The Ultimate Guide to Email + SMS List Growth: Proven Tactics & Expert Insights (Part 5 of 5)

6. Building a Strong Foundation: The Key Elements of an Effective Lifecycle Infrastructure 

Now that we’ve explored effective email + SMS list growth strategies and tactics thoroughly, let’s address the last crucial component to ensure those new subscribers have the best possible customer experience once they’re subscribed– lifecycle marketing infrastructure. Here are often the most critical initial automations for brands to have active to convert subscribers to customers to advocates. 

• Non-Customer Welcome Series - When subscribers first sign up, the expectation is an immediate welcome email to their email or SMS inbox that is automated to deploy at opt-in. This first email should provide or reiterate the offer they received on site, and be a warm welcome from your brand. The welcome email should also be turned into a series of emails that are strategic touchpoints in showcasing the brand, brand story, merchandising products and illustrating the value and benefits of choosing to do business with the brand. 
• Pro Tip: If offering a discount during acquisition (pop-up, landing page, etc), mirror that offer in your welcome series. Platforms like JustUno allow you to even create unique codes for each subscriber and then to pass that info to your ESP in hidden fields, eliminating code abuse.
• Pro Tip: Create a secondary set of pop-ups targeting those who click through this non-customer welcome series. Reflect that unique code (or other messaging) onsite to make it a personalized & seamless experience aimed at conversion.
• Post-Purchase Welcome Series - Congratulations! You earned a new customer and subscriber in one! While the first email received by this new subscriber will be transaction based, ensure that you’re providing the information and peace of mind that the customer will receive their product(s) or service(s) in the expected timeline, and take the opportunity to merchandise additional products or services that they could potentially purchase! Much like the non-customer welcome series, from here brands should trigger additional messages that introduce the brand, brand story, other top selling product(s), product categories or services, and the value of doing business with the brand. 
• Pro Tip: Use product recommendations (if a customer bought this, display that) to help with cross-sell messaging in your Post Purchase series.
• Abandonment Automations - For retail and DTC brands, Browse, Add to Cart and Checkout abandonment automations are critical to maximize the opportunity of converting a customer. Exactly as they sound, browse abandonment is deploying an email based on a product a subscriber viewed, but didn’t purchase before leaving the site, Add to cart is deploying an email based on a product a subscriber added to cart before leaving the site, and Checkout abandonment is deploying an email based on starting the checkout process and then leaving the site. These automations can all be built strategically into multi-touchpoint series between email + SMS, as well. 
• Pro Tip: Be sure to implement hierarchy rules to ensure there’s no overlap between channels.

"Brands can also create cart reminder pop-ups so that when a shopper returns to the site (either via your abandonment automation) or due to re-targeting ads, you’re ready. In Justuno, you can dynamically pull in both the item they left behind & a CTA that takes them directly to checkout, reducing effort & providing an effortlessly personalized return-visit experience." 
- Erik Christiansen
CEO, Justuno

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7. Conclusion

Keeping a steady stream of new contacts coming into a brand’s email + SMS program is vital to the growth of a world-class lifecycle marketing program. In this guide, we’ve reviewed crafting the most compelling offers, exhaustive methods for onsite and offsite list growth, additional exclusive ways to grow SMS lists, and the base level effective lifecycle infrastructure for brands to put their best foot forward in lifecycle and loyalty marketing. 

‍About Retencity: Built with a mission to unleash growth for fast-growth and enterprise brands, Retencity is made up of established lifecycle leaders and the marketing minds of the future. Laser focused to help brands meet their full potential, the Retencity team relentlessly works to elevate brands to exceed their goals. Retencity works closely with eCommerce, retail, and mobile app brands building purposeful lifecycle programs that stand out. Whether email + SMS, onsite list growth, push and in-app messaging or all of the above, we manage programs for optimal ongoing growth. Retencity has pledged a portion of their revenues and equity towards the planet and collective good.