The difference between SMS marketing and Text to Join

Understand how SMS marketing works as an engagement tool and how it differs from Text to Join, which is used to grow your list

It's easy to confuse SMS marketing with Text to Join because they both involve text messages, but they're not the same thing. Here's what you need to know:

• What is SMS marketing?
• What is Text to Join?

What is SMS marketing?

Important: Our SMS marketing tools are only available to US customers (excluding Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands) with a valid 9-digit Tax ID Number (TIN), which includes a Social Security Number (SSN) for sole proprietors, or an Employer ID Number (EIN) for businesses assigned by the IRS. (Contacts with phone numbers from Puerto Rico are able to join your list and receive text messages.) Learn more.

SMS marketing, sometimes called text message marketing, is a way of sending your contacts short, simple, text messages to share updates, drive traffic, or otherwise engage with them in a really personal way. Your text messages come from a dedicated phone number, so your contacts can easily recognize you. Here's how it works through Constant Contact:

1. You add SMS to your email marketing plan and then register your organization to use it.
2. You collect SMS contacts through an SMS-enabled Lead Generation Landing Page.
3. You send targeted messages to your SMS contacts on a consistent basis.
   
   
    

Contacts that join your list through an SMS-enabled Lead Generation Landing Page give you express permission to both email them and send SMS messages to them, as long as they check the box to include SMS marketing when they submit their information.

Download: Want to learn more about SMS marketing? Check out our SMS marketing overview or download our Getting started with SMS marketing guide.

What is Text to Join?

Text to Join is a list growth tool that lets people opt into your email and SMS list by sending a text message to a unique phone number assigned to your Constant Contact account. New contacts provide both their cell phone number and their email, so you have a choice how you want to market to them. Here's how it works through Constant Contact:

1. You add SMS to your email marketing plan and then register your organization to use it.
2. You activate Text to Join and are assigned a unique phone number.
3. You promote your phone number and the "Join" instructions to grow your contact list.
4. Your new contacts text "Join" and their email address to your phone number to sign up for your list.
5. You send targeted emails or SMS messages to your contacts on a consistent basis.
   
   

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