Growing a healthy list is not about adding as many contacts as possible for SMS marketing. It is about building an audience that actually wants to hear from you and giving them simple ways to share what they care about.
Messaging is one of the easiest channels to do this because people respond quickly, share information naturally, and expect two way communication.
Before you start collecting information, it helps to know that most of the details people share through replies, polls, and quick selections count as zero party data because they give it to you on purpose. This is different from first party data, which is information you gather from their activity such as link clicks, delivery patterns, or purchase history. Zero party data is the cleanest and most reliable because it comes directly from the contact and reflects what they want you to know.
Here are practical ways to grow your lists and collect zero party data that improves every message you send.
A keyword is one of the fastest ways to grow your list. When someone texts JOIN or a campaign specific keyword, add them to the right group and send a welcome message. This moment has the highest engagement, making it ideal for one quick question that helps you personalize future messages.
This unlocks:
• Automatic list growth
• Clean opt in records
• A natural opening to ask one or two preference questions
A good welcome message does not end with a thank you. Ask for something simple like their city, preferred language, or interest category. Because the person shares it intentionally, it instantly becomes quality zero party data you can use in future campaigns.
Examples:
• Reply with your city for local updates
• What type of program do you want to receive
• Choose 1, 2, or 3 to tell us your interests
This is zero party data shared directly by the contact. One answer can improve every future send.
Polls help you collect more information without feeling like a survey. You can ask what reminder schedule they want, what program they prefer, or which product category interests them. Each reply updates their profile so future messages feel more relevant.
Each reply updates the contact record and helps you send more relevant content.
If someone messages your number for help or information, let Telerivet automatically create a contact. Send a short permission based follow up asking if they want updates. This turns everyday inbound traffic into long term list growth.
If you have WhatsApp connected, use buttons or lists to collect preferences effortlessly. People tap instead of typing, which improves response rates and keeps fields clean.
Contacts tap instead of typing, which means higher response rates and cleaner data.
People share information more willingly when the value is immediate. Ask for location during weather season, pet type for holiday gift suggestions, or grade level before academic reminders. Keep it to one detail at a time.
Make the value obvious and ask for only one or two fields at a time.
When someone provides a detail, use it immediately. Send local updates if they shared their city or relevant reminders if they chose a specific program. When value appears quickly, people continue sharing more information over time.
Digital rewards like mobile airtime, vouchers, or loyalty points are easy to deliver through Telerivet and create instant gratification. Even a small reward can motivate people to share one or two key details that strengthen your personalization later.