Mobile messages, including SMS and rich media are more efficient than email in getting customers' attention. Text messages are open at 98% and a response rate of 45 percent. In the average, it takes users about 90 seconds to respond to messages sent via text. Emails have a 20% open rate and a 6 percent response rate. It takes people about 90 minutes to reply emails. Additionally, a quick glance in any email inbox shows that nearly 50% of the email content is spam. Mobile messages, as well as rich media, like are concise, short, and simplify content like special offers, account reminders, and even notifications. Mobile messages are more efficient than emails, but you have to collect the customer's telephone numbers. This article will provide how to gather numbers from your customers to expand the reach of your campaigns, to effectively connect with your audience via rich media messages, and also to reap the advantages of mobile messages. Strategies to Collect Phone Numbers Setting up campaigns to get phone numbers isn't going to have to be a lengthy process or cost a lot. All you need to do is make a few modifications to the methods for interacting with customers that you already use. In case where you really want a knockout post about mobile numbers for marketing, look at this site. For you to get going to get started, here are eight ways to gather contact numbers from your current customers. Customers who are current customers are more reliable than new leads since they are already familiar with your company and products. They have a long-standing relationship with you and a higher chance of loyalty, which makes current customers more inclined to divulge their numbers with you. Use app updates Utilize a mobile app as a component to your service or product to request customers to update their contact information each time they sign in. You can also use tooltips to guide users to follow your directions if you've changed the user interface for the app. For instance, use three or four tips to tell the users what's changed and provide an instruction that prompts users to update their profile to keep them up-to-date on future updates. Use mobile keywords We're seeing more and more companies use keywords to attract customers at retail stores especially brick-and-mortar. You ask customers to text a word like FREE, IMREADY, or SAVEBIG to get savings, join an event or find out more about the product. Let's consider, for instance an offer of 10% off on your next purchase. Request for them to text "SAVE10" to a specific number. If they do, give them a coupon code. To encourage people to avail the discount, add a link to your website in the message. Customers can be notified by text messages if you are offering special deals. If you are in ecommerce you could publish your keywords on your website or in brick and mortar stores. Run an in-store campaign Sales representatives frequently ask customers to provide an email address at the time they shop. The store then utilizes the information to send out special offers to these customers afterwards. Find out more about how proximity marketing can enhance in-store promotions: How to Use Proximity Marketing to Improve Customer Engagement Make requests during customer service calls Customers must be able to contact you promptly if they have concerns or questions. If these procedures are in place, your clients will be more content. Your customer service staff must ask customers at the end of every customer call to update their contact information, specifically to include a phone number. Customers who have had positive experiences with customer service are more likely to update their profile with their phone number. Your requests should be viewed as an opportunity to provide your customers with the best service possible and to keep them informed. If you're a utility company, for example, you can send customers service alerts in the event of an interruption in service. Customers can save time calling to get the information they need quickly. Contact forms can be added to your website If customers have any questions, there has to be a simple way for them to connect to your company. One option is to add contact forms to your website. Include a contact form on your 'Contact Us' page and other pages across your site -- like on product pages or within blog articles. Keep the contact information form brief -- only include three to five fields. In addition to the name and email address, be sure to include a field where customers can enter their phone number. One important thing to remember about managing customer data received through contact forms is how you deal with the information. For instance, a customer may submit a question one week and submits another form that has a query the next week. Your internal customer database should be kept up-to-date to prevent duplicate entries. If a customer has shared the number of their phone with you, make sure to update it to ensure that you don't deliver the incorrect message. This could cause your analytics for your campaign to be distorted as you could see more non-deliverable messages than you actually have. Use email campaigns Use RMM as well as email marketing campaigns together to boost customer engagement, share new offers, and provide the benefits of the offer. Begin by sending emails to customers with product updates special offers, invitations to events, and much more. To reap even more benefits, ask the customer to enter their telephone number within each email. For customers you collect telephone numbers for, make sure you send them follow-up messages via rich media after every email campaign. Check out Utilize the checkout screen to request contact information from your customers, if you're an ecommerce merchant. For instance, in addition to confirming their mailing address, remind customers to complete their profile. Include a feature that allows customers to enter their telephone number.