic unsubscription. Make sure that people who have unsubscribed, definitely don’t receive your texts.

A person can opt-out just texting STOP

Do you know any unfortunate cases connected with illegal collecting of phone numbers? Share in the comments.

Written by:

Tatiana Pyrih