List Building and Consent

Foundational discipline. Sources, incentives, signup flow, quality, compliance, measurement.

Why list building

SMS list size + quality determines program revenue ceiling. List building is the foundational discipline. Without it, sophisticated automation has nothing to send to.

Sources

• Website popup (checkbox required for SMS).
• Checkout opt-in.
• Mobile-only landing pages.
• QR codes at events / retail.
• Social media drive-to-text.
• SMS-to-join keywords.
• Loyalty program integration.
• Lead magnets (SMS delivery).

Incentives

• Discount on first order (most common).
• Free shipping.
• Free gift.
• Early access to drops.
• VIP tier inclusion.
• Test incentive levels.

Flow

• Single SMS opt-in vs double opt-in.
• Phone number capture clarity.
• Disclosure requirements (above checkbox).
• Consent checkbox separate from terms.
• Welcome message immediate.
• Compliance language clear.

Quality

• Real phone numbers (validation).
• Active subscribers (engagement metric).
• VIP / engaged tier identification.
• Geographic distribution.
• Demographic / behavioral segments.
• Quality > quantity.

Compliance

• Express written consent.
• Disclosure language complete.
• Consent specific to SMS marketing.
• Records retained.
• Opt-out automated.
• Annual compliance audit.

Measurement

• New subscribers per period.
• Subscriber source breakdown.
• Cost per subscriber acquired.
• Subscriber LTV by source.
• Active subscriber rate.
• Churn rate.
• Engagement rate.

Advanced

• Multi-source acquisition strategy.
• Incentive A/B testing.
• Compliance discipline.
• Subscriber source quality tracking.
• Phone number validation.
• VIP tier identification.
• Engagement-based suppression.
• Annual list audit.
• Cohort LTV by source.
• Cross-channel coordination.

Mistakes

• Consent buried in terms.
• Incentive too small or too large.
• Phone validation absent.
• Subscriber source quality not tracked.
• Engagement-based suppression missing.
• List bought (illegal).
• Annual audit skipped.
• Compliance reactive.
• Cohort LTV by source ignored.
• Cross-channel coordination broken.

Checklist

• Multi-source acquisition
• Express written consent flows
• Phone validation
• VIP tier identification
• Engagement-based suppression
• Cohort LTV by source
• Annual list audit
• Compliance discipline
• Cross-channel coordination
• Cost per subscriber tracked

Part of the SMS Marketing series.