Invite your email contacts to opt-into SMS marketing using the Automation Path Builder

Ask your email contacts to opt-in to receive SMS communications using the Constant Contact Automation Path Builder

Contacts that joined your list before you enabled SMS marketing never had the chance to opt into it. You can send all of your email contacts a link to your Sign-up Landing Page and ask them to opt-in, but if you want to offer different incentives to different lists and plan automated follow-up content, an automation path is the way to go! You get to choose the list you want to target with the SMS invite, and plan out what your contacts see when they opt-in, and if they don't.

• Create an SMS opt-in path
• Customize the list join trigger
• Create your email message content and link your Sign-up Landing Page
• (Optional) Build out your SMS opt-in path
• Activate your SMS opt-in path

Create an SMS opt-in path

Follow the steps to create an automation path using a pre-built template and select:

• Grow your SMS list

Once your automation path is created and saved, you can find it again by selecting Marketing > Automations.

Customize the list join trigger

You have control over which list serves as the trigger for your automation path, and you can even select multiple lists.

1. From the Trigger details overlay, select a list, or multiple lists from the drop-down menu.
2. Click Save.
   
   
    

Your list selections aren't set in stone. You can change them at any time by clicking . . . > Edit from the Trigger step at the top of your path.

Design tip: Want to learn more about the triggers in your automation path? Check out this article for understanding triggers.

Create your email message content and link your Sign-up Landing Page

Your message content is fully customizable! It can be a simple "Join our SMS list" message, or you can include incentives to encourage your contacts to opt-in too.

1. From a Send an email step in your path, click . . . > Edit.
   Note: The template includes two Send an email steps that include the "SMS Sign Up" template by default. If you add a Send an email step from the Path Builder, you're able to create a new email and select an email template, including the "SMS Sign Up" template, or choose to copy an existing email.
   
   
    
2. If you:

• Don't already have an SMS-enabled Sign-up Landing page - Click the Go to landing page button to create one. A new tab opens so you can create your Sign-up Landing Page. Once your page is saved and activated, you can close the new tab and continue editing your email content.
• If you have an SMS-enabled Sign-up landing page you want to use - Click the Edit button in the email body.
  
  
   

3. Customize your email content using the Build, Images, and Design tabs.
4. Click on the Sign-up for Text Messages button.
5. In the Button toolbar at the top of the editor, click . . . > Link > Landing Page.
   
   
    
6. (Optional) Customize the button text.
7. Select the Sign-up Landing page you want to link to your email.
8. Click the Insert button.
   
   
    
9. Click the Save & Close button in the upper right-hand corner of the editor to return to the Automation Path Builder.
   
   
    

Repeat each step for each of the Send an email steps in your path.

(Optional) Build out your SMS opt-in path.

The SMS opt-in template provides you with a basic path that just needs the message content, but you also have the flexibility to make your path more complex with additional messages.

Use the Path builder to:

• Add email steps to a path.
• Add SMS message steps to a path.
• Add time delays between steps.
• Add conditional splits to a step in a path.
• Add or remove contact tags.
• Update contact details or custom fields.
  
  
   

Activate your SMS opt-in path

When you're ready, all that's left to do is activate your SMS opt-in path.

1. Click the Activate button in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.
   
   
    

Once your welcome path is activated, you’re brought to the details page where you can review the performance and reporting information for your path. You can also review the reporting for your Sign-up Landing Page and see which contacts opted into SMS marketing. As your email contacts begin to opt in, you can start to send SMS messages to them. These contacts are also now eligible to receive SMS content in future automation paths too!

Questions?