💡 If you have an existing SMS opt-in list and are considering a shift to WhatsApp, you’ve come to the right place.
What is double opt-in?
Double opt-in is a process used in marketing to ensure that a person genuinely wants to receive communications from a sender. The process works in two steps:
Initial Sign-up: A person fills out a form or signs up on a website to receive communications, indicating their interest.
Confirmation: After signing up, the person receives a confirmation that includes a link or button they must click to confirm their intent to subscribe. Only after clicking this link is their email address or phone number added to the subscribers list.
This method helps protect against spam and ensures that only those who truly wish to receive emails are subscribed. It can also improve the quality of the list by reducing the number of accidental or malicious sign-ups.
How-to collect it?
If you have an existing SMS list, it implies that you've already gathered opt-ins previously. Given this foundation, you have two options to consider:
Equating SMS and WhatsApp Opt-ins: You might choose to view SMS and WhatsApp opt-ins as equivalent. This approach allows you to seamlessly extend your outreach efforts to WhatsApp without needing an entirely new opt-in process. By directly launching a WhatsApp campaign targeted at your SMS list, you can leverage the broader engagement capabilities of WhatsApp. In this campaign, you would directly solicit confirmation from your subscribers through WhatsApp. This involves sending a message that asks subscribers to confirm their consent to receive messages via this new channel like so 👇
You can learn more on this method right here:
Article ↗️ : Send a WhatsApp campaign to your SMS list ✉️
Sending an Entry Point through SMS: The other option is sending a SMS campaign with an entry point redirecting to WhatsApp. This is the "right method" as you won't be sending a WhatsApp to any contact prior to collecting the opt-in. Here we'll delve into how this works and see how to setup such a campaign!
What are Entry Points?
"Entry Points" refer to the methods through which businesses can initiate contact with users on WhatsApp. These entry points are designed to facilitate seamless interactions. You can -and should- include these in a lot of places if you want to see your WhatsApp list grow! Here are the three types:
Links: This feature allows users to start a chat with a business by clicking on a link that can be placed on websites, in emails, on other digital platforms and in an SMS! When the user clicks the link, it opens a WhatsApp conversation with the business.
QR Codes: You can generate QR codes that, when scanned by a user's smartphone, open a conversation with the business on WhatsApp. This is especially effective in physical environments such as retail stores, on product packaging, or on the web when desktop browsing is common.
Facebook Ads that Click to WhatsApp: Businesses can run ads on Facebook that include a call-to-action button linking directly to a WhatsApp chat. This allows potential customers to move from seeing an advertisement to engaging in a conversation with the business in just one click.
Entry points are accessible directly in Kiosk:
The Setup Process
In this case, we’ll incorporate a link directly into our SMS campaign. You can create this link through the Entry Points section of Kiosk. Here’s how to do it:
Create a new entry point, name it and select the "Link / QR code" option:
Configure Your Entry Point: Once your entry point is created, you can configure its settings. Add preloaded text that will appear in the WhatsApp message when a user clicks the link. Make sure to include the opt-in collection and set up an automated reply to immediately engage users who opt-in, making your entry point fully operational!
Now, simply incorporate the generated link into the SMS campaign that you dispatch using your preferred marketing tool, such as Klaviyo. You can monitor the results to see how effectively it drives engagement and transitions users to WhatsApp conversations.
Expanding your reach
To further grow your list of subscribers, consider diversifying your entry points. Adding multiple access methods can significantly increase your audience engagement and subscription rates. Learn how to effectively implement this strategy and expand your reach by following our detailed section!
Article ↗️ : List Growth 📈